From May 9 to 19, 2026, Russia and Belarus became a single space of remembrance: the "Code of the Unconquered – 2026" youth patriotic educational expedition brought together more than 100 activists from both countries. The organizer was the "Strength of Peace" ANO, in partnership with the World Youth Festival Directorate ANO and with the support of the Federation Council, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Culture of Russia, Rosmolodezh, and the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs of the Russian Federation.
The motor rally passed through nine Cities of Military Glory and Hero Cities: Donetsk – Murmansk – Kandalaksha – Petrozavodsk – St. Petersburg – Veliky Novgorod – Smolensk – Vitebsk – Minsk. A key feature of the project was that it was a driving expedition, not a sightseeing trip. This format offered more opportunities to reach remote memorials, make unscheduled stops at fraternal cemeteries, and spend time at sites of real historical events. Technical support and coordination throughout the journey were provided by the Love‑Racing team. KGM vehicles (Rexton, Torres) served as the reliable wheels of this memorial expedition.
The expedition's opening ceremony was held in Severomorsk, the capital of the Northern Fleet. That choice was no accident – the Kola Arctic stood as a symbol of unbreakable resilience during WWII. Participants went aboard the legendary K‑21 submarine and walked through its compartments, where the air still holds the memory of war. In Kandalaksha, Olympic champion Alexey Mishin held a morning workout for the group. Later, the team visited the Lenin nuclear icebreaker, a symbol of Russia's Arctic strength. A particularly moving stop was the memorial to the soldiers of the reindeer transport battalions – a unique and often overlooked part of the northern defense. In Murmansk, Governor Andrey Chibis welcomed the participants with these words: "The code of the victorious people lives inside each of us."
In Petrozavodsk, the expedition made its way to the memorial "Height 168.5." In September 1941, surrounded on all sides, Red Army soldiers held back the Finnish advance for nearly three weeks. The tour was led by Ilya Gerasev, a member of Russia's Public Chamber, who showed the group a line of defense that remains almost perfectly preserved in the Karelian forests. Later in Petrozavodsk, the expedition team played a friendly football match against the Karelia national team. The game ended 6–6.
In the Northern capital, participants laid flowers at the "Motherland" monument at the Piskarevskoye Memorial Cemetery – the resting place of hundreds of thousands of Leningrad residents and soldiers. The expedition then headed to the "Lenrezerv" ("Lenin's reserve") patriotic association, which houses a unique collection of authentic wartime artifacts. Welcoming remarks were delivered by Egor Litvinenko, Deputy Head of Rosmolodezh; Vladislav Golovin, Hero of Russia; and Pavel Alekso, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Belarusian Republican Youth Union. There, activists from Russia and Belarus took part in a tournament featuring traditional national sports: lapta, kettlebell lifting, gorodki, and mas‑wrestling.
A key event of the visit to Veliky Novgorod was a plenary discussion titled "Russia and Belarus – A Space of Opportunities: From Brest to Chukotka," held at the Valdai Innovation and Technology Center. Participants discussed grants, internships, and sports pathways – how to turn memory into real‑world action. In Smolensk, the central event was a creative evening with People's Artist of Russia Vladimir Mashkov. He shared family stories of relatives who lived through the war. Nine expedition members also spoke about their ancestors – different places, but the same shared grief. From this dialogue emerged a core idea: "unconquered spirit" is not a thing of the past – it is a living character trait that exists in each of us today.
In Belarus, the patriotic expedition made a stop in Vitebsk. Participants took a city tour and learned about its history. On the way to Minsk, the group visited the Khatyn memorial complex – a symbol of the tragedy that befell the Belarusian and Soviet people during the Great Patriotic War. This leg of the journey became one of the most poignant of the entire project.
The final destination was the capital of Belarus. A meeting was held at the Minsk House of Youth, attended by Vladimir Pavlovsky, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Belarusian Republican Youth Union and member of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, and Evgenia Kalechits, Chair of the Youth Wing of the Belarusian Union of Women. The discussion focused on truth, the family as the foundation of patriotism, and the idea that support is sometimes expressed in simple, everyday gestures.
As noted by Alexander Voloshin, the initiator of the project and Senator from the Donetsk People's Republic: "You can't learn true love for the Motherland from a textbook. It comes when you stand in front of a memorial, read the names, and suddenly realize: behind each name is a person who will never return home. In moments like that, all rhetoric becomes unnecessary. Only quiet gratitude remains – and a sense of duty. Every city, our expedition visited, endured the impossible. These are lands where every hill remembers the blood that was shed. Today, we owe it to the young to tell them the truth about the war. Patriotism is not measured by likes, but by actions: going to a monument, restoring a forgotten name, teaching those who are younger. The young people of Russia and Belarus have everything they need to act. We share one code, one Victory."
The main outcome of the expedition will be the creation of a community of "memory ambassadors" – participants who will continue educational work in their regions and countries, passing on the truth about the war and the heroism of the Soviet people to their peers.
Overview:
The World Youth Festival took place on March 1–7, 2024 at the ‘Sirius’ Federal Territory, 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 accordance with the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin on preserving and developing the legacy of the World Youth Festival, festival events on the territory of the Russian Federation will be held annually. The World Youth Festival Assembly was held in Nizhny Novgorod in 2025 and brought together 2,000 young people from 120 countries. In 2026, the International Festival of Youth will gather 10,000 participants. The next World Youth Festival for 20,000 participants will be held in 2030.
The World Youth Festival Directorate continues the work aimed at strengthening international youth cooperation and developing a community of young people who care about the future of the world.