History

Prehistory: CU Slavonic and Eastern European Society

In the early 1920s, the renowned novelist Vladimir Nabokov, an undergraduate at Trinity College, established Cambridge University Slavonic and Eastern European Society (CU Slavonic Society, for short) – possibly the first international student society in Cambridge.

Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Cambridge has been attracting an increasing number of students from the former Soviet Republics, and the growth of national identity among such students has lead to establishing new societies: CU Russian Society, CU Ukrainian Society, and CU Belarusian Society. The broad scope of CU Slavonic Society played a trick with it, as it struggled to attract new members and finally deceased in 2006.

CU Russian Society Establishment

Cambridge University Russian Society was established in 2001 by a group of ambitious students who realised that there was a need for a Russian Society in Cambridge. These students were Eugeno Prussakov (The Chairman), Andre Kukhnin (President), Denis Zuev (IT), Alex Vinokurov (Vice-president), Anna Stupnitska (Secretary) and Alla Dubrovina (Finance). The first ever life member of the society was Boris Batine who later gave a series of talks about Investment Banking. In 2002 CU Russian Society organised a concert by Bi-2 in the dinning hall of King’s College on the 7 March 2002. The concert ended up being accoustic as King’s College had restriction on the noise level in their buildings.

Honorary Members

• Leva and Shura B-2 – Popular Russian rock band (Honorary Members since 2002)
• Grigory Borisovich Karasin – Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and Russian Ambassador to Great Britain from 2000 to 2005 (Honorary Member since 2003)
• Yury Viktorovich Fedotov – Russian Ambassador to Great Britain from 2005 to 2010 (Honorary Member since 2006)
• Leonid Parfenov – Editor-In-Chief of the Russian Newsweek magazine and former TV presenter (Honorary Member since 2006)
• Seva Novgorodtsev – Cult figure of the BBC Russian Service (Honorary Member since 2007)
• Boris Grebenschikov – Russian rock legend (Honorary Member since 2007)
• Vera Tariverdieva – President of the Mikael Tariverdiev Charity Foundation (Honorary Member since 2008)
• Dmitry Bykov – intellectual, poet, writer, literary critic, journalist (Honorary Members since 2011)
• Alexander Vladimirovich Yakovenko – Russian Ambassador to Great Britain since 2010 (Honorary Member since 2011)

Notable Speakers

• Grigoriy Yavlinsky – Leader of the opposition party Yabloko

Hall of Fame

Founding Fathers

• Eugeno Prussakov, Fitzwilliam College
• Andre Kukhnin, Fitzwilliam College
• Denis Zuev, St John’s College
• Alex Vinokurov, Fitzwilliam College
• Anna Stupnitska, Fitzwilliam College
• Alla Dubrovina, Trinity College

Executive Committee 2002-2003

• President: Denis Zuev, St John’s College
• Secretary: Andre Kukhnin, Fitzwilliam College
• Treasurer: Igor Golosnoy, Dept. of Materials Science & Metallurgy
• Project Manager: Victoria Ilyasova

Executive Committee 2003-2004

• President: Denis Zuev, St John’s College
• Vice-President: Ruslan Komashko, Regent School
• Treasurer: Igor Golosnoy, Dept. of Materials Science & Metallurgy
• Secretary: Evgeniya Galinskaya, Gonville & Caius College
• Public Relations: Elena Lileeva, Selwyn College
• Project Manager: Olga Manko, Churchill College
• IT Officer: Oleg Podsechin, Girton College

Executive Committee 2004-2005

• President: Evgeniya Galinskaya, Gonville & Caius College
• Vice-President: Olga Manko, Churchill College
• Treasurer: Igor Golosnoy, Dept. of Materials Science & Metallurgy
• Secretary: Ekaterina Stanton, Queens College
• Vodka Officer: Anton Lokhmotov, Robinson College
• Public Relations: Adam Harrison, Gonville & Caius College
• IT Officer: Oleg Podsechin, Girton College

Executive Committee 2005

• President: Olga Manko, Churchill College
• Vice-President: Evgeniya Galinskaya, Gonville & Caius College
• Treasurer: Igor Golosnoy, Dept. of Materials Science & Metallurgy
• Secretary: Irene Klymchuk, Gonville & Caius College
• Vodka Officer: Anton Lokhmotov, Robinson College
• IT Officer: Oleg Podsechin, Girton College

Executive Committee 2005-2006

• President: Anton Lokhmotov, Robinson College
• Vice-President: Andrey Shigaev, Hughes Hall
• Secretary: Esuna Dugarova, Churchill College
• Membership Officer: Yulia Yamineva, Newnham College
• Publicity Officer: Ekaterina Popova, Trinity Hall
• Vodka Officer: Vaclav Potesil, Hughes Hall
• Treasurer: Igor Golosnoy, Dept. of Materials Science & Metallurgy
• Returning Officer: Evguenia Galinskaya, Gonville & Caius College
• Alumni Liaison Officer: Svetlana Yudina, Darwin College
• Project Manager: Anna Sysoeva, Darwin College
• IT Officer: Oleg Podsechin, Darwin College

Executive Committee 2006-2007

• President: Vladimir Orlov, Clare College
• Vice-President (External affairs): Yulia Yamineva, Newnham College
• Vice-President (Internal affairs): Mikhail Dubov, Sidney Sussex
• Secretary: Olga Ballard, St Catherine’s College
• Treasurer: Igor Golosnoy, Dept. of Materials Science & Metallurgy
• Vodka Officer: Roman Guiniiatov, Churchill College
• Ents Officers: Polina Kimbel, Queens’ College; Olesya Kryshevich, Newnham College; Anton Ponomarev, Pembroke College
• IT Officer: Konstantin Vorozhcov, Girton College
• Strategic Development Officer: Mathias Roth, St Edmund’s College
• Alumni Liaison Officer: Olga Ulybina, Hughes Hall
• Consultant: Anton Lokhmotov, Robinson College

Executive Committee 2007-2008

• President: Vassili Vorontsov, Clare College
• Vice-President (External affairs): Polina Kimbel, Queens’ College
• Vice-President (Internal affairs): Anastasia Kisil, Trinity College
• Secretary: Katya Tkachenko, Robinson College
• Treasurer: Zhanna Rakitina, Hughes Hall
• Vodka Officer: Olesya Kryshevich, Newnham College
• Zakuska Officer: Maxim Arzamasov, St Catherine’s College
• Ents Officers: Draga Pihler, Trinity College; Ekaterina Shipigina, Trinity College
• IT Officer: Ruslan Kudubayev, Churchill College
• Director of Corporate Relations: Anton Ponomarev, Pembroke College
• Strategic Development Officer: Mikhail Dubov, Sidney Sussex
• Educational Officer: Natasha Lapotko, Homerton College
• Membership Officer: Olga Ballard, St Catherine’s College
• Advisory Board: Vladimir Orlov, Clare College; Yulia Yamineva, Newnham College; Zhenya Galinskaya, Gonville & Caius College; Anton Lokhmotov, Robinson College; Denis Zuev

Executive Committee 2008-2009

• President: Ekaterina Shipigina, Trinity College
• Vice-President: Ruslan Kudubayev, Churchill College
• Treasurer: Draga Pihler, Trinity College
• General Secretary: Vassili Vorontsov, Clare College
• Project Coordination Officer: Alexey Bannykh, Darwin College
• Festivities Officer: Konstantin Kisil, Trinity College
• Entertainment Officer: Siarhei Maslau, nt Officer: Siarhei Maslau,Darwin College Alumnus
• Entertainment Officer: Maksim Tsytlonok, Darwin College
• Cultural Officer: Natasha Lapotko, Homerton College
• External Affairs Advisor: Anton Ponomarev, Pembroke College
• Public Relations Officer: Maxim Arzamasov, St Catherine’s College
• Educational Officer: Anastasia Kisil, Trinity College
• IT Officer: Oleksandr Poplavskyy, Selwyn College
• Logistics Officer: Dmitry Dubovitskiy
• Advisory Board: Vassili Vorontsov, Vladimir Orlov, Clare College; Yulia Yamineva, Newnham College; Zhenya Galinskaya, Gonville & Caius College; Anton Lokhmotov, Robinson College; Denis Zuev