A Russian government agency has cited ¡°Russophobic attitudes¡± in the wake of the poisoning of an ex-spy in its call for students to return home to complete their studies.

With diplomatic ties between Russia and the West at a low ebb?after the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in the?English?city of Salisbury, the?federal agency Rossotrudnichestvo has launched a new marketing campaign calling on expatriate students to move back to Russia.

The state agency, which is tasked with overseeing the well-being of Russians living outside the country, on?19 April with the title ¡°Highly Likely Welcome Back¡±, reported Radio Free Europe.

The name references the statement made by the UK¡¯s prime minister Theresa May, who has said that it was ¡°highly likely¡± that Russia was responsible for the poisoning of Mr and Ms Skripal.

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¡°As we know, the domestic politics in a host of countries, and in Europe in particular, have increasingly taken on a harshly expressed anti-Russian character,¡± one unnamed Rossotrudnichestvo official was quoted by the RIA-Novosti news agency as saying.

¡°We are obligated to highlight the negative influence of Russophobic attitudes on the activity of our compatriots, which purposely narrow their opportunities for self-realisation,¡± the official added.

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About 60,000 Russians studied outside the country in 2014, according to the education and science ministry.

Genri Sardarian, dean of the department of management and politics at Moscow¡¯s MGIMO-University, one of Russia¡¯s premier universities, said that his school and others around Russia are ready to accept scores of Russians to continue their studies at home.

jack.grove@timeshighereducation.com