Peoples of Russia International Week presented at EEF 2026

As part of the 11th Eastern Economic Forum, Alexey Shevtsov, Deputy Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Igor Barinov, Head of the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs, and Maxim Dreval, Director General of the Russian Znanie Society, held a briefing dedicated to the Peoples of Russia International Week, which will take place on 2–8 November.

The decision to hold the International Week annually was taken by the President of Russia, noted Alexei Shevtsov. The framework for the event has now been finalized. The events of International Week will take place mainly in Moscow at venues including the World Trade Centre, the ‘Russia’ National Centre, the ‘Mosfilm’ film studio, and the Gorky Film Studio. Some of them will take place in the other Russian regions.

“The Peoples of Russia International Week is designed to lay a long-term foundation for strengthening the unity of the peoples of the Russian Federation. The themes of the planned events will focus on service to the Fatherland, intergenerational continuity, the development of human potential, the preservation of historical memory, the strengthening of a pan-Russian civic identity, and the promotion of Russia’s image on the international stage as a guardian and defender of traditional spiritual and moral values. The international track of the event is based on the premise that Russia is an exporter of a civilizational model to the world, embodying the image of a guardian and defender of traditions, faith and the unique identity of a multi-ethnic people who form a strong and independent state. The International Week is designed to lay the long-term foundations for strengthening and developing international humanitarian cooperation. Events in Moscow and across the regions will foster direct dialogue between countries and showcase their traditions and cultural heritage,” emphasized Alexey Shevtsov.

The International Week is one of the key events of the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia, noted Igor Barinov. According to him, the Federal Agency for National Development of Russia will provide comprehensive organizational and substantive support for the event.

“We plan to organize the Week’s business programme around events focusing on key areas of state national policy. These will include plenary and breakout sessions devoted to the prevention of extremism on national and religious grounds, the strengthening of a pan-Russian civic identity, the preservation of inter-ethnic peace and harmony, and the implementation of the updated Strategy for the State National Policy of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2036. I imagine that one of the main events of the Week’s educational programme will be the ‘Great Ethnographic Dictation’ campaign, which is now in its eleventh year. As is traditional, people from across the country and from abroad will take part in the Dictation,” shared Igor Barinov.

As part of the exhibition programme for International Week, the Russian Federal Agency for Agricultural Statistics (FADN) will hold a formal awards ceremony for the winners of the anniversary ‘Russian Civilization’ International Photography Competition, and will also organize an exhibition of the best entries from the competition over the last three years. More than 60,000 entries have already been submitted to this year’s competition. The deadline for entries is 12 October. The business programme of International Week is set to conclude with a gala concert featuring various artistic groups, as well as an awards ceremony for the winners of the All-Russian ‘SMIrotvorets’ media competition.

The programme of events will also include a film forum featuring leading figures from the film industry in the CIS, Asia and Latin America. Documentaries and feature films will be screened, including both those produced entirely domestically and those made in collaboration with foreign film studios, highlighting the significance of our shared historical past and the strong partnerships between representatives of different religions and cultures.

As part of its educational programme, the Russian Znanie Society is organizing a series of lectures across the country. The Russian Geographical Society has also planned events dedicated to the ethnocultural and geographical diversity of Russia’s regions, as well as the history, traditions and customs of the peoples living in Russia. For its part, Gazprom-Media Holding will hold a creative event entitled ‘Inspired by Russia’, featuring dance and music performances, as well as ethnic craft workshops. Meanwhile, ‘Lesta Games’, the leading developer of Russian video games, is organizing a series of talks for young people aimed at fostering an interest in Russian history through modern interactive formats. In addition, the ‘Front Republic’ project, developed in collaboration with the Znanie Society, the Russian Historical Society, and the Russian State University for the Humanities, will be presented.

The coordinator of the Peoples of Russia International Week is the Secretariat of the Security Council of the Russian Federation. Co-organizers: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo), the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs (FAEA of Russia), The Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Moscow City Government, the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh), and other organizations. Organized by the Roscongress Foundation.

The Eastern Economic Forum is taking place from 1 to 4 September on the campus of Far Eastern Federal University. This year’s main theme is ‘The Far East: Development for the Benefit of People’. The EEF is organized by the Roscongress Foundation with the support of the Government of the Russian Federation.