Representatives from more than 70 countries announce their participation in the fifth season of the Leaders of Russia competition

Over the first three weeks of the contest's existence, more than 70 foreign nationals from four continents have applied to take part in the fifth season of the 'Leaders of Russia' competition, the flagship project of the 'Russia - Land of Opportunities' presidential platform. Representatives from Eurasia, especially post-Soviet countries, have been very active, applications are also coming in from Africa, North and South America.

"Over the first three weeks since the start of the fifth season of the 'Leaders of Russia' competition more than 70 foreign countries have applied to take part in it. Traditionally active registration on the website of the competition has been attended by the citizens of the post-Soviet countries. The leaders are Kazakhstan, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Latvia, and Georgia, said Alexey Komissarov, Director General of 'Russia - Land of Opportunities', Acting Rector of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA). - A significant number of applications comes from European countries - Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, Portugal, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, and France. Applicants from Asia-China, Mongolia, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and India-are joining the competition. Citizens of the Middle East: Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt declared their intention to join the 'Leaders of Russia'. North America is represented by the USA and Canada, and South America by Venezuela, Bolivia, Brazil and Ecuador. From the African continent, applications come from Tunisia, Morocco and Mozambique. There are also a number of applications from New Zealand".

Foreigners have been taking part in 'Leaders of Russia' since the second season. Since then, a total of 150 countries, that's almost 80 percent of all UN nations, have applied.

Foreign nationals that win the fifth season of the 'Leaders of Russia' competition will be able to apply for Russian citizenship under the simplified procedure, while foreign finalists will be able to obtain residence permits in the Russian Federation under the same system. Such encouragement measure for foreign participants in projects of the 'Russia - Land of Opportunities' presidential platform was introduced in accordance with a presidential decree in August 2021.

Twenty-seven foreign participants in the 'Leaders of Russia' competition have already been accepted into Russian citizenship. Among them are representatives of Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan and other countries.

"To all compatriots who are planning to tie their lives and the future of their children to Russia, the victory in one of the competitions of the presidential platform "Russia - Land of Opportunities" will allow them to obtain citizenship of their fatherland in an accelerated manner. Since the moment I received my Russian passport in November 2022 in the Catherine Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace, a new life has begun. I want to fill it with useful work on the development of working professionals, so that the system of secondary vocational education becomes an even more powerful engine of Russia's social and economic well-being," said Oleg Tolkailov from Kazakhstan, the winner of the 'International' track of the fourth season of the 'Leaders of Russia' competition.

So far more than 60,000 applications have been received from all federal subjects of the Russian Federation and more than 70 foreign countries.

The fifth season of the 'Leaders of Russia' competition was launched on April 4, 2023. It is open to citizens of the Russian Federation and other countries under 55 years of age with at least two years of management experience. For this purpose, it is necessary to register on the competition website by 14 May. In the new season, each registered participant will be able to receive recommendations on the development of management skills, as well as management style.

Top prizes include a grant of 1 million roubles for training, an opportunity to meet a mentor from among Russia's leading managers, as well as career counselling and support.

The 'Leaders of Russia' management contest has been held on the orders of the President of the Russian Federation since 2017. Over four seasons, more than 840,000 applications have been submitted from 150 countries.

The autonomous non-profit organisation 'Russia - Land of Opportunities' was established at the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin on 22 May 2018. The platform's mission is to create Russia's future by opening equal opportunities for everyone. The platform helps everyone, regardless of where they live, what profession they choose or what family they grew up in, to get opportunities for their development. It is an open platform for communication between talented and caring people of all ages, and for the exchange of experience between schoolchildren, students, subject matter specialists, entrepreneurs, managers and volunteers. The Supervisory Board of autonomous non-profit organisation 'Russia - Land of Opportunities' is chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin.