The International Festival of Youth 2026 has officially opened in Yekaterinburg, Russia, with a welcome message from Russian President Vladimir Putin and an opening ceremony featuring music and cultural performances.
The main programme began on Sunday, September 13, at the International Exhibition Centre in Yekaterinburg. Formalities for the festival had started on September 11, while the main opening ceremony took place on Sunday afternoon.
Around 10,000 young delegates from 191 countries are participating in the festival. Experts, professionals and media representatives from different countries have also been invited. Bangladesh is represented by 70 youth delegates and four media workers, making a total of 74 participants.
In a video message welcoming the participants, Putin said he was pleased to welcome guests to Yekaterinburg, which he described as a city where Europe and Asia meet and where the history of the Urals remains visible.
Putin highlighted the historical and industrial contributions of the Urals region and said young leaders from different countries would discuss how new technologies are changing people's lives and what kind of world they want to build in the future.
He also referred to the Russian word “mir”, which can carry meanings associated with peace, friendship, harmony and the world. He connected the term with what he described as Russia’s multinational character and said relations between countries should be based on friendship, justice and mutual respect.
Speaking about individual and national rights, Putin said every nation should have the right to choose its own path. He also referred to equal access to medicine, food, water, energy, education and advanced technologies as goals that should be available to humanity.
Putin also invited young people interested in working with Russia to participate in Russian projects, while saying those who wanted to contribute from their own countries would also be welcomed.
The opening ceremony included music and dance performances showcasing traditions, culture and history from different parts of Russia. Russian singers Natalia Oreiro and Tatyana Kurtukova, South Korean rock band W24 and performers from different Russian regions took part in the programme.
The International Festival of Youth 2026 is scheduled to continue until September 17. According to the supplied report, the festival is being organised under the direction of President Putin by Russia’s federal youth agency Rosmolodezh, with the World Youth Festival Directorate involved in organising the event.
The Bangladeshi participants were selected through a competitive process, while the organisers are covering the expenses of the selected participants, according to the report.
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