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Abstract: The article covers methodological issues of teaching reading in Russian to foreign-language students. The aim of the research is to determine methodological and pedagogical approaches that are relevant for Russian as a Foreign Language (RFL) when teaching reading. The article describes the following aspects: introduction of successful methods and techniques of working with the text in RAF teaching, methodological principles of authentic texts selection and adaptation, description of various components of reading lessons for students with different Russian language level (elementary, basic and advanced). The main research methods are linguocultural analysis, as well as methods that synthesize system-functional and synchronic approaches to text analysis: lexicogrammatical, semantic, lexicographic, extralinguistic and interactive methods. The article recounts exercises that develop basic reading skills (reading short phrases aloud to develop skills of correct pronunciation, reading mini-dialogues to participate in real life communication in the future, reading for further retelling and interpretation of information in the text, reading texts to do productive tasks). For the advanced stage learners, it is recommended to introduce texts of belles-lettres style with the aim of inculturation of foreigners. The article also lists important criteria for the selection of educational materials. 1) The choice of a positively marked text from the conceptual-axiological point of view. The text should aim at the formation of a positive image of the target language country. 2) Text level and its difficulty should correspond to students’ language skills to perceive not only linguistic information in it. The students’ conceptual system has to be developed enough to perceive the topics and problems which are connected with an ambiguous attitude to some events in Russian history. The article also provides the description of a reading lesson component. The task of the lesson is to read an adapted literary text with foreign students. The text is provided with the tasks before, after and within it. The tasks are aimed at informational and semantic analysis, and lexico-grammatical work with linguistic material.