several so well, this is part of the exposure to the russian culture. yes. so it is much, much larger in terms of budgeting, 1st of all. and then they have that function of for international development. not of very much of all was fear of interest and the thing that we're doing, we are much more concentrated educational issues on, on cultural issues like exhibition. so the thing that we would certainly prefer to do much more in international development. we're going to have that our governmental program, it's schooled in english, is school that way. our international development assistance for and if you don't, you have the intention but don't have enough fund. no, we don't have enough funds, even with the funds that you have. how much geopolitics do you have to take into

account? because with the u. s. head, they definitely they follow the american political life. assume you also have to further some of that. we are function the lee and a part of the minister of foreign affairs. so we are a states federal agency, but in the structure of m a. r. certainly we do follow all those dreams, like the importance of the closer, like ex ussr republics bots at the same time. oh, we're facing a bit of problems these days because of that geopolitics and who doesn't. oh, yes. mainly in settling weston in eastern europe. in eastern europe, we have our some of our offices, our cultural center, so full cultural centers being closed recently like in slovenia, slovakia, i,

my cydonia, montenegro, and others. in fact, our offices in cultural centers in united states and britain were closed lost here . our stuff was not expelled, but well, i will. visa is expired and not renewed. i guess that's in line with how the russian diplomatic personnel has been treated around the world. and i know that there is now a sort of free shuffling both in terms of how resources are allocated and how staff is distributed around the world. do you think and from what i know of the russian foreign affairs minister wants to pivot more towards the non western world as perhaps a more promising area of international cooperation? is that how you envisage your work in the future? different was actually we started that shift for a while ago. what i will just answered also through did choose boy juicy,

a kind of empathy, you know, a, so when i just started my work there, here in the agency is 2 years ago was started a shift a we were taking some stuff, positions from western europe and relocating them to get used the biggest on and all this. this is much of a much more important why. why is that important? since you've started a then before the geopolitical difficulties, the main aim of our agency is building trust. he's having those who committed in ties with russia working with the public opinion. and in fact, if we lose support of public opinion, somewhere in luxembourg is not that much harmful actually really well batting to

eat some static combating too, if we lose that friendly opinion towards russia in killing a storm. as for example, that would be painful for us for mister pembroke of i'm sure you can predict that. our viewer is next dancer, the military operation, the russia still conducting in the ukraine is definitely watched very closely in the, in its neighboring countries. and it's not watched with excitement and do you think your work in your abroad and further abroad will have to change this strategy? the methods, the difficulty that weren't as a result of rushes, recent decisions? well yes, certainly we needs, we have to, we need to be more much more proactive. we can not rely upon only some cultural events like exhibitions or concepts are in fact we've all developed a small brochure. all that's conflict was some fatty simple explanations. what was

happening, starting from 2014, like what happened in odessa? oh, was 2nd of march re union developing. who was, who was the journalists local dallas was in ah, what is i daughter? ah, because he knew of people interested in these of, as they certainly can a search for the information on the web. they have those websites and so, but let's take into consideration considerations and ordinary people like regular ones that don't know they don't have a clue. and what was happening and what is happening right now. and we've translated the brochures, couple of pages only very short. and simple. we've just says into or 12 languages. it's sort of only english and french. it's foresee,

so romanian saturday. and then you come to this profession as a, as a war importer and as a field trip, whatever before dealing with previous life. yes. but you can still rely on that experience. do you think one brochure or even several brochures translate in multiple languages? kind of, you know, the job, no difference if this is one, only one hint, a small parts of a global, much more wide job actually. and this is not the way to persuade. this is the way to give instrument to persuade it's uploaded to a website. so each and every person over on the globe could download it in p d. f format, print it, and use it. if they need to persuade the law, well friends, or whoever. now i'm sure you follow the discussion here in russia, and one of their opinions here is that russia has lost the public opinion about l

or media war. do you agree with that? and do you think there was even a chance of winning? but being on an equal footing given on the difference in media resources that happened with, in terms of not just broadcasting your point of view, but simply broadcasting the fact that you see from your side, we definitely need to keep broadcasting it box at the same time. when you play according to rules that you do not control you all, you all understand that are etc is band would need is band our news agencies all bands. no, you have a problem with youtube. so trying to work of the same field. our opponents work is something that well, or not that much effective and this is not a matter oh,

how are you going to persuade? because you don't manage the fields, you don't manage the field. mainstream media in europe in the united states, brain wash of public opinion. so i, i don't think that of that easy to change actually. well, you will be in part, i'm sorry for interrupting join. got through real deeds, non just blah, blah blah, from the mobile unit is the same time as to need to keep, keep broadcasting. now i remember when you 1st came to this position i, you posted the, i don't remember it was a tweet or maybe a facebook post about how the methods of this organization need to change and how you need to be perhaps far more practical and connected to the needs of, of the communities that you're actually wanna benefit. so for example, having a well, instead of, let's say some, i don't know, contest language cost contest that can,

is that property colocated to point alexander, produce something meaningful via these methods as a matter of resources limited. the point is that yes, certainly we're changing our attitude in our programs that are becoming a beads, a bytes of it's more practical, pragmatic. ah, just to give you a few examples. ah, we have some certain lands projects, like some anniversaries of fraction philosophers, all writers or poets or artists or whatsoever. but at the same time this, there should be a way to make it more social, like as for example, last year was 200 years in diversity of the say, yes. and i was visiting our cultural sense in berlin and they had a really position of exhibition of

a graphics law. some illustrative people worked for this day of ski, of crime and punishment or something. and i saw a rather old lady visiting it. she was actually alone the whole whole, where those features were submitted. and i was asking our head of the cultural center. why don't you make a seminar on some social problems our being described in the say of sky works and well to just gather people. so they start discussing, let's see, crime and punishment of them. they will certainly see somebody an interesting discussion in today's cause to live. there are some certain, some certain social programs. well, um, this is the way we need to understand what is the need for the audience to

m a hearing you correctly that not only you have to do a lot of things with limited resources, you need to do it in a new way. the more creative ok, now you still have to project a certain image of fresh and from my observation, even here in russia on the russian television, people dont always know that country well or perhaps don't always understand it's motivations accurately. if i were to ask you to describe russia what it is as a country, what it stands for, what it's values are in a couple of sentences. well, in a couple of samples. well, i mean, i'm happy to dive and i will tell story to be sure, good luck cheesy, but it's still part of your job. your, your, for your project manager, discuss russia. he's been coming perceived as a continent or at the quality actually we have a number. oh families. they are not in our terms. compatriots then all process help

any. they don't have any ties with russia, but they are of through other traditional families from united states. and farmers and so on, they asked our agency to relocate to russia to assist them. and we're trying now to find where they can well ransom lands or something in a couple of russian regions are, this is very important. we know the term russian world. this is not only boss compatriots, this is about values. and what kind of families are 1st of all, as equality and tradition. and this is not something you do are being looked on the boss. this is a kind of our view of for the future. this is the way to manage all future. ah, there are some, a lot of families they need to rise their children in adequate or echoes fear on

their adequate relations with others, with the not so being, you know, all crazy about things like b, l, m, l, g, b, t, in all these things. this is good. so conservative values, well i know about conservative, but adequate. okay. well, let's take an adequate break right now, but we will be back in just a few moments stating. mm hm. ah ah

ah ah ah welcome back to was a foreign smith gave him a call, had a for us such winchester russians agency, bro,

or international humanitarian corporation. do you think you were talking before about the need to come up with new methods and new ways of doing business? do you think you may need a new name for yourself to to make it more appealing, more easier for people. all these things are really very much bureaucratic. if we were an n geo, that would be much easier. but we are estates agency, so we need to do a lot, a lot of paperwork. okay, and you have to be true to your traditions as well. don't you think that some of the traditions are holding russia back and juggling is, is going to leave. certainly, we need to fight our crazy bureaucracy. first of all, as we, as for example, if we can needs to start some project like, you know, of funding a network of fresh and schools as for example, ah, 1st of all,

what i get from the ministry of finance is that we are a state agency we cannot spend states money abroad. so we need to start elaborating sim. well, treaty ways to do so. all that's why russia is doing a lot on financing. again, agencies, we use them in agencies, do the job. not russia directly. i'm not getting the credit for that. i mean, for there's a problem issue. there's a problem. you seem to be very open about things you don't like here in russia. that's not the a very glossy image of the country, but at least it's on, as do you think about bureaucratic? well, not just about you. i think there is also a certain quality to russia of being able to accept what it is in both way. so perhaps not so attractive ways do you think that is something that may appeal to

foreign audience as the russians, you know, accepting themselves for who they are, they're difficult history and they're challenging circumstances. and perhaps a interesting future of this is very much philosophical. actually the point is that yes, we do have a lot of all internal problems and the boys ease that when we speak to a foreign audience that he's a very tricky situation when we can criticize what we're doing, what we are not very happy when we hear the things from a broad towards russia, this is all right, criticized always serves but not, you know, not being happy with this is the problem actually, with all that thing about the foreign agents and so on and so forth. with the

russian position was we have certainly we have a position, a very adequate to say word whether the same time we have all the people being mad, being simply mad. now you mentioned that culture used to be a big part of your mandate cultural corporation, and we're seeing in many western countries efforts. no, just a sensor, but right out counsel russian culture, classical rational culture. you know, people like chick or scan, you mentioned dust. they ask, it really is crazy, but i wonder how do you interpret that on that geo political level? do you think it's a knee jerk reaction or do you think there is a deeper strategy there on the part of people who do that? well, i guess both, i guess both, 1st of all, we have our, you know, very psychiatric reaction or what is happening. and we as,

you know, very impulsive and done with the same time. certainly we do have some very, a strategic policy towards counseling rational culture. i will give you a very funny example of that. as you may remember, the very beginning of the special military operation of that was just the you have ski course in italy being bands of something. and i was reading comments on twitter that was italian lazy writing something. what a shame we should not bad the say if you because he's russian and there was a brilliant command comment off. and now the tele lady, like this, they asked was bands course in the states that was been thought because he was russian, but because he supported poor jim. i was brilliant. well, i guess that shows the level of education of certain people who leave comments,

but you know, russian culture again, traditional rational culture has long been celebrated in the west and around the world for its ability to reach into the depth of the human soul. and if we indeed take the current conflict as an ontological battle between russia and the west, then perhaps it makes sense to you. but some of the of those works precisely because of the ability to sort of cut through the ideological chorus. do you think that has any relevance to what's happening today? certainly it is actually if you saw was already a couple of times like a crash of civilization something and certainly russian civilization in terms of heritage in terms of culture is very much different is very much the jury. last, let's say 30 plus years. our opponents

would constantly trying to make us simple, easy and stupid. and that didn't work. well. you know, i've been following american political science for quite some time, and i agree with you. it's a habit to present russia as this carrier of truth or barrick power, as opposed to the american score supposedly rely only on salts or smart power. and you know, make friends and allies comply with their wishes because they genuine one . so, but we understand both. i think we would agree that it's not the case, but if you look at other examples of russian humanitarian involvement of humanitarian investment, let's take, i'm gonna send, for example, there was a military impression there. but there was also a massive effort to invest in schools in bridges, in education. the level of financing wasn't part of the american,

but the russians have never really taken credit for what they try to do. do you think that's still a problem in this day and age? definitely is. i worked in the style and i had a few missions there. and once i met a guy that fought against soviets, actually i made a lot of those, but that one was quite special. and the guy who was covered with blog because it was catching him up, she pulled whatsoever on the market. and he told me it was such a pleasure to fight with you because you fought, honestly, we saw your soldiers. we fought against those. you fought against us directly. at the same time you were building hospitals, schools and all this stuff. but those americans, we even do not see them, the boom bust from somewhere from all to space. and that see also i saw

a great respect, actually 2 things being done by soviet union, by russia, even taking into consideration that we were fighting. do you think that may repeat itself in ukraine because there is also a question of how this war is fought in ukraine. the patrol you're seeing the western media is absolute, blah thurston. as you know, russians being not just barbaric but killing people for the sake of knowing. but i think the weights viewed from the inside. i do think there is a certain dignity that the russian military force itself and how it fights. it's all in the war as do you think the ukrainians as much as they paid us, understandably hayden, this country right now, do you think they come? they will come to the same realization a couple of years, a couple of decades down the line. i hope so. i don't know how much time would it take actually, but we're doing a lot even though even the zation and, and you,

russian, committed ambition. there are shades there and not only food but, you know, medical instruments was surgical equipment and so on. ah . and we hope that to say at say, at some moment that will work. actually, just people will start to understand that, ah, ah, keeping with russia keeping up with the brochure is a thing oh for dignity, police prosperity. oh this is good. this is good. ok. again, no, no, i watched, i would say now you worked with the wrestles from an entire mission before taking this post. and i know it took you to the african logan's region where people have waited for russia to intervene for quite some time. i'm going to ask them, but it's an honest question on the last that given that the roster,

don't you think that perhaps russia on the country waited for wait too long to how those people on humanitarian grounds. i'm a buick bess. i'm a little in a position to criticize decisions, but at the same time asking you in your former capacity, hey, i'm a citizen. ok. yes, certainly. i think that our intervention in terms of military, like a military intervention, but doing something to assist this people to save them. this is the thing that should have been done long before these events started. so would it be fair to say that russia, instead of being impulsive, was actually very hesitant when it comes to ukraine and i originally, we were giving shit.

mm hm. mm. mm. news . a new industry and normally stock and just look up for a muscle around noon. she doesn't being in the green shield on nice to me as close to mom cook, go through 6th grade to somebody to look up this ashley of a dc wanted to work with

you, but not looking for the chain of crimes to network for phones or something like that, and then we got that with them with with both, both the models you need to do. both nelson's moves with a grain already.

a lot of them bought a they need to leave. you knew that the guy with is if one a, this isn't the 1st one you know, with

with mr. newton, carl with affordable, we're just waiting in your for what they can little physical and yet they have been on the bottom of the street. which is what sharla near a getting and what is material that was supposed to be love recently. so be example graham, it was some live williams.