Serving the Fatherland: the second Znanie.State forum was held at the National Centre RUSSIA
On 23 January, on the eve of Civil Servant’s Day, the second Znanie.State forum was held at the National Centre RUSSIA. The large-scale event, organised by the Russian society Znanie, brought together around 2,000 state and municipal officials from 70 agencies and more than 50 regions of the country, including young professionals. The forum focused on pressing issues related to strengthening Russia’s sovereignty, approaches to public administration, and career prospects for young people in the civil service.
At the opening of the forum, Director General of the Russian society Znanie Maxim Dreval emphasised the special role of civil servants in the country’s development, confirmed the organisation’s readiness to support public officials, and congratulated participants on the upcoming professional holiday.
"I would like to begin with the words of our President, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, that public service is service in its true sense — service to people and to one’s country. Every day, you prove this through your own work, ensuring the well-being, security, and future of Russia. I am glad that over recent years the Russian society Znanie has been able to become a reliable partner for you. We once began with lectures and meetings with outstanding individuals. Then federal broadcasts, educational content, forums, and the monthly printed publication 'Civic Education Notebook', produced especially for you, appeared. And I am particularly pleased that you are increasingly approaching us with new requests. You can always rely on us. Be confident that you are part of a large team of like-minded people for whom, just as for you, service is not merely a word," said Maxim Dreval.
The forum was attended by more than 2,000 employees of leading Russian ministries, federal agencies, and services, including the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, Rossotrudnichestvo, the Federal Antimonopoly Service, the Federal Medical-Biological Agency, the Federal Bailiff Service, and many others. The participants also included Heroes of Russia, participants in the special military operation, and experts in public policy and culture. Their discussions centred on fundamental issues of modern public service.
Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Konstantin Kosachev discussed with the audience the specifics of strengthening Russian statehood, while Head of the Presidential Directorate for Monitoring and Analysis of Social Processes Alexander Kharichev addressed the concept of the "Russia" civilisation. The Minister of Sport of the Russian Federation and President of the Russian Olympic Committee, Mikhail Degtyarev, highlighted effective approaches to public administration, particularly in the field of sport. Head of the Donetsk People’s Republic Denis Pushilin shared his experience of regional governance and working with the population in extraordinary circumstances, when the future of Russian territories is at stake.
The role of the nation’s heroes in the modern civil service system was discussed by participants of the "Time of Heroes" programme: Deputy Head of the Department for the Coordination of Strategic Initiatives of the Presidential Directorate for Strategic Partnership and Cooperation, recipient of three Orders of Courage and Hero of Russia Nikolai Sokolov, and Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Legality, Law and Order, and Security of the Government of Saint Petersburg Nikolai Korolev.
The programme concluded with a panel discussion devoted to the strategy for strengthening Russia’s sovereignty. The discussion featured writer and lieutenant colonel Zakhar Prilepin and Director of the Ivan Ilyin Higher Political School at the Russian State University for the Humanities Alexander Dugin.
To mark Civil Servant’s Day, the Russian society Znanie organised an educational initiative for senior school pupils and students across the country. Public officials are taking part as lecturers, speaking about the stages of development of public service in Russia, career opportunities, and sharing their professional experience. In total, more than 200 thematic lectures will be held, with around 4,000 participants. The thematic events are based on the methodological materials "Public Service — Your Calling", developed by the Russian society Znanie jointly with the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration.
Znanie.State is a large-scale educational project of the Russian society Znanie for state and municipal officials, enabling them to gain a deeper understanding of the history, culture, economy, and geopolitics of Russia. The project has been implemented since 2022 and includes lectures and federal broadcasts from the multimedia studios of the Russian society Znanie. Over more than two years, more than 30,000 lectures have been delivered across all regions of Russia as part of the Znanie.State project, reaching an audience of over four million people.
Training a new generation of public servants from among the nation’s heroes became one of the key topics of the second Znanie.State.
The Minister of Sport of the Russian Federation and President of the Russian Olympic Committee, Mikhail Degtyarev, spoke at the Znanie.State.
