ACTR has created a resource designed to assist institutions in the formation of web pages that promote the study of the Russian language in a manner that is comprehensive and holds relevance to the contemporary world.
Why Study Russian as an American?
Why Study Russian Right Now?
Andrew Kirkpatrick posing in front of a Church during a work trip to Georgia.
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– An alum of the Russian program at Friends School of Baltimore and the Eastern European Slavic Studies program at Georgetown University, Andrew Kirkpatrick, on the reason he was hired to his first and current job after undergraduate study. His official position is called “the Coordinator of Grants and Ukraine War Response for the Collection on Aid to the Church and State of Central Eastern Europe at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.”
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Andrew Kirkpatrick and his friend, Fr. Sergei, taking a selfie during an FC Astana game. They attended the soccer match with some seminaries that Andrew worked with during his work trip in Kazakhstan.
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Critical Need Language
Critical Language Scholarship students present their final research projects to the class in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
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Russian is a critical language as designated by the US Department of State. But, what does this mean? Critical languages are crucial for national security and economic prosperity but are not spoken commonly by Americans. Therefore, there is a much higher demand for speakers of the language than there is a supply. Such languages also fit under the broader category of “less commonly taught languages.”
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A student from the Critical Language Scholarship program poses for a photo in traditional warfare attire during a cultural excursion to the famous lake, Issykul, in Kyrgyzstan.
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Russian’s status as a critical language is due both to its strategic role in U.S. political, intelligence, scientific, technological, cybersecurity, and economic systems, as well as to its versatility as the lingua-franca of many countries and regions, including the Baltics, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. Whether you are aspiring to make a career in government, business, or the nonprofit sector, proficiency in Russian will set you apart from other candidates. 
Two Critical Language Scholarship students commemorate their farewell celebration in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
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For more on Russian as a language of critical and strategic importance and a critical asset for the US Government, please see here.
Communication on a Global Scale
Kyrgyz school children in class.
Therefore, Russian not only attracts students who pursue careers in international relations, but also many other kinds of professionals from domains, such as journalism, business, science, marketing, advertising, aerospace, computer engineering, cybersecurity, military, law, and human rights, as well as academia.
Why Should US School Students Choose Russian?
A Russian Overseas Flagship student snaps a selfie in front of the Kazakh Fund for Cultural, Social and Educational Development where they completed their spring internship requirement for the program in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
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Proficiency in Russian can indeed increase earning potential in various fields. Here is an overview of how Russian language skills can impact paychecks.
Type “Russian” into the search bar on the USAJobs site. You will be able to browse the current job opportunities that use Russian with salaries ranging from around $70,000 to $164,000 per year.
Culture
A high school student plays the traditional Kyrgyz stringed instrument, the komuz.
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For example, Kazakhstan has been home to many different ethnic populations who found a common means of communication through the Russian language (to learn more, read here). As many Kazakhs are native speakers of Russian, modern pop culture often incorporates both Kazakh and Russian languages (view a list of references here).
Two Russian Overseas Flagship students play a traditional Kazakh game, Assyks, during the national spring holiday, Nauryz, in Turkestan, Kazakhstan. National Assyks championships were held for the first time in 2015, and UNESCO recognized the game as "part of the intangible cultural heritage" in 2017.
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It is also important to note that many Russian students go on to pursue other languages from countries where Russian is either an official language or the lingua-franca. For those who would like to be introduced to the vast array of cultures in the post-Soviet world, we have collected contemporary and classical literary or artistic works by members of such cultures: Cultures Across the Post-Soviet Space.
Another student on the Advanced Russian Language and Area Studies Program in Yerevan rolls out lavash, a flatbread considered Armenia's national bread, while wearing traditional headwear.
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In Chisinau, students on the National Security Language Intiative for Youth dig into traditionalMoldovan cuisine, "mamaliga," before touring the historical-archeological complex, "Orheiul Vechi"/"Old Orhei." A student on the Advanced Russian Language and Area Studies Program visits the Blue Mosque on a cultural excursion in Yerevan, Armenia.
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Durable Skills
With AI rapidly transforming the workplace, professionals need transferable skills that adapt across roles and industries. What are durable skills (also called humanistic or human skills) that span across roles, jobs, and industries? America Succeeds, in partnership with CompTIA, created the Pathsmith™ Durable Skills Framework, based on a decade of research analyzing over 82 million job postings. Durable skills include collaboration, adaptability, creative problem-solving, critical thinking, empathy, initiative, intercultural fluency, oral communication, resilience, and self-directed learning. Explore the Durable Skills Wheel and Durable Skills Advantage Framework for more details.
Russian studies programs uniquely develop these capabilities through linguistic complexity, analytical rigor, cultural depth and nuance, and experiential learning. As Natasha Stough of Brit Talent Strategies observes, "The workforce is operating in a constant state of transformation," requiring "agility, flexibility, curiosity, critical thinking, a growth mindset." Russian programs are particularly effective at building these skills by developing advanced language and communication abilities, analytical and critical thinking skills, intercultural competencies and global perspectives, research and information processing, adaptability, and resilience. Students learn to identify, articulate, and showcase these transferable skills to prospective employers, thereby strengthening their positioning in a highly competitive labor market. These durable skills offer what Ahva Sadeghi, Co-Founder & CEO of tech startup Symba, calls "elasticity that will empower students to not only create opportunities for their career but help them move up the ladder."
Watch the virtual forum "Why Employers Value 'Durable' Skills" hosted by The Chronicle of Higher Education on June 25, 2025.Using Analytical Skills and Fighting Disinformation
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Proficiency in Russian will give you access to information from Russian language sources. You will be able to compare reports from domestic and foreign news sources on the same subjects. Your conclusions will become more nuanced and your critical thinking skills will be enhanced. In turn, you will bring highly refined perspectives to conversations surrounding political conflicts. This will allow you to easily dispel disinformation and become a voice of truth in the propaganda wars.
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Here is a list of trustworthy independent Russian language news sources. To read about Russian current events from a trustworthy English language source, view Russian Life Magazine and Russia Beyond.