Thiruvananthapuram, 28 September 2026: Participants of the 4th Congress of the International Russophile Movement (IRM), particularly members of the Indo-Russian Youth Club from Kerala and Tamil Nadu, called on the Hon’ble Governor of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Shri Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, at Lok Bhavan on Monday.

The participants briefed the Governor on their participation in the 4th Congress and the Youth Forum of the International Russophile Movement, held recently in Moscow, and shared their experiences of interacting with young people and delegates from different countries. They also spoke about the opportunities the visit provided to gain a better understanding of Russia and contemporary Indo-Russian relations.

A delegation of 36 students from India participated in the Youth Forum of the International Russophile Movement in Moscow, held from 16 to 19 September, including 19 participants from Kerala. Many of the participants are students of Russian language, history and international relations.

During the interaction at Lok Bhavan, the students shared their individual experiences of visiting Russia and participating in the international forum. They highlighted the value of direct interaction among young people from different countries in promoting mutual understanding and strengthening people-to-people relations between India and Russia.

Honorary Consul of the Russian Federation in Thiruvananthapuram and Member of the Executive Bureau of the International Russophile Movement, Ratheesh C. Nair, led the delegation. He briefed the Governor about the International Russophile Movement and said that the initiative also seeks to promote cooperation between Kerala and Russian universities, including student and faculty exchanges, joint research, academic programmes, seminars and conferences.

Ratheesh C. Nair also presented the Governor with a small bust of Afanasy Nikitin, the first Russian traveller known to have visited India, whose historic journey took place more than 550 years ago. The bust was created by Russian sculptor Mikhail Leonidovich Serdyukov.