Cultural and educational project “Train of Memory” is being held from June 20 to July 5. As part of the project, 200 schoolchildren from the former Soviet republics will visit Hero Cities, Cities of Labor Valor and Glory in Russia and Belarus.

In 2025, the World Youth Festival Directorate became one of the co-organizers of the project.

“One of the key priorities for the World Youth Festival Directorate in fostering cooperation with foreign countries is the preservation of historical truth about the Second World War. In 2025, the year of the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory, we are implementing a large-scale programme of events aimed at countering the falsification of history and passing on the truth to future generations. Young people from European countries have already taken part in the large-scale ‘We Stand for Cleanliness’ campaign focused on the improvement of memorials and monuments, and have joined local campaigns in their countries for Victory Day. A themed blog tour for foreign bloggers, organized by the Directorate in Russia, has drawn significant attention from international social media users. A special place among these events is held by the “Train of Memory” project, to which we have invited about 50 schoolchildren from the former Soviet republics — descendants of those who achieved the Victory over Nazism. These descendants of the victorious nations will visit Hero Cities and historic battle sites in Russia and Belarus to witness firsthand the price of Victory and the liberation of the world from Nazism. The project not only ensures historical memory preservation among the youth, but also serves an educational purpose, fostering strong moral values, respect for the heroic deeds of our ancestors, and an understanding of the inadmissibility of repeating the tragic mistakes of the past or reviving misanthropic ideologies,” said Dmitry Ivanov, Director General of the World Youth Festival Directorate.

The participants will visit memorial sites, monuments, and cultural and historical landmarks in seven Russian and eight Belarusian cities. The main goal of the project is to acquaint young people with the history of the Great Patriotic War. The students will visit key battle sites and learn about labor feats on the home front.

“I decided to take part in the ‘Train of Memory’ project because I want to learn more about the history of Hero Cities and make new friends from different countries. Its significance lies in honoring the memory of our ancestors who gave their lives for our existence. The younger generation needs to show more interest in history in order to pass this memory on to future generations and never forget the heroic deeds of our people,” said one of the project’s participants.

The project involves high school students — descendants of the victors, representing the peoples of all the former Soviet republics.

“As part of the ‘Train of Memory’ project, I want to see with my own eyes the path my ancestors took during the Great Patriotic War and to honor the memory of those who gave us a peaceful life. I believe it is very important to participate in such projects in order to pass on the truth about the war to the next generation,” shared another participant.

The official launch ceremony of the “Train of Memory” 2025 project took place at the memorial complex “Brest Hero-Fortress.”

The “Train of Memory” project was initiated in 2021 by Valentina Matviyenko and Natalya Kochanova, the heads of the upper houses of the parliaments of Russia and Belarus. It is held under the auspices of the Union State. Traditionally, the project brings together 200 schoolchildren aged 15–17 — winners of national competitions focused on the history of the Great Patriotic War. The project aims to foster respect for historical memory, understanding of the significance of the heroic deeds of ancestors during the war, the development of youth dialogue, and exploration of culture and traditions.

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.