On July 2, the World Youth Festival Directorate and the Rossiya Segodnya International Media Group signed a cooperation agreement for the preparation and hosting of the International Festival of Youth, which is being implemented under the national project “Youth and Children.” The largest international youth event of its kind will take place in Ekaterinburg from September 11 to 17, 2026.

Under the terms of the agreement, RIA Novosti, one of Russia's leading news agencies, will serve as the Festival's general media partner, while Sputnik, an international news agency broadcasting in dozens of languages worldwide, will act as a media partner and promote the Festival on a global scale.

“Our cooperation with the Rossiya Segodnya International Media Group has already proven its effectiveness during the World Youth Festival in 2024, when millions of people in Russia and abroad were inspired by the event. That momentum helped engage foreign youth in the projects and programs of Russian organizations working in youth policy and fostering cooperation with our country. Today, we are building on that work: RIA Novosti as general media partner and Sputnik with its extensive international network will help convey the key messages of the International Festival of Youth – 2026 to the global audience, as well as the stories of the participants and the opportunities for dialogue that Russia is offering young leaders from around the world,” said Dmitry Ivanov, Director General of the World Youth Festival Directorate.

The agreement provides for cooperation between the parties at all stages of the event's preparation and execution, including information support, joint multimedia content production, interviews, special reports, live broadcasts, educational and expert events, and joint projects involving Russian and international journalists, experts, and festival participants.

Dmitry Kiselev, Director General of the Rossiya Segodnya International Media Group, recalled that the very first World Festival of Youth and Students in the Soviet Union, held in 1957, was celebrated as a national holiday.

“We rented a modest dacha outside Moscow. There were a lot of kids there, and we organized our own festival. [...] Later, I took part in the 1985 festival. That was already during perestroika. I was working in radio at that time—on foreign broadcasting from Pyatnitskaya 25. I remember it vividly. In a sense, I was a participant in the first two Soviet festivals. For me, this is a continuation of that very warm, familial, childhood-and-youth lineage. As the Rossiya Segodnya Media Group, we are pleased to support this grand event in Ekaterinburg. I am confident it will be well received and will get widespread media coverage in more than 30 languages around the world,” said Dmitry Kiselev.

Overview:

The World Youth Festival took place in Sirius on March 1-7, 2024, 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 line with the Russian President’s instructions to preserve and further develop the legacy of the World Youth Festival, festival events are now held annually across the Russian Federation. In 2025, the World Youth Festival Assembly was held in Nizhny Novgorod, bringing together 2,000 young people from 120 countries. In 2026, the International Festival of Youth will welcome 10,000 participants. The next World Youth Festival for 20,000 participants will take place in 2030.

The World Youth Festival Directorate continues its work to strengthen international youth cooperation and develop a global community of young people committed to shaping a better future.