Panel discussion “Truth in the Age of Viral Content: Challenges, Threats, and Opportunities of the Digital Environment” took place at the International Festival of Youth 2026 (IFY) venue in Ekaterinburg. The keynote speaker was Artem Zhoga, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Urals Federal District and Hero of the Donetsk People’s Republic.
Opening the discussion, Artem Zhoga stressed that the Ural Federal District’s greatest asset is its people, and it is their lives that are directly affected by the problem of fake content: “Today, every person is both a consumer and a carrier of information. To transmit information, you don’t need a special education or a studio: all you need is a phone, a photo, and a caption on social media. Someone generates Disneyland surrounded with water — and for an unprepared person, it’s hard not to believe it. And a great many of today’s fakes target Russia,” said Artem Zhoga.
He urged young people to approach information critically and verify it against multiple sources. He singled out two categories most vulnerable to fakes: the younger generation — due to inexperience — and older people. Using his own example, he described how he had to persuade his own mother when she forwarded dubious messages. The speaker focused on two typical manipulation techniques — deepfakes and quoting words out of context — and recommended always seeking the full recording of a speech.
“I myself have been targeted by deepfakes more than once: some are made so skillfully that for a second I wondered — did I really say that? All information must be verified against different sources,” he advised. Artem Zhoga also noted that the IFY format itself is a tool against fakes: interaction among around 10,000 participants from different parts of Russia and the world creates a natural fact-checking mechanism.
“When you see information about some region — you’ll ask your friend: did this really happen? You have more friends, more sources,” the Plenipotentiary concluded.
Andrei Timonov, Head of the Communications Department of Rosatom State Corporation, spoke about the information challenges the company faces: “Rosatom constantly becomes a target of unverified information — primarily about alleged incidents at nuclear power plants. I remember a situation 12 years ago: there was a breakdown at a station, and the media instantly reported that an entire city of 80,000 people was being evacuated,” shared Andrei Timonov.
He outlined two principles for managing reputation: first, building reputation PR long before a crisis, and second, developing one’s own expertise. “Expertise and reputation — these are the two pillars that hold up resilience in the information environment,” the expert emphasized.
Ilya Rybin, head of the nofake.kz project and a communications expert from Kazakhstan, presented practical fact-checking techniques: “Develop a journalist’s curiosity and ask plenty of questions. Use the rule of three sources. Don’t trust yourself — study the topic more deeply,” the expert advised. He urged the attendees to develop technological skills and use neural networks to analyze information, as well as study how deepfakes are created in order to be able to expose them.
A special place in Ilya Rybin’s recommendations was given to the psychology of content dissemination: “Today, the most dangerous thing on the internet is not the GENERATE button, but the SHARE button. If you sincerely want to share something, that is the first sign that you should not share it. In that case, the information must be double-checked,” emphasized Ilya Rybin.
Alexandre Guerreiro, Doctor of Law and researcher from Portugal, criticized the European Union’s approach to managing the information space. In his view, the EU uses algorithms that make accessible only the information the EU considers trustworthy.
“What we need to do as fact-checking specialists is not try to manipulate content or algorithms. We need to invest in building trust and create a more attractive way of sharing information with the public. Truth is a human right, and it must prevail in relations between all people and countries,” emphasized Alexandre Guerreiro.
He places particular responsibility on the younger generation, which has a better command of digital tools and can use them to verify facts and convey the truth. The main principles are to doubt everything, ask more questions, and always be ready to check every detail before spreading information.
Overview:
The International Festival of Youth, held as part of the Youth and Children national project, is taking place in Ekaterinburg from September 11 to 17, 2026. The decree establishing the event was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 29, 2025. The Festival is being held under the motto “Follow Your Dream”.
Participants of the IFY – 2026 include 10,000 young leaders from 191 countries, including 5,000 Russians and 5,000 international citizens. Among them are leading representatives of creative industries and the arts, public administration, science and education, sport, entrepreneurship, media, digitalization and IT, and civic engagement – people who are already shaping the future of their countries and the world. Continuing the successful practice established at the World Youth Festival 2024, those invited include 1,000 teenagers aged 14 to 17 – 500 from Russia and 500 from abroad. The Children’s Program is organized by the Movement of the First.
The World Youth Festival took place from March 1 to 7, 2024, in Sirius, in accordance with a decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin, aimed at developing international youth cooperation. The WYF-2024 brought together 20,000 young leaders from 190 countries.
In line with instructions from Russia’s President on preserving and building on the legacy of the World Youth Festival, festival events are now held annually across Russia. The World Youth Festival Directorate continues its work to strengthen international youth cooperation and build a community of young people who care about the future of the world.