Website: https://russky.info
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/russky.info
Russian Online addressed a clear gap in available learning resources: for Russian, there were very few high-quality online courses, and in many languages none were available at all. The project resulted in a portal that prioritised usability and learners’ needs across different linguistic contexts.
A free online portal for learning Russian at A1 and A2 level was developed, complemented by additional lessons focusing on business Russian.
The development of the platform was informed by feedback from learners and teachers, reflecting a range of motivations such as personal interest, travel, studies, and professional use of Russian. Respondents pointed to a mix of motivations, including personal interest in languages, travel, studies, and work-related reasons, including the need to use Russian at work and for business.
The finished platform was built as an open, free learning resource, translated into 12 interface languages: English, Bulgarian, Czech, Esperanto, French, Lithuanian, German, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, and Slovene.
Results and outputs
Russian Online delivered the russky.info platform as a free, multilingual learning environment. It offers A1 and A2 courses, alongside a preparatory A0 course, with interactive exercises, grammar support, and professionally recorded audio.
The platform also includes an interactive media library with authentic texts, audio, and video linked to built-in dictionaries. A business-focused section adds practical information for trading and working with Russia.
A key learning support is the integrated dictionary of about 10.000 Russian words, translated into 11 languages, together with a morphological analyser that lets users click on words in a text and see translations in context.
Our role
Studio GAUS GmbH developed the project idea and overall concept and collaborated on the preparation of the funding application. We coordinated the overall working process of the project and were responsible for the complete design and development of the russky.info platform, including its structure, visual design, and underlying system.
Within this framework, we coordinated the content development process, worked directly on content creation and editorial structures, and integrated learning materials into a coherent multilingual environment. We also coordinated testing and implementation phases so that pedagogical, technical, and organisational aspects progressed in alignment throughout the project.
Project partners
- Edukácia@Internet (Slovakia)
- Studio GAUS GmbH (Germany)
- Mediaost Events und Kommunikation GmbH (Germany)
- Ostravská univerzita (Czechia)
- Vilniaus universitetas (Lithuania)
- Inter-kulturo d.o.o. (Slovenia)
- Chamber of commerce and industry (Bulgaria)
- Katolícka univerzita v Ružomberku (Slovakia)
- Štátny pedagogický ústav (Slovakia)
- Fundacja Novinka (Poland)
Coordination combined structured planning with practical day-to-day collaboration. Partners worked from a shared project plan, held regular online working sessions, and recorded minutes from international meetings. Feedback was gathered after each meeting and integrated into the ongoing work.
Visibility and impact
By the end of the project period, russky.info had recorded early usage across different user groups. Between September and November 2017, the portal recorded about 1.500 registered users and almost 26.000 visits, and the project Facebook page counted around 4.350 followers.
The partnership also invested in face-to-face dissemination. One example was a joint presentation and discussion event in Berlin, organised by Studio Gaus and Mediaost, with 45 local and 3 international participants. The event focused on online learning options and the portal’s business Russian section. In Slovakia, russky.info was presented at the Ružomberok forum for Russian teachers, where more than 100 guests attended the conference.
During implementation, the consortium adjusted the planned language coverage. After the Spanish partner withdrew, the planned Spanish version was replaced by a French version, supporting the platform’s long-term maintenance.
The russky.info platform remains available as a free online resource for beginner-level Russian learning and for use in educational contexts. The platform was built to support self-learners, and it can also serve as a classroom support tool for teachers looking for modern, multilingual materials.