12 universities authorized to take Russian language exams from foreigners to issue certificates have terminated contracts with commercial partners, the Ministry of Education and Science reported.
As the department notes, now exams will only be administered by universities themselves “and other state and municipal organizations.”
On April 8, security forces reported the detention of employees of the Pushkin Russian Language Institute, who, according to investigators, organized the issuance of certificates of knowledge of the Russian language, history and legislation to foreigners who did not actually pass the exam. This certificate is needed to obtain a residence permit, work permit and patent. A criminal case was opened under paragraph “a” of Part 2 of Article 322.1 of the Criminal Code (organization of illegal migration) and paragraph “e” of Part 3 of Article 286 of the Criminal Code (abuse of official authority).
After this, Rosobrnadzor warned five universities not to violate the rules conducting examinations.
After the terrorist attack at Crocus in Russia, anti-migration rhetoric sharply became more frequent and fierce: President Vladimir Putin called the fight against illegal migration one of the priorities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and mass detentions and expulsions of immigrants from Central Asian countries began in the country.