The Higher School of Economics (HSE), one of Russia’s leading universities, is launching a new master’s programme on circumventing sanctions in September.
According to The Moscow Times, the programme will teach students how to identify sanctions risks and circumvent restrictions imposed by international regulators.
This is the first master’s programme in Russia that formally specialises in ‘sanctions compliance’. The programme will last two years and cost 490,000 roubles (over $6,000) per year. All places are contract-based: 20 for Russian citizens and 2 for foreigners.
At the same time, HSE is launching a shorter online advanced training course on sanctions compliance, which will run from 16 September to 14 November. It will cost 84,000 roubles (about $1,000) and covers legal instruments and practices for countering international sanctions.
Former HSE professor Igor Lipits believes that the launch of such programmes is a response to the Kremlin’s request: Russia, like Iran, is preparing for life under prolonged sanctions and therefore needs specialists who know how to circumvent them.