VCU Hosts Russian Visitors

By Mike Porter

Virginia Commonwealth University welcomed a delegation of Russian elected officials to campus last week as part of a weeklong visit to Virginia to learn about state and local government operations.

The delegation came from the oblast (state) of Tver and consisted of Mikhail Sergeyevich Musatov, a deputy on the Staritskiy District Council; Artem Zakidinovich Osmanov, a member of the Council of Deputies for the town of Rameshki; and Sergey Olegovich Sokolov, a deputy on the Vesyegonsk District Council. They were accompanied by facilitator Olga Vladimirovna Safronova, who is fluent in English.

The group’s visit was conducted through the Open World Leadership Center at the Library of Congress to introduce elected officials from Russia and other Eurasian countries to American Democracy and civil society in action.

During their week in Virginia, the Russians visited with law enforcement officials, toured the Henrico County Jail, witnessed General District Court proceedings and met with delegates and senators at the State Capitol.

“I was surprised to see how accessible government officials are here,” Osmanov said. “Here, people can approach their delegate and challenge them and they listen.”

Openness in decision making was another surprise for the visitors.

“We witnessed a very interesting and surprising subcommittee meeting, in which the delegates were attending to represent bills to the senators,” Sokolov said. “That is not typical in Russia. Decisions are often made behind closed doors.”

The visitors also made the most of their free time with shopping excursions, tours of state historic sites and a trip to Virginia Beach, where Sokolov swam in the Atlantic Ocean. He acknowledged that a February swim on a day with temperatures in the 60s may seem a little strange to Americans but felt “balmy” to him, considering that it was 22 degrees below zero in Russia.

Their week in Virginia left the visitors with a favorable impression of government and civic involvement and an appreciation for the kindness of Americans.

“I was very impressed at how friendly people are – everywhere we go,” said Musatov. “People treated us as if we were the dearest people in the world.”

The visit to VCU was sponsored by the Global Education Office, School of Mass Communications, L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs and the Office of Government Relations.