Plekhanovites Team “Futura Praesidium” Qualifies for Stage 2 of School of Cyber Defence CTF 2026
7 September 2026
A historic first for Plekhanov University as students take on a national cybersecurity challenge
What better way to begin a new academic year than by taking on a new challenge and making history along the way?
For the first time ever, Plekhanov University is participating in the School of Cyber Defence CTF 2026, a prominent UAE university cybersecurity competition held under the patronage of the Dubai Electronic Security Center (DESC) and organized by Tech Firm Technology.
Representing Plekhanov University are Marina Tikhonova, Tamerlan Mamedov, Artem Simutin, and Artemii Potseluev, competing under the team name “Futura Praesidium”, meaning “protect the future” in Latin. The team is participating under the supervision and mentorship of Plekhanov University Assistant Professor Dr. Salih Rashid Majeed.
What makes this achievement particularly remarkable is that three of the four team members are freshmen. Not even a week into the 2026–2027 academic year, these students have already stepped beyond the classroom to test their knowledge, creativity, and problem-solving abilities in a high-level cybersecurity competition.
Their decision to participate so early in their university journey reflects the curiosity, initiative, and ambition that they are already bringing to the Plekhanov community. It is also an encouraging first step toward building a strong culture of cybersecurity, innovation, and competitive learning at the university.
The team has already successfully completed Stage 1 of the competition, securing its place in Stage 2. With the support and guidance of their mentor, the students are now preparing for the next challenge, which will require them to develop a cybersecurity case and build a solution around it.
Stage 2 will put their technical knowledge, analytical thinking, creativity, teamwork, and ability to approach real-world cybersecurity challenges to the test.
The School of Cyber Defence CTF 2026 runs from September 6 to 18, bringing together university students to compete, learn, and demonstrate their cybersecurity capabilities.
For Plekhanov University, however, this competition represents more than just another challenge. It marks the university’s first step into the competitive cybersecurity arena. And with a team led by students who are only beginning their university journey, reaching Stage 2 is an exciting achievement to celebrate.
Congratulations to Marina, Tamerlan, Artem, and Artemii on reaching Stage 2, and to Dr. Salih Rashid Majeed for his guidance and mentorship.
The first chapter of Plekhanov University’s cybersecurity journey has begun and Futura Praesidium is ready for what comes next.
What better way to begin a new academic year than by taking on a new challenge and making history along the way?
For the first time ever, Plekhanov University is participating in the School of Cyber Defence CTF 2026, a prominent UAE university cybersecurity competition held under the patronage of the Dubai Electronic Security Center (DESC) and organized by Tech Firm Technology.
Representing Plekhanov University are Marina Tikhonova, Tamerlan Mamedov, Artem Simutin, and Artemii Potseluev, competing under the team name “Futura Praesidium”, meaning “protect the future” in Latin. The team is participating under the supervision and mentorship of Plekhanov University Assistant Professor Dr. Salih Rashid Majeed.
What makes this achievement particularly remarkable is that three of the four team members are freshmen. Not even a week into the 2026–2027 academic year, these students have already stepped beyond the classroom to test their knowledge, creativity, and problem-solving abilities in a high-level cybersecurity competition.
Their decision to participate so early in their university journey reflects the curiosity, initiative, and ambition that they are already bringing to the Plekhanov community. It is also an encouraging first step toward building a strong culture of cybersecurity, innovation, and competitive learning at the university.
The team has already successfully completed Stage 1 of the competition, securing its place in Stage 2. With the support and guidance of their mentor, the students are now preparing for the next challenge, which will require them to develop a cybersecurity case and build a solution around it.
Stage 2 will put their technical knowledge, analytical thinking, creativity, teamwork, and ability to approach real-world cybersecurity challenges to the test.
The School of Cyber Defence CTF 2026 runs from September 6 to 18, bringing together university students to compete, learn, and demonstrate their cybersecurity capabilities.
For Plekhanov University, however, this competition represents more than just another challenge. It marks the university’s first step into the competitive cybersecurity arena. And with a team led by students who are only beginning their university journey, reaching Stage 2 is an exciting achievement to celebrate.
Congratulations to Marina, Tamerlan, Artem, and Artemii on reaching Stage 2, and to Dr. Salih Rashid Majeed for his guidance and mentorship.
The first chapter of Plekhanov University’s cybersecurity journey has begun and Futura Praesidium is ready for what comes next.