The interest in studying Russian as a foreign language is of particular importance which results from the strengthening of the economic position of the Russian Federation and the strengthening of its geopolitical influence in the world. The Russian language has a special status in the world. At present, close political and cultural relations based on friendship and partnership are established between Russia and other countries of the world. The vector of political relations aimed at supporting the study of Russian as a foreign language in foreign countries involves the implementation of measures to promote the social adaptation of people who are outside their country, as well as those planning a trip to Russia. Relations between Russia and Germany are constantly in the center of attention of European politics. This is due to the fact that for centuries, countries such as Russia and Germany acted as allies, then fought against each other. As a result of the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany in 1945, the country's territory was divided into two parts - western and eastern. Total control by the USSR contributed to the fact that for almost half a century Russian was spoken by almost every citizen of the GDR, and Russian as an object was the main language in the school curriculum. The importance of studying the Russian language by the population in Germany is reflected in documents of international importance, in particular, in the report of the German Ministry of Culture on March 8, 2014. This report is based on the Hamburg Agreement of 1971, which enshrines the status of the Russian language as a foreign language, which makes it possible to study the Russian language in German schools and universities. It must be emphasized that the Hamburg Agreement refers to the period when Germany was divided into western and eastern parts, and the Russian language was ubiquitous only in its eastern part. The greatest interest in the Russian language in Germany was observed in the late 1980s and early 1990s. However, since the beginning of the 1990s. there is a sharp decline in interest in learning the Russian language, which is due to negative trends in the Russian economy, a decrease in economic ties between the two countries and, subsequently, the introduction of EU sanctions against Russia. In connection with the sanctions against Russia periodically introduced in recent decades by the European Union, the role of Russia and its popularity in the eyes of the younger generation is gradually losing. The Russian language as a school subject is becoming prestigious among young people. During the period of decline in diplomatic relations, a certain "gap" has formed in the scientific and methodological support of the process of teaching Russian as a foreign language. The composition of teachers has changed, a number of textbooks are outdated, and new ones have not been published. The emergence of new, interactive technologies in teaching foreign languages was not adequately reflected in the development of curricula and programs for teaching Russian as a foreign language. According to statistics, in the 2017 school year in the Federal Republic of Germany, 111,185 students of secondary schools studied the Russian language. Despite the fact that the number of students studying Russian in German schools has decreased by 9.9% compared to the 2015 academic year, Russian remains in fifth place after English, French, Latin and Spanish. As noted in the press service of the Permanent Conference of Ministers of the Federal Lands for Education and Culture (Kultusministerkonferenz), about 130 thousand students study Russian in German schools every year, which is slightly less than 1.5 percent of about 9 million students across the country. In addition, in a number of educational institutions, the teaching of the Russian language is carried out as part of extracurricular education (elective courses, circles, associations). In the curriculum of German-speaking schools a small number of study hours is allocated for the study of the Russian language, which is much less than for French and English. It is believed that a graduate of a comprehensive school should speak a foreign language at a level not lower than B1. However, in fact, there are not enough hours allocated for a full-fledged study of the Russian language, therefore, in order for a graduate of a school or gymnasium to be able to speak Russian fluently, additional classes are required as part of elective courses. In the mid-1990s, in connection with the influx of a large number of Russian-speaking emigrants with children to Germany, the so-called "European schools" were opened in several cities of the country, the purpose of which was to integrate Russian-speaking children into German society. Education in these schools was carried out in German and Russian, starting from the first grade (bilingual schools), and, as a rule, English was studied as a foreign language. Teachers of such schools are often native speakers - immigrants from Russia with higher philological or pedagogical education who provide training on a voluntary basis, or as part of individual social programs. At the same time, a third of the students of "European schools" are children from indigenous German families. Higher education institutions have also recently experienced a decline in the number of students studying the Russian language, which is associated with a decreasing demand for Russian language teachers in German gymnasiums. Most students in Germany study in master's philological programs, which makes it possible in the future to defend a candidate's dissertation. Russian as a foreign language is studied by students of law, economics, medicine, and science departments, as well as in technical universities and engineering institutions. This is due to the fact that some students of these specialties associate the Russian language with a prospect for future professional activity. Today, the problem of the Russian language is being solved at the state level, with the support of the government. So, international student exchange programs, teacher exchange programs are being developed, school and youth exchanges are being organized, various conferences for Russian language teachers in German schools are being held to improve their qualifications, as well as internships are being organized in Russia and distance learning courses in Russian are being developed. In turn, Russia is also extremely interested in promoting Russian culture and language in Western countries, including Germany. In connection with the foregoing, the problem of popularizing the study of the Russian language in German schools becomes especially relevant.
