New season of the All-Russian game "Family Zarnitsa" launches at the National Centre RUSSIA

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The Movement of the First, Yunarmiya (Young Army), the State Foundation "Defenders of the Fatherland", and the VOIN (Warrior) Centre jointly launched the second season of the All-Russian game "Family Zarnitsa" on 17 March. The ceremonial start of the project at the National Centre RUSSIA was given by Heroes of Russia, participants in the special military operation and the presidential personnel programme "Time of Heroes", and family teams who were winners and finalists of the previous season.

The initiative to hold "Family Zarnitsa" was proposed by Anna Tsivilyova, State Secretary – Deputy Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation and Chair of the State Foundation for the Support of Participants of the Special Military Operation "Defenders of the Fatherland", during the work of the All-Russian Organising Committee "Pobeda" (Victory) in January 2025. The proposal was supported by the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin.

"Today, the 'Family Zarnitsa' project unites families, strengthens the bond between generations, and integrates special military operation veterans into the system of mentoring and patriotic upbringing of young people. This is especially important for us, because our defenders, more than anyone, understand the value of mutual assistance, support, and teamwork. The family remains our main support. It is very important that both adults and children reflect on who their ancestors were, the path they travelled, and what values they passed on to their children and grandchildren. We name our children after beloved grandparents, carefully preserve family stories, and remember those we are proud of. After all, the history of each family is part of the great history of our country," noted Anna Tsivilyova.

Guests at the ceremonial launch visited a photo exposition dedicated to memorable moments from the first season of the project. A new format for one of the game's competitions was presented to the participants. In turn, young visitors to the National Centre RUSSIA took part in a thematic quiz. These activities helped illustrate the innovations awaiting new participants in "Family Zarnitsa".

A key component of the upcoming game season will be a creative contest held in a new format. It will give families the opportunity to demonstrate their creative skills and engineering thinking.

Participants will need to jointly build simplified models of military equipment and then use them during the competitions. This kind of challenge will vividly demonstrate to children and young people that their ideas can be brought to life.

"The All-Russian game 'Family Zarnitsa' is becoming an important platform for developing the family format of patriotic upbringing within the Movement of the First. In 2026, families consisting of two adults and two children over the age of 11 will be able to participate in the game. The project final will bring together families from all regions of Russia, who will be trained by 89 mentors – veterans of the special military operation. The final will feature a route-based quest game and a large-scale field-based military-tactical game. I am confident that the game will help strengthen family values, shape all-Russian family traditions, and ensure active continuity between different generations," emphasised Artur Orlov, Hero of Russia, participant in the presidential personnel programme "Time of Heroes", and Chairman of the Board of the Movement of the First.

The key event of the launch activities for the new season of the project was a roundtable combined with elements of a traditional Russian tea gathering. Family teams presented their traditions and shared how jointly overcoming challenges strengthened the bond between generations. Together with distinguished guests and the media sphere representatives, they discussed the specifics of the upcoming project season. The game will take place in four stages: municipal, zonal, regional, and the all-Russian final.

"Working on the second season of the All-Russian game 'Family Zarnitsa', we tried to make the project even closer to its main idea — strengthening the family and supporting traditional values. The game format has been updated so that participation helps families spend more time together, learn to act as one team, support each other, and overcome challenges shoulder to shoulder. We believe that 'Family Zarnitsa' will become for many families not just a competition, but an important experience that unites generations and leaves warm memories for years to come," said Vladislav Golovin, Hero of Russia, participant in the presidential personnel programme "Time of Heroes", Chief of Staff of "Yunarmiya", and Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Movement of the First.

Mentors will play a special role in the project; their experience, support, and personal example will help participants feel the strength of true team spirit and mutual responsibility.

"'Family Zarnitsa' is a modern and technologically advanced format of the legendary game, in which families from all regions of Russia compete. The foundation of the project is patriotism and mentorship, which have become the norm of life today. Over 100 instructors from the VOIN Centre will be involved in the game. Many of them are combat veterans and veterans of the special military operation. They will be responsible for judging at the municipal, zonal, and regional stages, and the final. But most importantly, as mentors, they will prepare the teams for the final challenge, passing on their skills and experience," commented Dmitry Shevchenko, Director of the VOIN Centre.

The application campaign for "Family Zarnitsa" will run until 24 April 2026. Applications to participate in the game can be submitted on the official website of the Movement of the First. During the municipal and regional stages, a family festival will take place, where participants will not only compete but also attend workshops and expositions in support of special military operation participants. The final of this large-scale game will take place in August–September 2026, bringing together 89 families and an equal number of mentors.

Nikolai Domorodov, who together with his wife and children were the winners of the first season of the game, shared that participation in the project had a positive impact on their family. According to him, his daughters and sons became more responsible and sociable. Nikolay and his wife work as rural teachers in the Volgograd region. The game helped them find like-minded individuals among other adult participants, share experiences, and discover new qualities and strengths in each other.

"Family Zarnitsa" aims to remind us that the strength of family ties, mutual respect, support, and care for one another are the solid foundation upon which modern Russian society is built. The game allows participants not only to demonstrate agility, speed, and resourcefulness but also serves as a symbol of the continuity of generations, instilling qualities such as responsibility, team spirit, patriotism, boldness, and courage. It is no coincidence that the game's motto is: "The Motherland Begins with the Family."

In the first season of the game, families from 79 regions of Russia took part. 24 families, consisting of four people each – two married adults and two teenagers aged 12 to 16 – reached the project final, which was held as part of the All-Russian military-patriotic game "Zarnitsa 2.0". The final events took place in the Volgograd region.

The All-Russian game "Family Zarnitsa" is organised by the Movement of the First, the "Yunarmiya" Movement, the State Foundation "Defenders of the Fatherland", and the VOIN Centre, with the support of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation and the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs, within the framework of the national project "Youth and Children", aiming to shape the image of a traditional and patriotic Russian family.