The World Festival of Youth, which will gather participants aged 18 to 35, will take place from March 1 to 7, in accordance with the decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin on the development of international youth cooperation.

According to the organizers, 20,000 young leaders will attend, with half coming from abroad.

Media close to the Kremlin report that Serbia is privileged and has been given a larger quota than all the countries in the region combined, with 200 young people from our country being invited.

Media reports also indicate a high interest among young people from Serbia in attending the festival in Sochi, as by December last year, twice as many people as the allocated quota had applied.

The organizers state that the festival will discuss education, science, international cooperation, culture, charity work, sports, business, and media and will be a platform for open dialogue and exchange of opinions, where “everyone can express their opinion and be heard.”

However, for the Russian authorities, this event will be an opportunity to strengthen soft power, along with spreading their propaganda and indoctrinating young people from their own country and abroad, including Serbia.

Amidst the aggression on Ukraine, which has been condemned by a significant number of countries around the world, Russia is trying to impose its values and political objectives, cultural and humanitarian propaganda, under the guise of discussions on science, education, culture, and sports, by non-violent means.

While in reality, losing international support and becoming increasingly isolated, Russias goal at the festival is to show that it is the right choice for the new leader of a multipolar world order.

Russias new soft power initiative aims to gather poor countries or those in conflict with the “collective West” for various reasons, positioning itself as a global anti-colonial leader.

Sochi/Photo:Trace, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Participants of the festival will attend workshops, discussions, panel sessions, and training sessions, where they will have the opportunity to hear and meet significant figures from the world of politics and culture in Russia as representatives of Putins administration and the most prominent Russian companies will also speak at the panels.

The focus of their addresses and communication with the festival participants will be the spread of Russian propaganda, aiming to make young people accept their ideas that Russia is an alternative to the evil West, that the aggression on Ukraine is justified, and that the current world order is nearly over.

The Balkans and Serbia have long been the focus of Russia, while the youth from our country are a suitable target for the Russian propaganda machinery.

The World Festival of Youth, which organizers claim will be a place where participants unite to solve social issues and jointly build a fair world, will be another opportunity to promote the Russian idea.

The goal is for the network of youth to work in Russias political interest and the interest of Russian business. Russia continues the policy of the Soviet Union from the era of the Iron Curtain regarding forming a positive international image of the state, spreading propaganda among foreign youth, and creating centers of loyalty to Russia in various countries around the world.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Russia has intensified its work with foreign youth, especially teenagers who have a pronounced alternative stance, to form a position loyal to the Russian Federation and its leadership.

Lately, Russia has been attracting young foreign professionals, business leaders, and managers from the IT sphere.

Its goal is for the newly created foreign youth network to work in Russias political interest and the interest of Russian business.

As reported by Russian media, participants of the World Festival of Youth to be held in Sochi will be issued free visas in accordance with an order signed by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

Free visas will also be provided for representatives of the mass media.

Children aged 14 years will be able to participate in the festival for the first time, as part of the First Pathway Movement.

One thousand teenagers, including 500 from other countries, will be invited to attend.

As part of the World Festival of Youth, a regional program will also be held - from March 10 to 17, during which participants will visit 30 cities in Russia.