Festival "Peoples of Russia and the CIS" to be held in Moscow

The "Peoples of Russia and the CIS" International Festival, dedicated to the celebration of National Unity Day, will open in Moscow on 31 October 2025 under the auspices of the Security Council of the Russian Federation. The main events will take place at the World Trade Centre and at the National Centre RUSSIA.

The key event of the first day will be the plenary session "Peoples of Russia and the CIS: Preserving Values, Striving for the Future". The discussion is expected to be opened by the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Sergei Shoigu. The session will also be attended by the Head of the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs of Russia, Igor Barinov, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the Russian Federation, Alexander Rogozhnik, the State Secretary of the Kyrgyz Republic, Marat Imankulov, as well as representatives of federal executive authorities, the expert community, and academia.

The plenary session will focus on key approaches to the implementation of state national policy amid contemporary challenges and threats, as well as on the development of interethnic cooperation and the strengthening of traditional spiritual and moral values.

The business programme of the first day of the festival will continue with the 6th All-Russian Forum "Peoples of Russia" — "Common Goals – Varied Approaches", which will include four sessions dedicated to traditional spiritual and moral values, current issues of countering destructive ideas in the information space related to interethnic relations, assistance to the adaptation of foreign citizens, and the protection of the historical memory of the peoples of Russia and the CIS. The forum’s business programme will also feature an all-Russian workshop-meeting and a strategic session on the implementation of state national policy with the participation of regional government officials responsible for this area.

The festival will serve as a major platform for discussing strategic directions of state national policy, sharing best practices and strengthening friendly ties between Russia and the CIS countries.

This year, the large-scale event reaches the international level for the first time, combining business, educational and cultural programmes.

From 2 to 4 November, the National Centre RUSSIA will host a cultural festival dedicated to ethnography, national traditions and modern media projects of Russia and the CIS. The programme will include lectures by the Russian Geographical Society on cultural diversity, screenings of documentaries and reality shows, creative meetings with bloggers and film crews, sessions on national symbols, and a round table titled "The Media Environment in Russia and the CIS".

On 4 November, National Unity Day, the all-Russian event "Contemporary Musical Map of Russia" will take place, featuring performances by the State Academic Russian Folk Ensemble "Russia" named after Lyudmila Zykina and the State Academic Symphony Orchestra "New Russia". Visitors will also enjoy expositions, photo projects, and a VR cinema of the Russian Geographical Society. The "Inspired by Russia" zone will offer interactive workshops, ethnic dances, musical performances and a fashion show by regional designers. Guests will also be able to taste national dishes from across Russia at the food courts of the National Centre RUSSIA.

On 5 November, the results of the festival will be summed up at the National Centre RUSSIA as part of the 13th Meeting of Secretaries of Security Councils of the CIS Member States.

The "Peoples of Russia and the CIS" International Festival is organised by the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs (FADN of Russia) in coordination with the Security Council of the Russian Federation, the Presidential Executive Office of Russia, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, with the participation of the Ministry of Culture of Russia, Rossotrudnichestvo, the Government of Moscow, MosKino, Gazprom-Media Holding, RUTUBE, the Russian society Znanie, the Russian Geographical Society, ROSKINO JSC, the Foundation for the Support of Regional Cinema of the Union of Cinematographers of Russia, and the Internet Development Institute.

The announcement was prepared by the press centre of the "Peoples of Russia and the CIS" International Festival.