Russia has dramatically increased spending on foreign influence operations, with the Kremlin agency Rossotrudnichestvo spending 1.5 times more in 2025 to expand its network of loyal young leaders, journalists, and bloggers abroad. On 16 September 2025, IStories reported that the agency signed contracts totaling 412 million rubles for various programs targeting foreigners, with the bulk going to the “Novoe Pokolenie” (New Generation) program that brings foreign activists, journalists, and entrepreneurs to Russia for propaganda training. The article begins:
Russia continues to increase spending on programs for foreigners. The federal agency Rossotrudnichestvo, which promotes Kremlin interests abroad and is considered a front for Russian intelligence services overseas, has spent a record sum on this over the past 14 years. In the incomplete year of 2025, Rossotrudnichestvo signed contracts for various programs for foreign youth, journalists, and bloggers totaling 412 million rubles, according to our calculations. This is 1.5 times more than last year. The bulk of the spending went to Rossotrudnichestvo’s main program — Novoe Pokolenie [New Generation]. Under this program, foreigners aged 14 to 40 — activists, journalists, bloggers, entrepreneurs, scientists — are paid for short-term trips to Russia. They are taken on excursions, hikes, invited to meetings with officials, and attend trainings led by propagandists.
Read more: https://istories.media/en/stories/2025/09/16/rossotrudnichestvo-2025/
Key Points
- Novoe Pokolenie program brought 921 participants to Russia in 2024, with 603 from post-Soviet countries and 264 from Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
- Foreign journalists receive training at Russian propaganda outlets RT and Sputnik, learning to “debunk anti-Russian myths.”
- Russia tripled spending on promoting the Russian language abroad to 1.8 billion rubles in 2025
- The agency supplies history textbooks rewritten by Vladimir Medinsky, which justify the invasion of Ukraine, to schools worldwide.
Rossotrudnichestvo: The Russian Vehicle for Softpower Global Influence Operations
Rossotrudnichestvo serves as Russia’s primary soft power vehicle for global influence operations, with the agency dramatically increasing its budget from $77 million to $1.5 billion annually to capitalize on USAID’s dismantling and expand Russian influence through development assistance targeting former Soviet states. The agency operates through a network of 97 cultural centers, known as Russia Houses, across 70 countries. However, it faces widespread suspicion of intelligence gathering activities, with recent closures in Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan following allegations of espionage and mercenary recruitment for the Ukraine war.
Rossotrudnichestvo’s operational inefficiency reflects broader Russian soft power challenges, as the agency spends 75% of its budget on administrative costs, while only 25% goes to actual projects. This contrasts sharply with efficient US nonprofits, which maintain administrative costs under 25%. The Trump administration’s dismantling of USAID has created strategic vacuums that Russia rapidly moves to fill through both overt development assistance and covert information operations, particularly targeting regions where American influence once dominated democratic institution-building and counter-disinformation programs.
External References:
• Rossotrudnichestvo: The Unbearable Harshness of Soft Power
• Kremlin Soft Power — Harder Than It Looks
• The Long Arm of Russian “Soft” Power
Disclaimer
The Global Influence Operations Report (GIOR) employs AI throughout the posting process, including generating summaries of news items, the introduction, key points, and often the “context” section. We recommend verifying all information before use. Additionally, images are AI-generated and intended solely for illustrative purposes. While they represent the events or individuals discussed, they should not be interpreted as real-world photography.
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