Sergey Shoigu chairs a meeting on preparations for the Peoples of Russia International Week

On 17 July 2026, an interdepartmental meeting on the preparation and holding of the Peoples of Russia International Week was held under the chairmanship of Sergey Shoigu, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation. The meeting was attended by Anton Kobyakov, Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation, along with heads of departments of the Presidential Executive Office and of state authorities, and representatives of the federal media and public organizations.

Opening the meeting, Sergey Shoigu noted that the President of Russia had decided to hold the Peoples of Russia International Week annually in order to strengthen international humanitarian ties, preserve harmony between peoples, and bring up the younger generation in the spirit of a shared Russian civic identity.

Under Presidential Decree No. 382 of 1 June 2026, the Office of the Security Council of the Russian Federation coordinates the state authorities and organizations involved in preparing the International Week.

“The International Week is, above all, a reminder of the need to strengthen the unity of the peoples of Russia on the basis of traditional values, and to develop cooperation in every field with friendly states,” said the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation.

Those attending the meeting discussed the concept and overall architecture of the International Week, which comprises extensive business, educational, exhibition, cultural, and sporting programmes, a Youth Day, and a film forum with public screenings at cinemas across Moscow.

Sergey Shoigu noted that the planned events will focus on implementing state ethnic policy and making it more effective, protecting sovereignty in the sphere of values, dialogue between civilizations, multilateral humanitarian cooperation, and engagement between Russia and other countries.

Anton Kobyakov, Adviser to the President of Russia, noted in turn that Russia today is showing the world a unique model in which different cultures and traditions coexist harmoniously within a single state. “Our country is an example of how loyalty to one’s roots can be combined with open dialogue with the world, and how the richness of many cultures can be preserved alongside the unity of state sovereignty. This path has been shaped by the challenges of our time, and centuries of our country’s history have proved its viability more than once,” he said.

In his view, holding the Peoples of Russia International Week in Moscow takes on particular significance as one of the main events of the Year of the Unity of the Peoples of Russia. “The events of the Week will send a signal to the international community: Russia is open to cooperation, respects cultural diversity, and is ready to join forces to ensure the wellbeing and safety of every person, whatever their nationality,” he said.

The International Week will open in the run-up to National Unity Day, which embodies the cohesion of Russian society and the continuity of the generations. The events will be held from 2 to 8 November 2026 in Moscow and across every region of the country.

It was decided at the meeting to set up an interdepartmental working group, headed by Alexey Shevtsov, Deputy Secretary of the Security Council, to prepare and hold the events of the Peoples of Russia International Week.

The Roscongress Foundation has been designated as the event operator.

Summing up the discussion, the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation expressed confidence that the Peoples of Russia International Week will help to advance intercultural and inter-ethnic dialogue and international cooperation, and to expand fruitful contacts across a wide range of fields.

Source: press service of the Office of the Security Council.

Photo: press service of the Office of the Security Council.