The Oxford University Russian Society (OURS, also known as Russoc) was founded by Prince Felix Yussupov in 1909 in order to promote links between Russia and the University. Almost a hundred years onwards, the Society continues to espouse the same values, supporting Russian students and promoting Russian culture within the University and the local community.
Today, the Society numbers over 300 members from Russia and the Post-Soviet States, but also from Britain, Germany and the US. Most of our members are undergraduates but our events are also frequented by postgraduates and Oxford teaching staff. We welcome non-Russian speakers and many of our events are either in English or bilingual (such as the Film Nights, which usually offer English subtitles).
The society arranges frequent cultural events and talks by well-known and influential figures. Here are some of the past speakers, to name a few: Boris Pankin, Gorbachev's Foreign Secretary; Vladimir Lukin, Chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on International Affairs; Grigory Yavlinski, leader of the Democratic Yabloko Party in the State Duma; Gennady Zyuganov, leader of the Russian Communist Party; Alexander Shokhin, former First Deputy Prime Minister; Boris Berezovsky, oligarch and media-tycoon; Vyacheslav Nikonov, Deputy Head of Boris Yeltsin's 1996 Presidential Campaign; Artyom Tarasov, a celebrity entrepreneur who had to flee Russia twice in the 1990s; and H.E. Yuri Fokine, the former Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the United Kingdom. You can read more about them in the Famous Speakers section.
The Russian Society is not affiliated with any political party or movement, which allows us to host political events of great diversity. Recent events included the Orange Revolution debate which received considerable media coverage, and a talk by Mikhail Delyagin (former chairman of "Rodina"). Over the last year, our Society was featured by major television channels in both Russia (NTV) and Ukraine (Inter).
The Society celebrated its 90th anniversary in 1999 with a number of high profile visits and cultural events, and is currently preparing a major celebration for its 100th anniversary.
