University rector in Saratov tells faculty to keep students away from visiting US officials

The head of Saratov State University, Alexey Chumachenko, has reportedly distributed a letter to the school's faculty instructing staff to limit students' contact with “foreign citizens,” according to the local news website Nversia.ru.

In the letter (which the university has not yet confirmed is real), Chumachenko allegedly warns of an impending visit to the university by US Judge Stephen Friot and an employee from the US embassy in Moscow. Chumachenko reportedly says there are reasons to believe the visit is intended to “establish contacts and recruit into the US orbit” students studying education and law.

Chumachenko has also apparently warned the faculty about the dangers of the Roman Catholic Church's influence on students. 

In 2014, Judge Friot met with half a dozen lawyers visiting from Russia as part of the Open World Program. The event took place at the University of Oklahoma College of Law. The Open World Program, according to its organizers focuses on “conducting exchanges that establish lasting professional relationships between the up-and-coming leaders of Open World countries [Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan] and Americans dedicated to showcasing US values and democratic institutions.”

The Open World Leadership Center administers the Open World Program. The agency is part of the US legislative branch and is housed in the Library of Congress in Washington DC.