Ivanovo State University of Chemistry and Technology Adopts Astra Group Software
More than 300 ISUCT students are already working with GitFlic, Botsman and Astra Linux. The university has moved courses ranging from Computer Science to Programming Technologies to Russian software.
The university opted for an integrated solution from Astra Group. It combines Russian-developed code with a modern technology stack, including containerization and Linux, and, most importantly, direct access to the vendor, which allows the university to get support quickly.
Since 2022, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education has been issuing recommendations for universities and research organizations to prioritize Russian software. ISUCT chose an integrated approach. GitFlic handles source code management and collaborative development, while Botsman gives students hands-on experience with containerization, application deployment and ongoing support.
On Their Own Clouds
Previously, student projects were limited to individual runs: write the code, then show it to the instructor. Now students go through the entire process, from repository management to application scaling. A graduate needs to understand more than how to write a program. They also need to know what happens to the product afterward – how to deploy it, maintain it and scale it. That is essentially what production software development looks like, and it is the direction the department is taking its specialized courses.
The Right Skill From Day One
The tools are already being used extensively in ISUCT laboratory and hands-on classes. Botsman has been incorporated into the Programming Technologies and Methods and Tools for Designing Information Systems and Technologies courses. Astra Linux and GitFlic are used in Computer Science, Operating Systems, and Infocommunication Systems and Networks courses.
“Working with GitFlic gives students a skill they need from their first day on the job. Source code management and collaborative development are part of every IT team, and we are pleased that the ISUCT department is teaching these skills on a Russian platform,” GitFlic Chief Technology Officer Maxim Kozlov said, highlighting the system’s benefits.
Standing Their Ground
The adoption of Russian software in higher and secondary vocational education has been gaining momentum since 2022. That year, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education announced a program at four universities to train DevOps engineers on the Basis Digital Energy ecosystem, with a target of preparing more than 1,600 specialists in its first year.
In 2024, Yandex Education rolled out modules for front-end and back-end developers at 19 Russian universities. More than 4,000 students received hands-on training in Python, JavaScript, APIs and server infrastructure.
In August this year, Astra Group launched a similar project at Bauman Moscow State Technical University in its Information Security Department. The project included 250 GitFlic licenses and introduced containerization on the Botsman platform.
In September 2026, the State University of Education opened the first Astra Lab for training educators to work with Russian software. In addition to Astra Linux, the lab includes ALDPro, Termidesk and VMmanager. At least 50 events are planned through May 30, 2027, with a total reach of at least 750 participants, plus a separate training program for 100 students.
Meanwhile, an IT lab operated by RED SOFT has opened at the Presidential Academy College with 30 workstations. Students there study RED OS and RED VIRT, while the total number of students pursuing IT specialties in the lab is expected to exceed 700 per year.
Teach, Don’t Retrain
The Ivanovo university department sees particular value in its open interaction with company specialists and their willingness to support university education. Artem Kizhymenev, head of the Botsman platform’s product division, shares that approach:
“By working with the platform at university, students enter the job market with real-world operational experience, not just theoretical knowledge. It is important to us that future engineers become familiar with domestic infrastructure while they are still studying.”
Astra Group already has an educational infrastructure of its own. By early 2025, it had 49 authorized training centers in operation. In 2024, more than 14,000 people completed training on the company’s products.
As this approach spreads to other universities, Russian software developers will gain a valuable advantage. The market will have a growing pool of professionals who do not need to be retrained from foreign platforms to Russian ones.
