‘Pushkin Camp’: How 20 students from 8 countries fell in love with Moscow
Twenty foreign students came to Russia to study the language and fell in love with the city and with Russian culture in the process.
Moscow hosted 'Pushkin Camp', a free two-week language camp for foreign students. They lived in the capital, studied Russian and explored the culture.
“Within two weeks, we managed to do so much: we saw so many places, got to know the culture and felt the atmosphere of Moscow,” says Tagaimurod Kurbanov from Kazakhstan.
The program included many key spots on the city's map, from the Tretyakov Gallery and the Museum of Cosmonautics to Tsaritsyno Park and the Pushkin State Museum.
The classes were not made up of boring lectures, but of lively conversation, teamwork, board games and quizzes. The students even tried playing the spoon game. There was no competition, only team spirit, in which Russian became the unifying language of friendship.
“I liked that there was no competition in the program. We worked in groups, discussed things, but everyone felt at ease – no one tried to outdo anyone else. That helped us get closer and really start speaking Russian,” notes Fotima Mukhtorova from Tajikistan.
At the end, the participants presented various creative projects: Some made a video about a day in the camp, while others created a mini screen adaptation of an Anton Chekhov play.
For the second year in a row, the ‘Pushkin Camp’ has been organized by the Pushkin State Russian Language Institute in a partnership with the ‘Russkiy Mir’ Foundation. According to Nikita Gusev, the Pushkin Institute's rector, the number of applicants in 2026 was incredible: 786 people. That was nearly 40 applicants per place.
The selection process took place online and the program admitted the most talented and motivated students – 20 people from Vietnam, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
The program is free and all costs are covered by the host side. The students lived at the Pushkin Institute’s dorm, which helped to add to the feeling of full immersion and allowed everyone to become friends more quickly.
“I really liked Moscow. What I remember most is the (Mikhail) Bulgakov Museum. He is one of my favorite writers, along with Fyodor Dostoevsky. The museum turned out to be very informal and interactive and made a big impression on me,” concludes Dariga Butabayeva from Kazakhstan.
If you are an international student dreaming of one day visiting Moscow, learning the Russian language and making new friends, then be sure to follow updates on the 'Education in Russian' website and apply to join the next ‘Pushkin Camp’!
