In the context of globalization, Russia has made education exports a national strategy aimed at enhancing international competitiveness and soft power. The academic circles of China and Russia have extensively studied Russian education exports, but the COVID-19, Ukraine crisis, US and Western sanctions and other factors have brought new challenges. This article will explore the challenges and issues faced by Russia's higher education exports, and look forward to their development prospects.

Reasons for the export of Russian higher education

In the late 20th century, neoliberalism promoted the commodification and marketization of higher education, resulting in a decrease in education investment and education exports becoming a means of obtaining economic benefits. Under the influence of neoliberalism, the Russian higher education sector has seen a reduction in government funding, and universities have adopted diversified fundraising methods. Education exports have become an important means of competing for market share and profits. After the end of the Cold War, soft power became an important tool in international politics. The Russian government began to attach importance to the strategic layout of soft power, and education exports became a combination of soft power and diplomacy. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Russia was faced with population problems. The negative population growth and the COVID-19 aggravated the population decline, affecting the enrollment and development of higher education. The increasing demand for applied talents in Russian society has led to a shortage of domestic students in higher education, and attracting international students has become the key to alleviating the shortage of students. Russia continues to increase its openness to the outside world, allowing international students to work legally and simplifying residency procedures through legal amendments, in order to attract and retain international students.

The Development of Russian Higher Education Exports

Detailed analysis of the development history and current situation of Russia's higher education exports. Since the Soviet period, Russia has been an important country in the global education export, expanding its educational influence by establishing colleges and universities specialized in training foreigners and establishing educational institutions in the allies. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia faced economic and social crises, and education exports were severely affected. However, the government subsequently adjusted its foreign education policy, released action plans and ideas, and promoted the development of education exports. Russia's accession to the "Bologna Process" and implementation of the "Education Export" federal project have further promoted the internationalization of higher education. Despite facing Western sanctions, Russia has increased its efforts in international cultural cooperation, enhancing its educational competitiveness and global cultural influence.

3 Problems Faced by Russian Higher Education Exports

The problems faced by Russia's higher education exports include low world rankings of universities, difficulties in overcoming language barriers, difficulties in certifying university diplomas, and an unstable geopolitical environment. Russian universities perform poorly in international rankings, and the government's "5-100 Plan" has failed to achieve its goals, resulting in a decline in academic reputation and educational quality. The reduction in the use of Russian and the limited number of English taught courses have caused language barriers, affecting the number of international students and the development of online education. The issue of diploma authentication has led to a decrease in the international recognition of Russian university diplomas, and the withdrawal from the Bologna Process may further reduce the recognition of diplomas. The western countries' political pressure on Russia and the Russia-Ukraine conflict have hindered the educational cooperation between Russia and the western countries, affecting the development of Russian higher education export market.

4 Prospects for Russian Higher Education Exports

Despite the challenges of sanctions and disruptions in education cooperation with Western countries, Russia's prospects for higher education exports remain promising. The Russian government has taken multiple proactive measures to address difficulties, including developing the Moscow International University Rankings (MosIUR) to break the Western evaluation monopoly, increasing investment in English education and promoting Russian language, emphasizing the development of online education, and reaching mutual recognition agreements for academic degrees with multiple countries. Russia is based on the traditional direction of education exports and actively exploring new potential, especially in education exchange and cooperation in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

5 Conclusion

In the context of globalization, education services have become a strategic export industry. Russian higher education exports face problems such as low ranking, language barriers, and difficulty in diploma certification. However, the Russian government has diversified education cooperation projects, increased the number of international students, and increased education export revenue through measures such as developing English taught courses, promoting Russian language education, and online education. Russia's advantage in education exports in the "post Soviet space" is unstable and needs to adjust its strategy to seek new opportunities. China's higher education exports are relatively backward, and we need to learn from Russia's experience, strengthen strategic planning and policy support, enhance international competitiveness, promote Chinese language education, achieve mutual recognition of academic qualifications with more countries, and develop online education. With the promotion of the "the Belt and Road" initiative, China's education exports will usher in new opportunities. We can strengthen education cooperation with Russia and other countries, enhance the voice of international education, and promote the common development of global education.