On April 3–5, Grigory Gurov, Head of Rosmolodezh, paid a working visit to Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan, and took part in the Russia-Kazakhstan conference “Memory of Victory: Unity of Generations and Nations”, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, organized by the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan in collaboration with Rosmolodezh. The conference featured the signing of the 2025 Action Plan on the development of Russia-Kazakhstan humanitarian cooperation.

Head of Rosmolodezh Grigory Gurov said: “Cooperation between Russia and Kazakhstan in the field of youth policy is of special significance in the year of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. This remarkable date is widely celebrated not only in our countries, but across the CIS. Together, we are strengthening historical memory and preventing the falsification of our past. In 2025, we will be further cooperating with our colleagues from Kazakhstan to implement the Action Plan on the development of Russian-Kazakh humanitarian cooperation”.

The 2025 Action Plan was designed following the visit of the Russian delegation to Almaty during the Congress of Volunteer Organizations of Kazakhstan and Russia at the end of 2024. It includes more than 30 joint events in the fields of volunteerism, sports, street culture, media, youth entrepreneurship and other areas.

The conference marked the beginning of a series of joint Kazakh-Russian events dedicated to the anniversary.  It was attended by Grigory Gurov, Head of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh), Head of the Internal Policy Department of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Kazakhstan Abzal Nukenov, Minister of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan Aida Balayeva, Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration for Interregional and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries Anton Rybakov, as well as scientists, experts and young activists from Russia and Kazakhstan.

Minister of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan Aida Balayeva noted that every fifth resident of the Republic took part in the Great Patriotic War: “Yes, everyone contributed to the common Victory – from steelworkers to accountants, from shoemakers to teachers, from children to elderly people. But the role of culture, of course, is hard to overestimate. It might seem that wartime hardships and plight would leave no room for the Art, but that’s not true! The state not just supported, but promoted culture among people, skillfully using and developing its driving force to contribute to the Great Victory”.

Dmitry Ivanov, Director General of the World Youth Festival (WYF) Directorate, spoke at the session “Youth Movements Preserving the Memory of Victory”. He presented key areas of work and projects aimed at involving Russian and foreign youth in the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

“Russia and Kazakhstan are united by a shared centuries-old history, close economic, spiritual, and humanitarian ties. The friendship between Kazakhstan and Russia is not only about good relationships between the leadership of the two countries, but also the friendship between our nations and the desire to live in peace and have neighbourly relations. In 2025, when our countries celebrate the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, it is especially important for us to stand back to back and protect the historical truth about these events. That is why the World Youth Festival Directorate organizes events aimed at preserving the memory of the war and the feats of our ancestors among the younger generation. We invite Kazakh youth to join our projects and protect our history together”, said Dmitry Ivanov, Director General of the WYF Directorate.

One of these projects is a thematic blog tour for foreign opinion leaders and journalists. Participants will have a unique tour programme around the regions of Russia dedicated to the events of the Great Patriotic War. They will visit the sites of key battles, memorials, museums, modern facilities and cultural events. The project is implemented jointly with the Russian Centre for Civil and Patriotic Education of Children and Youth (Rospatriottsentr), the All-Russian Public Movement “Volunteers of Victory” and the “More than a Trip” programme.

The conference programme included three panel sessions: “Memory of Victrory: Bridge Between Generations and Cultures”, “Youth Movements Preserving the Memory of Victory” and “Modern Projects Strengthening Shared History”.

**Grigory Gurov, Head of Rosmolodezh,**also took part in the panel sessions, presenting the activities of Rosmolodezh’s Rospatriottsentr, and projects by the Movement of the First. He emphasized the patriotic education of the younger generation as a special priority for the Agency, highlighted the role of volunteers and volunteer movements, as well as spoke about thematic projects and programmes of Rosmolodezh.

Grigory Gurov also noted the cultural and educational project “Memory Train”, which has been held since 2022 on the initiative of the heads of the Upper Chambers of the Parliaments of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. In the Year of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the descendants of the Heroes – representatives of the peoples of all 15 Republics of the former USSR – joined the project. In 2025, 200 high school students from the post-Soviet countries will take part in a unique journey, paying tribute to the defenders of the Motherland, learning reliable facts about the Great Patriotic War and the heroism of their ancestors. The Republic of Kazakhstan has been invited to participate in the “Memory Train” project.

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.

On the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation, the WYF will be held in Russia on a regular basis – once in six years. Also, every six years 10,000 young people from all over the world will get together at the World Youth Festival Forum, and in between, international themed assemblies for 2,000 participants will be held under the auspices of the WYF. The first Assembly is scheduled to take place in September 2025 in Nizhny Novgorod. Festival events of various formats will be held in Russia annually.

According to the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation on the preservation and development of the Festival legacy, the World Youth Festival Directorate continues the work aimed at strengthening international youth cooperation.