"Fashionable to be Russian, fashionable to be a patriot": Defender of the Fatherland Day at the RUSSIA EXPO

Representatives of patriotic education organizations spoke about the results of their work at the RUSSIA EXPO. Director of FSBI "Rospatriotcenter", Doctor of Political Sciences Elena Belikova welcomed the participants of the seminar and congratulated the Russians on the holiday.

"The true patriots, who love the Motherland and prove this love not with words, but with deeds, are here at our seminar. It is symbolic that among the participants there are servicemen of the special military operation, who came to us directly from the front line of the combat zone. The RUSSIA EXPO, where the seminar is being held, was not chosen by chance. It is here that 100 participants from 87 regions of Russia, including new regions, can learn about the achievements of our country and exchange successful practices in order to improve results in our common cause when they return home," said Elena Belikova.

Andrei Savelyev, Head of the Center for Military Sports Training and Patriotic Education of Youth "VOIN" ("Warrior"), and Dmitry Stepyko, Director for Training of the Center, spoke about the activities carried out in the regions of Russia, and also emphasized the importance of the task to develop the institute of mentoring. Last year, 225 people became instructors of the project, 108 of whom participated in combat operations, as well as more than 15,000 cadets.

"The 'VOIN' Center is a long-awaited large project for young people with the right values. Now there is a task to build a unified system of patriotic education in all subjects, because any teacher, instructor is not only a carrier of practical knowledge, but also of spiritual values. Without this, they simply could not find the right words in working with young people who value sincerity and honesty," emphasized Andrei Savelyev, who himself went to defend his home in the Donetsk People's Republic at the age of 16.

The "VOIN" centers were founded in 2023 by order of Russian President Vladimir Putin and act as the basis of the system of military-sports training of the younger generation. The cadets of the centers receive the necessary skills that may be useful during their service in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, as well as in specialized educational institutions, learn how to provide first aid, undergo the process of socialization among like-minded people in the camps "Time of Heroes".

The speakers discussed the results of the First International Travelling Festival "Cinema in the Service of the Fatherland", which was held in Moscow from February 19 to 22.

"The main idea of the festival is that whatever you do, if you do it with the feeling that you are in the service of the Fatherland, the people who live in this country, you are on the right path. Now our work is for all those who are now at the front. It should become this way: it is fashionable to be Russian, it is fashionable to be a patriot," said the founder of the festival "Cinema in the Service of the Fatherland" Olesya Shigina.

Virineya Shigina became one of the laureates of the festival. The purpose of her project, the contest "Coal of the Russian Land", is to create an artistic image of a participant of the special military operation, our courageous officers and soldiers, doctors and rescuers who protect and help to establish a peaceful life for the population of new Russian regions. As a result of the contest of artistic works, a travelling exposition of portraits of heroes of our time, performed using the technique of "charcoal drawing", was created.

The meeting was also attended by the youngest participant of the film festival, Egor Sotnich. Despite the fact that the schoolboy is only 13 years old, he has already managed to become the winner of the National Award "Patriot-2023", conducted by the Rospatriot program of the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs, as well as to win the film festival.