From December 20 to December 24, the Russian delegation visited Serbia. Representatives from the World Youth Festival Directorate held a multilateral sports event and meetings with Serbian officials and young people, with the goal of fostering bilateral youth dialogue, supporting young people's initiatives, and strengthening cultural and humanitarian ties.
The Russian delegation included Dmitry Ivanov, Director General of the World Youth Festival Directorate, Alexander Voloshin, Senator of the Federation Council from the Donetsk People's Republic, and the WYFD team.
"The visit to Serbia once again demonstrated that the brotherly ties between our peoples are both a tribute to our shared history and a living, dynamic force carried forward by new generations. We saw the enthusiasm of young Serbians, their genuine interest in joint projects ranging from sports to science and technology - this is a solid foundation for the future of our relationship. The challenge for the Directorate now is to translate this trust into concrete actions: joint events, educational programs, and projects. Thanks to this trip, new partnerships have been established and a clear direction for our work has been set by the young people themselves. We leave with firm belief that Russian-Serbian cooperation has a bright future, one that we will build together," said Dmitry Ivanov, Director General of the World Youth Festival Directorate.
On the first day of the event, negotiations were held with Zivorad Jovanovic, the Chairman of the Organization for the Development of Cooperation with the BRICS countries and the President of the Serbian-Russian-Belarusian Friendship Association of Serbia. The parties discussed ways to expand cooperation between Serbia and the member countries of the BRICS. Representatives of the WYFD, in particular, presented the Business Mentoring Program launched at the WYF Assembly in Nizhny Novgorod and invited experienced Serbian entrepreneurs to join as mentors.
During the visit, a meeting was also held with participants of the WYFD events from Serbia. At the meeting, the young leaders showed considerable interest in internships in Russia and the development of skills for working in the media sphere, learned about the work of the International Content Center, and also took the initiative to open the official Representative Office of the World Youth Festival Directorate in Serbia. Responding to the request of the young people, representatives of the Directorate, together with partners in the Balkan country, began actively exploring the issue of creating such a space in Belgrade.
The Russian delegation also visited the Faculty of Political Sciences at the University of Belgrade, where they had a discussion with young activists. The participants learned more about the upcoming International Festival of Youth, which will take place in Russia in 2026 and bring together 10,000 participants from 190 countries. They also expressed a special interest in strengthening cooperation in the fields of IT, science, and education.
During the visit, the delegation also held working meetings with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Serbia Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko and Director of the Russian House in Belgrade Evgeny Baranov. The parties discussed specific ways to develop humanitarian and youth cooperation between Russia and Serbia.
The highlight of the visit of the delegation from the World Youth Festival Directorate to Serbia was the Fourth International Youth Mini-Football Tournament "International Friendship Cup", organized in cooperation with the charitable foundation of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. Eight football teams from Serbia, Russia, Austria and Bosnia and Herzegovina participated in the competition. The Austrian team "Srbia 15" won first place, followed by the Serbian football club "Vojvodina", and the "Shakhter" team from the Donetsk People's Republic took third place.
Overview:
The World Youth Festival took place on March 1–7, 2024 in Sirius, according to the Decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the development of international youth cooperation. The WYF-2024 brought together 20,000 young leaders from 190 countries.
In accordance with the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin on preserving and developing the legacy of the World Youth Festival, which took place on the Sirius Federal Territory in 2024 and united 20,000 young people from 190 countries of the world, festival events on the territory of the Russian Federation will be held annually. The next World Youth Festival for 20,000 participants will be held in 2030. In 2026, there will be a smaller event, an International Youth Festival with 10,000 participants. In between, the World Youth Festival’s themed Assemblies will be held annually for 2,000 participants.
The first World Youth Festival Assembly was held in Nizhny Novgorod from September 17 to 21, 2025 and brought together 2,000 young people from 120 countries.
The World Youth Festival Directorate continues the work aimed at strengthening international youth cooperation.