ABSTRACT
Although in some respects one can speak about an opening towards the world in recent years, reverse trends are also discernible. Links with Moscow and St Petersburg, the major cultural and scientific centres in the
former Soviet Union, have weakened very much. Also, cultural and scientific exchange has diminished drastically. For example, in Soviet times, there would be many students from the Third World in Zaporizhzhya, studying in Zaporizhzhya under the framework o f inter-state agreements. Since independence o f Ukraine this number has dropped dramatically. Nowadays, about 1000 foreign students remain. Life has been made very difficult for these students as universities and academies try to squeeze these students financially, without rendering adequate services in return.
