Gubkin University Students Reach the Final of the World Championship in the Russian Language for Foreigners
Two teams of international students from the I.M. Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas (National Research University) have successfully navigated a rigorous selection process to reach the final of an international educational initiative: the World Championship in the Russian Language for Foreigners.
Designed to foster interest in the Russian language abroad and strengthen humanitarian ties between nations, this year’s project saw record-breaking participation. Over 6,000 individuals from dozens of countries—including Kyrgyzstan, Brazil, India, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Nigeria—registered for the competition. Over the course of several months, participants from around the globe competed in linguistic proficiency, undergoing a series of challenging qualifying rounds. These included tests on the norms of the modern Russian literary language, orthography, and punctuation, as well as the evaluation of personal portfolios, the completion of creative assignments, and the demonstration of teamwork skills.
Following a multi-stage selection process, an expert panel compiled a final ranking across three divisions, identifying the 30 top-performing teams. Among them are two teams from Gubkin University, which delivered outstanding results and secured spots in the top 10 finalists within the "Foreigners Residing in Russia" division. Gubkin University is represented by two teams: "Venezolanos"—last year’s reigning champions of the "Latin America" division, consisting of Alberto Josué Alava Sedeño, Francisco Vicente González Pirela, and Miguel José Velásquez Ermenio, led by their mentor, Anastasia Kalinina, a senior lecturer in the Department of the Russian Language—and "Russian Trail" ("Russkiy Sled"), a determined team of newcomers comprising Mhammad Abd Sattar, Adnan Solh, and Abir Mezhri, under the guidance of Victoria Malenkova, a lecturer in the Department of the Russian Language. This impressive performance in the qualifying round serves as further confirmation of the exceptional quality of training provided to international students at the university, as well as the high level of professionalism among its faculty.
The decisive in-person competitions for the championship title will take place in Moscow from November 27 to 30, 2026, at the Cosmos Hotel. The event will bring together top teams from various continents and linguistic cultures. The four-day final program is packed with complex linguistic case studies, intellectual tournaments, debates, creative contests, and assessments of public speaking skills. Participants will be challenged to answer intricate questions covering Russia’s history, literature, geography, arts, and traditions.
Gubkin University congratulates its teams on reaching the finals and wishes them the best of luck and inspiration!
