Development of the new Russian style discussed at the fourth meeting of the Council at the National Centre RUSSIA

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The fourth meeting of the Board of the Council at the National Centre RUSSIA on Developing and Promoting the New Russian Style in the Public Sphere was held on 24 March at the Kosygin Russian State University, chaired by Yelena Yampolskaya, Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation. The event was attended by: Alexei Zharich, Deputy Head of the Presidential Directorate for Social Projects; Valery Belgorodsky, Rector of Kosygin Russian State University; members of the Council Board; as well as representatives of federal executive authorities, higher education institutions, and professional associations. 

Yelena Yampolskaya, Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation, noted that an important step in strengthening the country's visual sovereignty was the adoption of a federal law limiting the excessive latinisation of public spaces, which came into force on 1 March 2026.

"This initiative was brought to life primarily thanks to the support of the President of the Russian Federation. The adoption of the law confirms that the Council's activities are moving in the right direction. Russia has its own native images, and we want to see them around us," said the Chair of the Council. 

Andrei Melentyev, Head of the Department for State Visual Communications Control at the National Centre RUSSIA and Secretary of the Council, informed the attendees about the work on art objects based on the Cyrillic alphabet. He noted that the project is aimed at promoting Russian written language as an important part of the country's cultural code, as well as at reinterpreting historical legacy through a contemporary visual language. According to him, the Cyrillic alphabet is planned to be more actively integrated into the urban environment. During his speech, Andrei Melentyev presented concepts, ideas, and sketches prepared by specialised universities, creative teams, and individual specialists.

"As part of the Council's activities, we are continuously forming a catalogue of solutions across all areas of work. This database will be constantly expanded with ideas from Council members and invited experts, thus becoming a source of ready-made solutions for specific tasks. We will present the collected proposals to a wide range of interested parties — those who can bring these initiatives to life. For experts and relevant organisations, this is an opportunity to showcase themselves and offer their creative solutions at the level of state visual communication," said Andrei Melentyev. 

At the meeting, Lyubov Kozyreva, Head of the National Centre for Design and Costume at Kosygin Russian State University, presented a concept for the covers of unified state textbooks for Russian Language and Literature for grades 10–11, and institutions of secondary vocational education. She noted that unified textbook design is a long-term investment in the quality of Russian education. The concept is based on elements of architectural monuments and authentic ornaments, which become a visual key to national traditions. The design is executed in a minimalist style, without outdated imagery, meeting the contemporary needs of schoolchildren.

The meeting also featured samples of uniforms for school and university students participating in international educational and scientific Olympiads. The results of the first phase of the project were presented by Alisa Lobanova, founder of the "Neva" brand. 

Specialists from Kosygin Russian State University were involved in the development. Their participation made it possible to combine historical knowledge about Russian costume with modern technologies, ensuring the comfort of the products. A range of samples has currently been created, including coats, jackets, waistcoats, trousers, skirts, and accessories. The decoration of the jackets features embroidery with floral ornaments from Veliky Ustyug. 

Vladislav Preobrazhensky, Executive Director of the Investment Activity Support Fund "Moscow Investors Club", and Head of the Council's working group "Environmental Design and Architecture", spoke about the construction of a new generation of playgrounds in the style of Dymkovo toys. The first such playgrounds may appear in residential complexes in Yekaterinburg. The playgrounds are planned to be located next to residential buildings, in well-maintained green areas.

Additionally, the Council's official page has appeared on the website of the National Centre RUSSIA. The resource will become an open platform for presenting developed initiatives and for dialogue with the expert community. The launch was announced by Yelena Yampolskaya, Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation. 

"This is an important step in ensuring the transparency of our work. The page will allow us to promptly inform the professional community and all interested citizens about the progress of the Council's projects, as well as provide feedback from experts," noted the Chair of the Council. 

The results of a nationwide online survey of students of creative disciplines, conducted in February 2026, were also presented at the meeting. The study covered 1,700 respondents from 34 higher education institutions. The findings were presented by the Head of the Sociology Department at the research centre "Feedback", Mikhail Shtyrev. The results identified the key priorities of the younger audience. These include the importance of the environmental agenda, a focus on preserving and thoughtfully interpreting cultural legacy, as well as consideration of regional specificity, whereby each territory develops a unique visual environment reflecting the country’s cultural and symbolic diversity.

Members of the Council Board supported the presented initiatives and noted the importance of their further scaling.