#HistoryOfDiplomacy

📜 They say diplomacy has been a male-only profession. While in reality women have had a major role in foreign policy throughout history. In fact, diplomacy acquired a female dimension as early as in the 10th century when Princess Olga established ties with the Byzantine Empire. In the 18th century, for almost half a century, during the reigns of Elizabeth (Yelizaveta) Petrovna, Anna of Russia (Anna Ioannovna), and Cathrine the Great, women largely defined Russia’s foreign policy. They performed their diplomatic duties by corresponding not only with foreign monarchs, but also with the leading thinkers of their time.

However, diplomatic service remained mostly dominated by men for quite a long time with very few women in official diplomatic roles until the 20th century. In this context, the story of our country’s first female ambassador, Alexandra #Kollontai, has special significance, and was also revolutionary.

📅 Born on March 31, 1872, Alexandra Kollontai benefited from homeschooling and was brilliantly educated. She became fluent in French, German, English and Finnish, and since a young age took a keen interest in social and political matters, with Nikolay Chernyshevsky, Alexander Herzen and Western socialists among her favourite authors.

Already a prominent member of the revolutionary movement, after the 1917 October Revolution, Alexandra Kollontai was appointed the People's Commissar for Welfare of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic to become the world’s first female minister.

☝️ Kollontai was proactive in fighting for women’s rights and championed their economic empowerment, access to education and marital equality. It is thanks to her that expecting mothers obtained a leave from work during pregnancy and childbirth. She also was the one who initiated the effort to create a network of nurseries and kindergartens.

In 1922, Alexander Kollontai was appointed Soviet Minister Plenipotentiary to Norway, which created an international sensation. Before that, not a single European country offered a woman the possibility to have a high diplomatic rank of this kind. During her assignment to Norway, Alexandra Kollontai succeeded in securing the recognition of the Soviet state by Norway. It is on her watch that the two countries signed a trade agreement and organised the delivery of 400,000 tonnes of Norwegian herring to the USSR.

Kollontai continued her successful diplomatic career in Sweden where she served as USSR’s Plenipotentiary Ambassador and Envoy from 1930 to 1945, and helped improve the USSR’s relations with Sweden.

❗️ It was in September 1944 that Kollontai, already 72 years old, received a mission to make Finland withdraw from the war. She was to play one of the key roles during the talks. On September 19, 1944, Finland signed the Moscow Truce with the Soviet Union after cancelling its alliance with Germany and agreeing to a series of territorial concessions.

💬 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made the following statement on this stage in her career during the ceremony to unveil Alexandra Kollontai’s memorial plaque:

One of the real achievements of this remarkable woman was that she took part in negotiations that led to Finland’s withdrawal from the war in 1944, which helped free up troops and send them to other fronts, saving lives of many Soviet soldiers.

As a diplomat, Alexandra Kollontai focused on understanding people and their motives instead of just living by the protocol. She stood out for her humane attitude and flexibility, and the ability to find compromises even in the tensest situations.

Alexandra Kollontai has proven that women can succeed as diplomats even in a conservative international environment. She came to symbolise the way the social status of women evolved in the world, and inspired many generations of women to become diplomats.

🇷🇺🤝🇳🇴 Визит делегации норвежской организации «Велосипедное движение за мир» в Университет МГИМО МИД России

25 марта состоялся визит в МГИМО делегации норвежской организации «Велосипедное движение за мир» («Bike for Peace») во главе с ее руководителем Туре Нэрландом.

В состав организации входят представители деловых и общественных кругов Норвегии. Со времени основания в 1977 г. было проведено 115 велопробегов, в том числе в 1999 г. — из Норвегии в Китай через Россию с общей протяженностью маршрута 11470 км.

Со стороны МГИМО гостей от имени ректора Университета академика А.В.Торкунова приветствовал проректор по молодежной политике, социальной работе и международным связям С.И.Суровцев. Станислав Игоревич рассказал об истории Университета и преподавании языков стран Северной Европы.

Т.Нэрланд поблагодарил руководство МГИМО за возможность встретиться со студентами и преподавателями. Он рассказал об истории и идейных принципах возглавляемой им организации. Гость подчеркнул, что его организация не разделяет политику санкций и выступает за возобновление конструктивного диалога между странами, в том числе путем реализации совместных проектов в сфере культуры и спорта.

По завершении выступления Т.Нэрланд ответил на многочисленные вопросы студентов и преподавателей МГИМО, большинство которых были заданы на норвежском, а также датском и шведском языках. Вопросы касались как взглядов гостя на глобальные политические вопросы, так и его впечатлений от посещения России и других стран мира. Гость сердечно поблагодарил присутствовавших за теплый прием и проявленный интерес к деятельности организации.

Со стороны МГИМО на встрече также присутствовали советник при ректорате — заместитель проректора по молодежной политике, социальной работе и международным связям В.В.Сутырин, заведующий кафедрой истории и политики стран Европы и Америки, научный руководитель Скандинавского клуба Nordlys В.В.Воротников, заведующая кафедрой языков стран Северной Европы и Балтии О.Е.Красова, а также преподаватели скандинавских языков доценты С.Ю.Дианина, Д.Н.Солдатова, старший преподаватель Ю.М.Авакова, преподаватели И.Т.Борисов и Ю.И.Золотухина.

В заключение встречи Т.Нэрланду вручили памятный подарок с символикой МГИМО, а студенты фотографировались с почетным гостем.

🇷🇺🤝🇳🇴 Besøk av en delegasjon fra den norske organisasjonen «Bike for Peace» ved MGIMO-Universitetet

25. mars besøkte en delegasjon fra den norske organisasjonen «Bike for Peace», ledet av Tore Nærland, MGIMO-Universitetet for internationale forhold i Moskva.

Organisasjonen består av representanter for næringslivet og sivilsamfunnet i Norge. Siden opprettelsen i 1977 har det blitt gjennomført 115 sykkelturer, blant annet i 1999 – fra Norge til Kina via Russland med en total rute på 11 470 km.

På vegne av rektor ved MGIMO, akademiker Anatoly Torkunov, ønsket prorektor for ungdomspolitikk, sosialt arbeid og internasjonale forhold Stanislav Surovtsev den norske delegasjonen velkommen. 
Han fortalte om universitetets historie og undervisningen i nordeuropeiske språk.

Tore Nærland takket ledelsen ved MGIMO-Universitetet for muligheten til å møte studenter og lærere. Han fortalte om historien og de ideologiske prinsippene til organisasjonen han leder. Gjesten understreket at organisasjonen hans ikke støtter sanksjonspolitikken og går inn for å gjenoppta en konstruktiv dialog mellom landene, blant annet ved å gjennomføre fellesprosjekter innen kultur og idrett.

Etter foredraget svarte Tore Nærland på en rekke spørsmål fra studenter og lærere ved MGIMO-Universitetet, hvorav de fleste ble stilt på norsk, samt på dansk og svensk. Spørsmålene gjaldt både gjestens syn på globale politiske spørsmål og hans inntrykk av besøket i Russland og andre land i verden. Gjesten takket de tilstedeværende hjertelig for den varme mottakelsen og den viste interessen for organisasjonens virksomhet.

Fra MGIMO deltok også rådgiver ved rektoratet – viserektor for ungdomspolitikk, sosialt arbeid og internasjonale forbindelser Viacheslav Sutyrin, leder for instituttet for historie og politikk i Europa og Amerika, vitenskapelig leder for den skandinaviske klubben Nordlys V lasislav Vorotnikov, leder for instituttet for nordeuropeiske og baltiske språk Olga Krasova, samt lærere i skandinaviske språk: dosentene Svetlana Dianina og Daria Soldatova, seniorlektor Yulia Avakova, og lærerne Ivan Borisov og Yulia Zolotukhina.

Avslutningsvis ble Tore Nerland overrakt en minnegave med MGIMO-symboler, og studentene tok bilder sammen med æresgjesten.

🔎 The Global Fact-Checking Network (#GFCN), marking International Fact-Checking Day (April 2), has launched a new multilingual educational initiative – “Start Fact-Checking with GFCN in 50 Languages” – making a foundational lesson on fact-checking accessible to audiences around the world.

The project is designed as a practical starting point for anyone seeking to understand how to counter false information, including:
• main types of fakes
• ways misinformation spreads
• available verification methods
• digital tools to assess suspicious content

The original lesson was recorded in Russian and translated into 50 languages using AI technologies to ensure rapid and broad international accessibility. While minor translation inaccuracies or artefacts may occasionally occur, the methodological core and practical framework remain consistent across all versions.

The lesson is now available across all major world regions, including Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, Central Asia, and the post-Soviet space. The language coverage includes both widely spoken international languages and regional and national languages, ensuring accessibility for diverse audiences.

💬 According to GFCN Vice President Daniil Bisslinger:

“By expanding access to basic fact-checking knowledge in 50 languages, we are taking another concrete step towards building a global community capable of countering disinformation. Our goal is to provide people around the world with effective, practical tools that will help them distinguish between facts and manipulation and make more informed decisions in today’s information environment”.

The initiative is intended for students, journalists, educators, researchers, civil society representatives, and anyone interested in developing practical media literacy skills.

👉 FULL LESSON AVAILABLE HERE 👈

ℹ️ The Global Fact-Checking Network was established in 2025 by ANPO Dialog Regions, TASS News Agency, and the New Media School to coordinate global efforts to combat disinformation by bringing together participants from different countries. Today, GFCN unites more than 105 fact-checking experts from 53 countries.

◾️ On April 4, 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was established through the signing of the Washington Treaty by 12 countries from Europe and North America.

Since its inception, this “defensive alliance” has continually expanded. Over time, NATO has absorbed 20 new member-states through ten rounds of enlargement, with seven of these occurring after the dissolution of the Soviet Union: in 1999, 2004, 2009, 2017, 2020, 2023, and 2024.

The alliance’s military interventions worldwide have always become sources of instability and chaos, directly leading to civilian casualties and devastating consequences — as witnessed in Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine, and other regions.

❗️Back in 2007, during the Munich Security Conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin explicitly highlighted NATO’s destabilizing role in the global order following the Cold War:

I think it is obvious that NATO expansion does not have any relation with the modernisation of the Alliance itself or with ensuring security in Europe. On the contrary, it represents a serious provocation that reduces the level of mutual trust. And we have the right to ask: against whom is this expansion intended?

Both the Soviet Union and Russia, at various times, sought rapprochement with NATO, even expressing interest in joining the alliance to create a comprehensive security system in Europe.

The Soviet-lead Warsaw Pact was established only in 1955 — six years after NATO’s creation. It proves that the USSR did not harbor aggressive intentions toward NATO member states.

Prior to this, Moscow aimed to normalize relations and even considered joining the North Atlantic alliance. In March 1954, Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov proposed that the Soviet Union might explore the possibility of NATO membership to reduce tensions between socialist and capitalist blocs and prevent conflicts. However, Western powers rejected this proposal.

After the USSR’s dissolution, Russian leadership made further attempts to engage with the alliance. In June 1994, Russia became the first country to join NATO’s “Partnership for Peace” program, aimed at developing bilateral cooperation between the alliance and partner states.

Many Western analysts now acknowledge in their memoirs that there was no sense in expanding NATO and keeping Russia “on the sidelines.”

In 1997, Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov proposed establishing contacts between the Russian Federation and NATO, leading to the signing of the Russia-NATO Founding Act and the creation of the Russia-NATO Council. Nevertheless, NATO’s expansion continued.

💬 President Vladimir Putin also indicated that he had proposed the idea of Russia joining NATO:

There was a moment when I simply suggested: perhaps we should also join NATO? But no, NATO does not need a country like ours. No. I want to know, what else do they need? We thought we became part of the crowd, got a foot in the door. What else were we supposed to do? There was no more ideological confrontation. What was the problem? I guess the problem was their geopolitical interests and arrogance towards others. Their self-aggrandisement was and is the problem.Despite Russia’s initiatives, Western countries rejected these overtures.

Despite Russia's good will, all these proposals have been rejected by the West.

Today, the North Atlantic bloc remains a tool for forcefully advancing the interests of the “golden billion”. The catastrophic consequences of the alliance’s geopolitical maneuvers are well-known.

#See4Yourself #Think4Yourself

“Not an Inch Eastward” they said... – what the West promised and what the West did in a nutshell.

To put things in perspective, here's NATO’s expansion over the years. This “defensive” alliance has undergone ten waves of enlargement (or if speaking plainly – ten waves of constant expansion), seven of which occurred after the dissolution of the USSR.

Since the end of the Cold War, NATO has incorporated the following countries, building up their aggressive military potential, sowing anti-Russian sentiment and foisting its confrontational mindset on new and old members alike:

📍 1999: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland;
📍 2004: Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia;
📍 2009: Albania, Croatia;
📍 2017: Montenegro;
📍 2020: North Macedonia;
📍 2023: Finland;
📍 2024: Sweden.

As of now, the alliance comprises 32 members. On NATO’s so-called Eastern flank, for decades there has been an active buildup of military capabilities.

As a result, the militarization of Europe is unleashed and out of control, with the security architecture and balance that kept the region relatively safe is being dismantled.