Young people from around the world joined the celebration of the 81st anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. Patriotic, cultural, and educational events were organized abroad by activists of the World Youth Festival Directorate and in Russian regions by members of the International Friendship Clubs.
"Victory Day is a special and truly unifying date for our country and for millions of people around the world. Today, young people from Russia and other countries are actively taking part in memorial and patriotic events dedicated to preserving the historical memory of the victorious people's heroic feat. Approximately 400 activists of the World Youth Festival Directorate have joined the events across 13 countries – Abkhazia, South Ossetia, the Republic of Belarus, the Czech Republic, Germany, Pridnestovye, Serbia, Armenia, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Georgia, and Cyprus. It is especially important that representatives of the WYFD International Friendship Clubs in Russian regions are also actively participating. To date, 46 events have been held with the participation of more than 700 young people, including around 450 foreign nationals from 52 countries. This shows that the memory of the Great Victory continues to unite the younger generation across borders, nationalities, and cultures. Through such initiatives, young people together preserve historical truth, honor the heroism of those who fought, and strengthen international humanitarian ties," said Dmitry Ivanov, Director General of the World Youth Festival Directorate.
The concert dedicated to the 81st anniversary of the liberation of Czechoslovakia from Nazi invaders took place in Prague. During the event, Sofia Ivanova, a World Youth Festival Directorate activist from Germany, performed a song and told young people from the Czech Republic about the International Festival of Youth, which will be held in Ekaterinburg from September 11 to 17.
In Cyprus, Vladimir Gorin, an activist of the World Youth Festival Directorate, together with representatives of the "Volunteers of Victory" movement, visited and congratulated World War II veterans – Stamatis Pavasiliou, who took part in battles in Italy, Yangos Menelaos, who served as a sailor in the British army during the war, and Lyudmila Sokolova, a child of war who shared her memories of those years. One of the central events in Cyprus was a solemn wreath laying ceremony at a war memorial. Each veteran and meeting participant was gifted an olive tree as part of the international "Garden of Memory" campaign – to be planted in honor of the war heroes as a symbol of peace, life, and the gratitude of future generations. The event was organized by the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Nicosia with the support of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Cyprus, the Coordination Council of Russian Compatriots of Cyprus, the Cyprus Russia Friendship Society, and Cypriot public organizations.
In Abkhazia, activists of the World Youth Festival Directorate distributed St. George's ribbons to residents. Meanwhile, young people from Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, and South Ossetia shared stories of their ancestors' heroic deeds as part of the "Hero of My Family" campaign.
"The hero in my family is Igor Matvienko. Still very young, in 1942 at the age of 17, he was drafted to the front. He served in the Third Cavalry Regiment of the First Separate Cavalry Brigade, and later in the 35th Guards Artillery Regiment as part of the First Belorussian Front. He endured a difficult combat path and took part in the liberation of Europe. He was awarded two Orders of the Red Banner, as well as the medals 'For the Liberation of Warsaw', 'For the Capture of Berlin', and 'For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945'. During an enemy offensive, one of the squadrons faltered and began to retreat. At that moment, Lieutenant Matvienko made a decision that would determine the outcome of the battle. He personally rushed to the gun and opened direct fire on the advancing enemy. Under heavy machine‑gun fire, with virtually no cover, he continued firing," shared Emilia Gagriyan from Armenia.
In Tajikistan and Armenia, young people held a "Wall of Memory" campaign, displaying photographs of Great Patriotic War heroes on university and school grounds. Participants from the Republic of Belarus, Pridnestrovye, and Armenia also joined the "Victory Windows" campaign, decorating their home windows with symbols of remembrance and expressions of gratitude to the victorious generation.
"I am taking part in the 'Victory Windows' campaign because, for me, it is a way to say thank you from the present to the past. My grandfather, Vasily Kandybko, went through the Great Patriotic War. He was awarded two of the highest honors – the Order of the Red Star and the Order of the Patriotic War. These medals symbolize his courage and the fact that, like millions of soldiers, he endured for the sake of life on Earth. Every May 9, our whole family watches the parade, then we look through old photo albums with grandfather's pictures and medals. For me, the 'Victory Windows' campaign is a bridge between generations. As long as we decorate our windows, as long as we tell the stories of our heroes, as long as every family keeps its own memory alive – our veterans and their heroic deeds remain alive. Thank you to my grandfather and to everyone who gave us the Victory," said Anastasiia Nagibenko from the Republic of Belarus, a participant in the campaigns.
In Serbia, activists held a cleanup event at a memorial plaque dedicated to the victims of fascist occupation in the Belgrade district of Kneževac. Meanwhile, Batzaya Enerelt, a participant in projects of the World Youth Festival Directorate and a student at the National University of Arts and Culture of Mongolia, performed the famous song "Kalinka" on both piano and the traditional Mongolian horsehead fiddle (morin khuur).
Events dedicated to the 81st anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War took place in 41 regions of Russia. Representatives of the WYFD International Friendship Clubs actively took part in them.
In the Republic of Tatarstan, representatives of the WYFD International Friendship Club took part in a ceremonial meeting with Rais Rustam Minnikhanov, Great Patriotic War veterans, and home front workers. In St. Petersburg, an international team laid flowers and honored fallen heroes at the Piskarevskoye Memorial Cemetery, met with veterans, attended a workshop on making St. George's ribbons, and watched the documentary "War Through the Eyes of a Diver" at the Museum of Naval Glory. In the Vladimir Region, participants unfurled the Victory Banner together with the regional branch of the "Volunteers of Victory" movement. International and Russian youth across the country joined the "Immortal Regiment" campaign, including in St. Petersburg and the Sakhalin Region.
Members of the WYFD International Friendship Club of the Novosibirsk Region – representatives of Vietnam, Zambia, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Laos, and China – attended the Victory Parade, witnessing the ceremonial march of military equipment and honor guard units. In the Republic of Buryatia, students, veterans, community activists, including representatives of the WYFD International Friendship Club, gathered in Ulan‑Ude's main square for the patriotic event "Waltz of the Victory Heirs." Together, they unfurled a 150‑meter St. George's ribbon, formed the word "Victory", and performed a waltz.
Members of the WYFD International Friendship Club of the Sverdlovsk Region – from Cameroon, Peru, India, and other countries – took part in the patriotic "Victory Run" event. More than 50 young people joined the activity. In the Pskov Region, ahead of the holiday, representatives of the Youth and Public Initiatives Center, the WYFD International Friendship Club, and the "Volunteers of Victory" movement cleaned up a war grave site located at the Maloye Krestovskoye Cemetery.
Activists of the WYFD International Friendship Clubs in the Samara and Chuvash regions took part in distributing St. George's ribbons to local residents. In the Samara Region, the international team also joined the "Victory Train" campaign. Participants from China, India, and Lebanon learned about 20th‑century military equipment, saw examples of modern weaponry, and spoke with active‑duty military personnel – heroes of the Special Military Operation. Members of the WYFD International Friendship Club in the Rostov Region, as part of a military‑patriotic event, spoke about the peoples whose courage and contribution became an integral part of the common Victory in the Great Patriotic War. They also took part in a workshop and learned the songs "Katyusha", "Victory Day", and "Kalinka" in various languages of the world.
In the Kaluga Region, activists of the WYFD International Friendship Club took part in the "Echo of War and Memory of the Heart" event. Young people from Angola, Mali, Yemen, Togo, China, Bangladesh, Côte d'Ivoire, the Central African Republic, Tunisia, Guinea, Sri Lanka, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Egypt, and the Republic of the Congo gathered together to honor the heroic deeds of past generations and learn more about the history of May 9.
In the Republic of Mordovia, members of the WYFD International Friendship Club from various countries learned about the symbols of the Great Victory, performed wartime songs, and met with Sergey Pronkin, a veteran of the Special Military Operation. He spoke to the international youth about the importance of knowing one's family history, remembering the heroic deeds of ancestors, and preserving historical truth.
In the Republic of Mari El, a quiz on the Great Patriotic War was held. Participants of the WYFD International Friendship Club from different countries tested their knowledge and recalled key events and acts of heroism. Additionally, Russian and international youth came together to assemble a map of Russia, explore its regions, and learn about the unity and diversity of the peoples of the country. Foreign participants also performed wartime songs.
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.