The first international "Peoples of Russia and CIS" festival is set to launch in Moscow. The event will open with a plenary discussion titled "Peoples of Russia and the CIS: Safeguarding Values, Striving for the Future," featuring an address by Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu.
According to a statement from the Security Council's press service, the discussion will focus on "key approaches to implementing state national policy in the face of modern challenges and threats, developing interethnic cooperation, and strengthening traditional spiritual and moral values." The meeting will be attended by the head of the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs, Igor Barinov, the Ambassador of Belarus to Russia, Aleksandr Rogozhnik, the State Secretary of Kyrgyzstan, Marat Imankulov, alongside representatives from federal government bodies, experts, and the academic community.
The business program for the first day of the six-day festival will continue with the 6th All-Russian Forum "Peoples of Russia," centered on the theme "United Goals – Varied Approaches." Key topics will include the preservation of traditional values, strategies for countering destructive ideologies related to interethnic relations, facilitating the adaptation of foreign citizens, and protecting the historical memory of the peoples of Russia and the CIS. An all-Russian seminar and a strategic session on national policy for regional government leaders are also scheduled.
Shoigu has previously stated that the festival is designed to strengthen and harmonize interethnic relations and civil unity, while preserving and promoting the traditions, history, and customs of the peoples of Russia and the post-Soviet space. He emphasized that the event will bring together numerous guests from across Russia and CIS member states, noting the symbolic importance of its commencement on the eve of National Unity Day, which embodies the strength of popular solidarity and generational continuity.
Festival Program Highlights
Participants will have the opportunity to take part in the 10th All-Russian "Great Ethnographic Dictation," a popular educational event now held worldwide. The dictation is a 30-question test. In a first for the event, service members involved in the special military operation will contribute questions.
The festival will also feature a film forum with cinematographers, directors, and screenwriters from Russia and the CIS, discussing the role of cinema in shaping a common cultural space. The screening program will include the war drama "His Name Was Not Listed," the film about the legendary Arctic expedition "Chelyuskin. The First," the historical detective "The Admiral Ushakov Mystery," and the Russian-Uzbek and Russian-Tajik co-productions "The Taste of the Sun" and "The Path of Wrath."
At the Russia National Center, a lecture hall organized by the Russian Geographical Society, titled "The Diversity of Cultures and Peoples of Russia and the CIS," will allow ethnography enthusiasts to explore folk heritage and the traditional ways of life of indigenous peoples.
Several sessions will focus on "soft power" and media as a tool for promoting cultural identity, with organizers aiming to address the topic of cultural diplomacy in international projects.
Other sessions will delve into Russian national symbols—such as the balalaika, matryoshka doll, Lake Baikal, and the bear—exploring the deeper meanings behind these iconic images.
A centerpiece of the cultural program will be the nationwide "Modern Musical Map of Russia" event on November 4, National Unity Day. It will feature premier compositions representing each federal district, utilizing distinct regional identities and performance styles to reflect their unique spirit and history.
Security Council Secretary Shoigu affirmed that the festival's educational program is aimed at the younger generation, "who are increasingly embracing ideas of patriotism, civic duty, and a sense of responsibility for the nation's future, while taking pride in the accomplishments of their ancestors."
The festival is organized by the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs, with coordination from the Russian Security Council, the Presidential Administration, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The effort also involves other ministries, government bodies, major companies, and the Russian Geographical Society. The TASS news agency is among the media partners.
CIS Security Chiefs to Convene
The festival will conclude on November 5 with the 13th Meeting of the Secretaries of the Security Councils of the CIS member states. Shoigu has stated that the meeting will focus on developing solutions to protect against external and internal threats. He described the format as "a truly unique platform for confidential dialogue, allowing for open and constructive discussion of the most complex security issues and for jointly developing, on a solid foundation of shared traditional values, solutions to protect our nations and peoples."
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Based on materials from TASS