Values tested by time: Russian Government determines priorities for the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia
On 3 March, a meeting of the Organising Committee for the Year of Unity of the Peoples of the Russian Federation was held at the National Centre RUSSIA, chaired by Sergei Kiriyenko, First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office of the Russian Federation, and Tatyana Golikova, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation.
Participants discussed the goals and objectives of the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia, as well as the development of a list of events to take place in 2026. The main criteria will be the common values and goals of the peoples of Russia.
Opening the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia, the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, emphasised the benchmarks uniting the Russian nation: "The Russian nation is young, dynamic, driven by a sense of purpose and oriented towards the future. But Russia, our multi-ethnic country, gradually took shape on the same foundations as various peoples merged into it. What is important and interesting here? Russia took different paths as it took shape, but what has always been the most important element? A boundless respect for all the ethnicities that became part of Russia, full respect for their culture and traditions, as well as their spiritual values.
It is for this reason that we have been able to forge our shared values over these centuries. They may be quite different in their appearance, of course, which is very important, positive and must be supported. However, at their core, these are the same values that we all share".
The meeting of the Year's Organising Committee was opened by Sergei Kiriyenko, First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office.
"The Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia is a response to the enemy's attempts to destabilise our country from within, to disrupt interethnic unity, friendship, and partnership between traditional Russian faiths amidst the special military operation and the information war being waged against our country. The President has repeatedly said that today on the front line are heroes of various nationalities. They speak different languages, but all of them are responsible for one thing – the victory, unity, and integrity of our state. Representatives of over 100 nationalities of the country have been awarded high combat decorations during the special military operation. Young people of different nationalities, representatives of all peoples of Russia, proudly say today: 'I am a Russian soldier', 'I am a Russian officer', 'Russians do not surrender'. We have much to be proud of and much to pass on to the younger generation, including our traditions and culture," he stated.
Tatyana Golikova, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, spoke about priorities for this year: "The unity of the peoples of Russia is the foundation for the development of our country. On the eve of the Year of Unity, the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, approved a new State National Policy Strategy of the Russian Federation until 2036. Currently, the Government is developing an implementation plan for the Strategy, which will be approved shortly. We consider the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia as an opportunity for dialogue and support for initiatives. We pay special attention to young people, because the new generation is shaping the image of the future Russia. It is very important that our traditional spiritual and moral values, historical and cultural legacy are conveyed through educational projects, volunteer programmes, cultural exchanges, forums, media initiatives, and interaction with veterans and participants of the special military operation. It is necessary that the current year becomes not just a series of events and reports, but a personal experience of involvement in these events. Therefore, it is important to speak about the unity of languages and meanings that are understandable to all citizens of our great country."
Igor Barinov, Head of the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs of Russia, noted the important role of the new strategy for state national policy.
"The Russian Federation has historically formed as a multinational and multi-religious state with the core role of the Russian people. Mutual respect and readiness for cooperation have always been the foundation of our development. Today, drawing on this historical experience, we are building a modern model of state national policy. It is symbolic that precisely in the Year of Unity, the new State National Policy Strategy of the Russian Federation until 2036 came into force. This document formulates a single, comprehensive, and precise goal — strengthening the unity of the peoples of the Russian Federation," emphasised Igor Barinov.
Alexei Likhachev, Director General of the State Atomiс Energy Corporation ROSATOM, spoke about the company’s plans for the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia.
"Atomic industry facilities are present both in Russia and abroad. The large 'Atomic Family' is united by common values and history, common heroes and culture, and a common future. During the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia, all 31 of our 'nuclear' cities and all facilities – from shift camps to foreign representative offices – will become platforms for dialogue between cultures and nationalities. This will emphasise that for us, the concept of unity has no geographical boundaries: we introduce this value both to the regions of Russia and to other countries, strengthening the prestige of our multinational culture," said Alexei Likhachev.
In the Nizhny Novgorod region, a number of major regional and interregional events will take place during the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia. This was stated by Oleg Berkovich, Deputy Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region.
"Our common task is to help all participants feel the most important thing: their belonging to the single people of Russia, to realise the commonality of our historical destiny and the richest diversity of our Homeland's culture. Throughout the year, a regional plan of events consisting of more than 130 events will be implemented in the Nizhny Novgorod region – these are festivals, concerts, expositions, thematic lectures, and much more. The plan is built on the principle of scaling: from large-scale regional activities right down to targeted unique special projects," emphasised Oleg Berkovich.
During the discussion, Konstantin Ernst, Director General of Channel One, recalled a part of a conversation between Nicholas I and the Marquis de Custine: "'Marquis, how many Russians do you think are in this hall?' 'Everyone except me and the foreign ambassadors, Your Majesty!' 'You are mistaken. That close associate of mine is a Pole, that one is a German. Those two generals standing there – they are Georgians. That courtier is a Tatar, that one a Finn, and over there is a baptised Jew.' 'Then where are the Russians?' asked Custine. 'Well, all of them together are the Russians.'"
During the meeting, proposals from members of the Organising Committee were collected, which will be taken into account during the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia.
The President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, signed the decree on holding the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia in late December 2025, supporting an initiative voiced at a meeting of the Council for Interethnic Relations.
The Head of state officially launched the year at the National Centre RUSSIA during the educational marathon "Russia – a Family of Families", which was attended by representatives of more than 190 peoples of Russia and by foreign guests. The main themes of the event were the commonality of history, culture, traditional spiritual and moral values of the peoples of Russia, and examples of unity in service to the Fatherland. It is these directions that the efforts of the state and society will be concentrated on in 2026.
Participants of the first intake of this new educational project, who successfully passed the competitive selection process, shared their stories of discovering the School and their fresh impressions from the classes.
