Sunday, March 15, 2026 1:00:38 PM

The leadership of the Russian State University for the Humanities (RSUH) has been tasked with securing military contracts from 200 students. The assignment was delivered by Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Pavel Shkarenkov during a general meeting of the university administration, a source who attended the meeting told the outlet T-Invariant. The contracts reportedly concern service with the Russian Armed Forces’ unmanned systems troops.

At the same time, RSUH is said to maintain close ties with the “Grom Kaskad” drone aviation brigade. Nikita Filin, dean of the Faculty of Oriental and African Studies, regularly travels to the front carrying humanitarian aid for brigade personnel. T-Invariant documented at least five such trips in the university’s Telegram channel in 2025–2026; photos from the visits indicate that students were also involved.

According to the outlet, the university’s profile shifted sharply after former Deputy Justice Minister Andrei Loginov took over in June 2024. Once regarded as one of the country’s leading liberal humanities universities, RSUH has since moved to align itself with the wartime agenda. In September 2024, RSUH became the first university to sponsor the Sparta reconnaissance battalion. The university handed over six DJI Mavic 3 Pro quadcopters to the unit after raising 1.3 million rubles for frontline needs. Deliveries of FPV drones and components for Sparta have continued, with the most recent report published on November 25, 2025.

Loginov began his career at Moscow State University’s ethnography department, served at the Soviet Embassy in Kabul during the Afghan war, and in the 1990s worked in structures associated with Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Both he and his son Denis were mentioned in Ivan Golunov’s investigation into the funeral industry. According to the journalist, Denis was linked to the far-right movement Restrukt and owned an organization described as defending the rights of the deceased, while his father allegedly lobbied the government for funeral legislation benefiting his son’s business interests.

Student recruitment quotas have also been reported at other Russian universities. A T-Invariant source at Novosibirsk State Pedagogical University said the local quota through April stands at 109 people, while at Far Eastern Federal University the monthly recruitment target is 32 students.

(C)UAWIRE 2026