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When the Russian invasion of Ukraine brought his Year Abroad plans to an abrupt halt, Jasper Maughan (MML (German, Russian and Ukrainian) 2020) had to consider not just what he would do for the next 12 months, but reframe his studies.

Jasper is well aware his worries paled into insignificance compared to those directly and indirectly affected by the war. But not knowing where he would spend the year was unsettling.

Having been scheduled to study Russian at Moscow State University, Jasper then found himself at the University of Vienna, perfecting his German while also continuing his studies. Russian, which Jasper has been learning since aged 14, proved more difficult when his Ukrainian lecturer in Austria vowed never to speak it again following the invasion.

“It never crossed my mind that I should stop learning Russian. That doesn’t benefit anyone,” says Jasper, who has .

“I started learning Ukrainian before the war, but post Donbass, Crimea (both in 2014)… I was born in 2002 and the first revolution was 2004 ().

“I’m not saying studying Ukrainian absolves me of the need to contemplate what learning Russian means. It’s something everyone who is interested in Russia or learns Russian should think about.

“I’m very glad I’m doing both and to do that in Vienna was really interesting. Ukraine used to be ruled from Vienna (until 1918).

“Ukraine is a fascinating country. I’d already been there and I can’t wait for the day I can go back.”

Jasper may feel like he is in the first series of the BBC TV show when, in the coming weeks, he embarks on a trip in Uzbekistan. Unlike the real contestants, he has a head start, having found himself in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The University of Cambridge’s Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics had previously placed the vast majority of Russian-language students in Russia. The invasion at the behest of Vladimir Putin forced a change.

“The Faculty’s plans were wrecked. To their credit, they did an amazing job of coming up with options quickly,” Jasper adds.

Those options included the Baltic countries, central Asia and Georgia.

“None of them are completely Russian-speaking, but Kazakhstan has the most Russian speakers,” Jasper adds.

“It’s new territory for Cambridge. I knew nothing about this country coming here. I’d read a book about Kazakhstan and knew a little bit about the contemporary politics and the leadership in the post-Soviet period.”

From his flat in the modern capital Astana, which is translated as “capital”, Jasper describes the mix of modern – including Norman Foster-designed architecture – and ancient. Mosques in the predominantly Muslim country and older housing are alongside more elaborate new buildings.

“It’s like nowhere I’ve ever been before, and that became apparent very, very quickly,” Jasper says.

Previously Jasper’s view of Russian as a language was very Eurocentric; being in central Asia has changed that.

Studying a language is about being interested and having the motivation. The Year Abroad is the best motivation

Kazakhs are usually bilingual, speaking both their national tongue and Russian. Almaty, the second capital, is more European; Astana became capital in 1997 and feels like a different world, Jasper says.

The war is not far from people’s minds. Some of Jasper’s Ukrainian friends, who have been in Kazakhstan since before the invasion, refuse to speak Russian to Russians in Kazakhstan.

He is determined to make the most of the opportunity, and that includes his own adventure in homage to Race Across the World.

Jasper, who was in 91ֱ��’ University Challenge team earlier this year, is travelling to Tashkent, Samarkand and Bishkek during a reading week in May.

Jasper, centre, with fellow Cambridge Year Abroad students Tsun On Choy (Trinity Hall) and Eve Mayes (Churchill)

He is grateful for support from his Directors of Studies, Dr Rebecca Sugden and Dr Laura McMahon, and the Senior Tutor, Dr Andrew Spencer, with his Year Abroad.

“Studying a language is about being interested and having the motivation. The Year Abroad is the best motivation,” he says.

“In Russian grammar is tough and verbs of motion are famously a nightmare.

“I have had days where I’ve been demoralised. A few weeks ago the taxi driver told me the door was open and I didn’t understand. I said ‘okay, let’s go’ and he leaned over me and shut the door, thinking I was crazy.

“Then the other weekend I felt a turning point. I was reading Dostoevsky, chatting Russian with Ukrainian friends, then I went to the cinema to watch a film 70% in Russian, 30% in Kazakh, subtitled in Russian, and I understood it!”