In 2010, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, acting on President Putin’s instructions, established the A. M. Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Support Foundation.
The Foundation’s mission is ‘to promote the development of public diplomacy and to foster a favourable public, political and business climate for Russia abroad’.
As this wording suggests, the Foundation’s mission is to promote the Russian regime. In fact, the term ‘public diplomacy’ is a euphemism for propaganda. In line with this objective, the Gorchakov Foundation awards grants to fund a wide range of propaganda activities abroad. “to Russian and foreign non-profit organisations and foreign policy-oriented research centres”
Among the Gorchakov Foundation’s programmes is the InteRussia programme, launched in 2021, which more than openly resembles the recruitment of agents:
“The project offers foreigners the opportunity to:
1. undertake an internship with the programme’s partner organisations in fields of interest;
2. familiarise themselves with the Russian academic and expert agenda;
3. visit government bodies;
4. take part in expert sessions at leading Russian universities, think tanks and civil society organisations;
5. network with Russian and international colleagues.
Programme participants are young professionals (aged 21–40) from various fields who are interested in professional development, enjoy travelling, wish to foster cooperation with Russia and Russian colleagues, and are interested in Russian culture and contemporary life in the country. Since the project began, around 100 people from more than 50 countries have visited Russia.
The duration of the placement is between 4 and 6 weeks, depending on the field. The Gorchakov Foundation covers participants’ travel expenses to the placement location and their accommodation. Trainees receive a stipend for the duration of their placement in Russia. If necessary, the Foundation also assists with visa applications.”
In 2024, the Gorchakov Foundation “is launching a competitive selection process for participation in the 23rd International School on Global Security Issues for young international relations specialists. The project’s target groups are: diplomats, military personnel, academics, experts, researchers, students, journalists, public figures and representatives of international organisations. The School is open to participants from Russia and abroad who take an active interest in issues relating to the development of global and regional security.”
The word ‘security’ in the title of such events clearly indicates the presence of the security services, whilst the competitive selection process itself—including among foreign nationals—strongly resembles the recruitment of foreign agents followed by training.
The Gorchakov Foundation has two foreign centres – the E. M. Primakov Georgian-Russian Public Centre in Tbilisi (established in 2013) and the Centre for Analysis and Forecasting of Union Integration Processes in Minsk (established in 2020).
The Executive Director of the Gorchakov Foundation, Leonid Vadimovich Drachevsky, is a sports official who was recruited by the KGB and, as a result, went on to enjoy a brilliant diplomatic career. In the book *The KGB Plays Chess* by Boris Gulko, Vladimir Popov, Yuri Felshtinsky and Viktor Korchny, his transformation is described as follows: ‘The story of Leonid Drachevsky, who in 1980 was the senior coach of the USSR national rowing team, is telling. He was recruited in 1979 by Valentin Petrovich Nefedov, an officer seconded to the 3rd Section of the 11th Department of the Fifth Directorate of the KGB. Drachevsky managed to establish a good relationship with Lieutenant Colonel Igor Perfiliev, deputy head of the 11th Division of the Fifth Directorate of the KGB, during their joint mission to the Universiade in Mexico in 1979. This marked the beginning of his unprecedented career progression. In 1986, Drachevsky became Deputy Chairman of the State Sports Committee of the RSFSR. By 1991, he was First Deputy Chairman of the State Sports Committee of the USSR. From 1992, he worked in the diplomatic service (as Consul in Barcelona during the Olympic Games). Subsequently, Drachevsky served as head of a department at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; from 1996 to 1998, he was Russia’s ambassador to Poland, and then Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia. From 2000 to 2004, he was the Russian President’s plenipotentiary representative in the Siberian Federal District (he was subsequently succeeded by General Kvashnin).