Thirty-five advanced and post-graduate students, assistant professors and other legal professionals coming from leading higher education institutions in the Russian Federation and neighbouring countries will take part in this third annual edition of the event.

Leading IHL experts will introduce participants to the fundamentals of this branch of public international law, emphasising States' obligations to respect it and ensure its observance. They will also focus on current debates concerning the protection of persons and the conduct of hostilities in contemporary armed conflicts.

This is the only existing advanced IHL course entirely taught in Russian. "This event is an excellent opportunity for young scholars to meet renowned international experts as well as to reflect on the legal challenges of implementing IHL in concrete situations ", explained Patrick Zahnd, ICRC regional legal advisor for the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region.

The course includes participants from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. Lectures will be delivered by professors and scholars from the USA, South Africa, Central and Eastern Europe as well as CIS countries.