Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
As the Federation of Russia works to stabilize its government and economy, approximately 3,000 political, social and business leaders are visiting the United States from July to September.
Their visit is part of the "Open World Leadership" program sponsored in part by the U.S. Library of Congress.
Marina Victorovna and Taisia Emeljanovna, along with their interpreter, Igoz Balmacheejer, are two of the visiting Russians who will stay with host families in Akron.
"They wanted to get acquainted with the system in the U.S., the system of government, the system of law," said Balmacheejer.
The United Methodist Church is hosting one-third of the visitors in the United States. Akron United Methodist Church Rev. Stevan R. Haiflich is the local coordinator during Victorovna's and Emeljanovna's stay from Aug. 17 to 27.
The Russians have visited Roann, have seen a volleyball game, are planning to see Lake Michigan, have met with the Akron town board, will visit the Rochester courthouse, will tour Warsaw Community High School, and, on Monday, will talk with the Fort Wayne mayor.
Friday, they toured the Kosciusko County Justice Building where they got to see how our justice system and jail operate.
Victorovna is project director of the Saratov (Russia) Legal Reform Project.
"Legal Reform Project is a public project, that's public and not government, and we work on reforming Russia," she said. "Through this organization, I have contacted with colleagues in the U.S." She said the biggest problem in Russia was the fear of reform.
She works with the chief of the Department of Constitutional and International Law of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. She has authored many books.
"I've written many books but there are three main books. My most famous is devoted to the jury system in Russia," she said.
Of the 89 subjects (states) of the Federation of Russia, only nine have jury systems. The first modern trial in Russia was held in Victorovna's hometown of Saratov.
Emeljanovna works with small businesses in Russia to help them organize. She teaches economics at a college and works with unemployed people to help them develop their own businesses because there is a lack of places for them to work. She also works to help the handicapped get jobs in Russia.
The three visitors have only been in Kosciusko County for a couple of days, but said, so far, the trip has been "wonderful. I was in America two years ago. I was in New York and Boston but there wasn't so much attention to us," said Victorovna. She said in the big cities she stayed in a hotel. Now, she is staying with an American family and that is quite different.
