Published on: 2026-08-05
Source: The Government of the Russian Federation –
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Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko and the head of Rosmolodezh Grigory Gurov spoke about the results of the International Friendship Clubs (IFC) work for the first half of 2026.
“The World Festival of Youth, held in 2024 under the direction of our President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, has created an entire community of active and concerned young people who are ready to take responsibility for the future. Among them are young men and women from all over Russia and from 171 countries. The legacy of the festival is preserved by the International Friendship Clubs. In just the first six months of this year, about 850 events promoting international youth cooperation were held in them. More than 12,500 people participated — 6,000 from Russia and 6,500 from foreign countries. This helps introduce foreigners and residents of different regions to our culture and national characteristics, strengthening friendship between Russia and other countries,” noted Dmitry Chernyshenko.
The head of Rosmolodezh, Grigory Gurov, reminded that the International Youth Festival will take place in Yekaterinburg already in September.
“The International Youth Festival is a platform that unites leaders from various fields—from science and creativity to entrepreneurship and IT. Participants of the International Friendship Clubs have developed formats for the “Cultural Patronage” program, which will be presented at the festival in Yekaterinburg: a meeting of foreign participants with traditional Russian karavai bread, workshops on folk crafts, as well as playing musical instruments. Through personal experience, our guests from abroad will be able to immerse themselves in the historical context of Russia, get acquainted with its culture and traditions,” he emphasized.
A key focus of the International Friendship Clubs is conducting joint practices with partner countries. Thus, in February, the club of the Yaroslavl region held a videoconference with a representative of Cuba on joint initiatives of the two countries for 2026. In May, members of the IFC in St. Petersburg, including a representative of Venezuela, laid flowers at the Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery ahead of Victory Day. And in June, the Moscow club held an interactive meeting “Russia Day,” which included the participation of three representatives of new media from China.
The clubs are also developing their own formats for ongoing engagement with participants. For example, the Tyumen region launched an annual educational program called “School of Protocol and Etiquette of BRICS+ Member Countries,” and the Yaroslavl region created a community of translators for language students.
Recall that the World Festival of Youth was held from March 1 to 7, 2024, at “Sirius” in accordance with the decree of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin, aimed at the development of international youth cooperation. WFY-2024 saw the participation of 20,000 young leaders from 190 countries worldwide. In line with the President of Russia’s directives on preserving and developing the heritage of the World Festival of Youth, festival events are held annually across the country. In 2025, the World Festival of Youth gathering took place in Nizhny Novgorod, uniting 2,000 young people from 120 countries worldwide. In 2026, an International Youth Festival is scheduled with 10,000 participants. The next World Festival of Youth with 20,000 participants will occur in 2030.
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