At the International Festival of Youth (IFY – 2026) in Ekaterinburg, preserving historical memory is one of the central themes of the exhibition program. On September 15, in the World Youth City at the IFY – 2026, participants were shown a screening of the reconstructive performance “The Nuremberg Verdict: Lessons of History for the Present and the Future,” created to mark the 80th anniversary of the Victory. Festival participants can also view the exhibitions “Memory Unites” and “Catastrophe of Memory: Neo-Nazism in the 21st Century.”
“Russia pays a great deal of attention to historical memory. Exhibitions like these play a very important role, and so does the performance shown at the Festival. I think it’s an excellent example for our colleagues from other countries: young people need to see what must be avoided, so they can defend their national interests and fight against Nazism in their own countries,” shared Sergei Karyakin, member of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia.
The production was initiated and staged by students of the theater studio at Moscow State Linguistic University (MSLU), with support from the ANO Eurasia and the international patriotic movement “Pobeda 9/45.” The performance was staged in four languages: simultaneous interpretation from English, German and French was provided by MSLU students and faculty – echoing the original trial itself, which was the first large-scale use of simultaneous interpretation of its kind.
“Every time I go on stage to perform in this play, it’s an intense emotional experience for me. It’s difficult, because every time we relive this footage, these testimonies of inhumanity. But everyone needs to remember the crimes that were committed, the horror this war brought to our people. It was important for us to present this performance here, at the Festival, in front of peers from countries around the world,” said Artyom Koltsov, a third-year MSLU student who played US prosecutor Robert Jackson.
The performance opened with a moment of silence. From there, the audience was transported to Courtroom No. 600 of the Nuremberg Palace of Justice: students played real participants in the trial and recreated its key moments – from the reading of the charges to the sentencing – while photographs from the courtroom and documentary footage were shown on screen. Ahead of the premiere, the production’s participants conducted their own independent work with archival documents.
“I believe we must always remember the Victory, which came at such a tremendous cost. After watching the performance, I once again realized just how serious that trial was, and how many people gave their lives for the Victory,” shared IFY – 2026 participant Aidarbek Turapov from Kyrgyzstan. “I think every viewer who left the hall was deeply affected – by the cruelty that took place under the Third Reich, by the horrors shown during the performance. Personally, I was left with a very heavy feeling about what happened back then. And the trial that was later held in Nuremberg against the Nazi high command was a just one, given everything every country suffered during the Great Patriotic War. I already knew a lot about Nuremberg before the performance, but now I want to read even more about the actions that specific people at the head of the SS were responsible for, and for which they were convicted. We need to remember history so we don’t repeat the same mistakes in the future,” shared IFY – 2026 participant Polina Podbolotova.
“In India, people don’t talk much about Nazism, since it’s not a problem we face. But it’s important to talk about it, because new generations need to know what actually happened in the past. The older generation needs to pass on what they know about the horrors of Nazism to young people,” shared Mayank Divakar, a young man from India and participant in the Festival’s Children’s Program.
Guided tours were also held at the Festival grounds for participants, Russian and international bloggers, and journalists. They visited two exhibitions that opened as part of IFY – 2026’s exhibition space: “Memory Unites” and “Catastrophe of Memory: Neo-Nazism in the 21st Century.” More than 40 bloggers and media representatives took part, from Britain to Pakistan, India and Cyprus. The exhibition “Catastrophe of Memory: Neo-Nazism in the 21st Century” was prepared by the Museum of Contemporary Russian History and addresses the resurgence of neo-Nazism and the glorification of Nazism in the modern world.
The exhibition features materials from the collections of Russian museums, archives and news agencies, along with items documenting the crimes of Nazism, both past and present – including original items provided by Yana Lantratova, Commissioner for Human Rights of Russia, who also visited the exhibition. The exhibits also include works by contemporary artists, offering a living response to the tragic events of recent years.
“This exhibition is very important, because it’s been 81 years since Victory Day. The world moves on, and it’s very easy to forget what happened and what Nazism did to our world. We need to remember this, so it never happens again. And it’s also important to remember that we – together with other countries, Western ones especially – were once friends and allies. Perhaps, in the future, we can become friends again,” noted Alexander William Torkildsen, a blogger from the United Kingdom.
“This exhibition is about why we need to preserve the memory of World War II and why the lessons of history must never be forgotten. It left a very powerful impression,” shared Taki Rahmani, a blogger from Algeria. “History isn’t just memory – history is also a struggle, one we need to remember in order to decide what we can do now and in the future,” shared Jaya Setiawan Gulo, a blogger from Indonesia.
The exhibition opens with footage of the liberation of Europe and the Nuremberg Tribunal, traces how neo-Nazism began to resurface in the very first postwar years, and continues right up to the present day: neo-Nazi literature circulated in Ukraine and a number of other countries, and items brought back by museum staff from the zone of the special military operation. At the center of the exhibition are the Anti-Fascist Forum installation, the multimedia memorial Alley of Angels dedicated to the children of Donbass, and murals created by artists under the direction of Alexander Kupalyan. The exhibition’s key materials have been translated into six languages especially for IFY – 2026 guests in Ekaterinburg – English, German, French, Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese – including via QR codes.
“I’ve been passionate about history since childhood. I’ve read a lot of books, including ones on World War II. I was incredibly curious to find out how the events of World War II are viewed in Russia today, and how they were viewed in the Soviet Union,” noted Matheus Sodre Ambrozio M Fernandes, a blogger from Brazil.
“History showed just how terrible a catastrophe Nazi ideology led to. The goal of this exhibition is, quite literally, to show whether that ideology died, or whether we’re seeing signs of its resurgence. I think that message is especially important: today, we really can see similar troubling trends, for example, in Ukraine. I believe education is the best tool we have in this fight. By educating the public, we show the consequences of these ideologies, and in doing so, help avoid a tragic future. When we teach children about these ideologies, or hold events like this festival in Russia, we’re teaching people what to avoid today,” shared IFY – 2026 participant Shexid Antoinette Oriuela Arias from Peru.
The multimedia project “Memory Unites,” run by the National Center for Historical Memory under the President of Russia, is dedicated to the civilian victims of the USSR. The exhibition is structured as a single route made up of three parts.
The exhibition was also visited by Pierre de Gaulle, grandson of Charles de Gaulle, the first President of the French Fifth Republic.
“History is very important to my family, because it’s a shared legacy that must never be forgotten. Our ancestors fought for freedom in the world, against evil. The philosophy of Nazism is one of destruction,” noted Pierre de Gaulle.
The section “The Crime” is dedicated to the genocide of the Soviet people between 1941 and 1945. The exhibition is built around directive documents signed by Germany’s leadership months before the war began: Generalplan Ost, Plan Oldenburg, and the Backe Plan. The war of extermination was planned well in advance, as proven by the Nazis’ own orders. The section “Liberation” tells the story of the price the Red Army paid to liberate Europe: more than a million soldiers and officers died fighting for European countries. Soviet forces stormed the “death factories” – Auschwitz and Majdanek – and, after the victory, helped rebuild devastated cities. This section also displays replicas of seven monuments that were erected in Europe and later torn down. The exhibition concludes with the section “Retribution,” dedicated to the outcomes of the war and the inevitability of punishment – from the first tribunals held on Soviet territory to the Nuremberg trials. Drawing on the tribunal’s rulings, Russian courts have recognized Nazi crimes as genocide against the Soviet people, with 34 such cases to date. This section features archival documents, photographs, and the 1946 documentary film “The Judgment of the Peoples,” affirming the idea that crimes against humanity have no statute of limitations.
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.