A 40-member delegation from Georgia, led by Mamuka Pipia, head of the "Solidarity for Peace" party, participated in the International Youth Festival in Yekaterinburg over the course of a week. Sputnik Georgia 

Delegates who successfully passed the selection process—including children—stayed at the modern campus designated for the 2026 World Youth Capital. Yekaterinburg, also known as the capital of the Urals, welcomed guests with a multifunctional university "city within a city." This complex integrated residential, research, educational, and sports facilities, providing participants with comfortable conditions for their festival activities.

Organizers of the International Youth Festival, held at the Yekaterinburg-Expo venue, provided international participants with Wi-Fi access and disabled traffic filtering. Guests were able to focus entirely on the festival’s exhibitions, which fully showcased the potential and capabilities of modern, high-tech Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the participants at the opening of the 2026 festival, while Sergey Lavrov spoke at the closing ceremony.

Sergey Kiriyenko, First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration and Chairman of the Organizing Committee, monitored the festival’s progress daily; he noted that the 2026 festival in Yekaterinburg shattered stereotypes about Russia and its youth. Global views of video and photo content from the International Youth Festival exceeded 1.5 billion. In the festival's opening days alone, 12,000 people visited the exhibitions, and the gastronomic festival drew immense interest, attracting 15,500 visitors—with over 45,000 portions served, far surpassing the initial target of 20,000.

Farid Ismaylov, a young activist from Georgia with extensive experience in youth forums, emphasized how impressed he was by the opportunity to interact with participants from 191 countries at the festival. "The scale of the event is staggering. It is a great honor for me to be part of this global dialogue. During my time at the festival, I made new friends and heard dozens of unique stories. I realized one thing: despite our different cultures, we are united by shared dreams and a desire to create! I am taking away a wealth of inspiration, brilliant ideas, and a fantastic mood. Yekaterinburg, thank you for this experience!" Ismaylov remarked.

Meanwhile, the head of the Georgian delegation, Mamuka Pipiya, held numerous meetings to discuss the development of the youth movement. He noted that the festival was superbly organized: "Our delegation, comprising representatives from various regions of the country and diverse ethnic backgrounds, received a very warm welcome at the festival. As you know, Georgia is a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional country."

Pipiya noted that the festival covered a wide range of areas, with young people showing particular interest in new technologies, artificial intelligence, and the preservation of historical memory.

The head of the Georgian delegation spoke at two panel sessions. He participated in the "Shared Victories" discussion, which focused on historical memory, culture, science, and engineering. He also spoke at a panel organized by the ANO "Eurasia" alongside State Duma Deputy Speaker Boris Chernyshov.

Festival participant Natalia Kirtadze shared her impressions: "Among the events, I most enjoyed the meetings with the festival's founders; it was fascinating to learn about their experiences and vision. The concerts also left a lasting impression—the atmosphere was wonderful, and meeting participants from different countries while having fun together made the festival truly special."

Participants from Georgia attended hundreds of events covering seven thematic areas—ranging from science and technology to sports and culture. "I am leaving Yekaterinburg with a sense of sadness and fatigue, but it is a pleasant kind of fatigue," says educator Karine Arakelyan from Ninotsminda.

For many, the highlight was the closing ceremony organized by the "Tavrida.ART" creative cluster, featuring Nikolai Tsiskaridze as one of the hosts. The program included a rendition of "Hallelujah of Love" performed in the six official UN languages amidst a wide range of activities, with over a thousand performers taking the stage.

During the festival, participants went on 27,000 excursions across Yekaterinburg and the surrounding area.

At the final meeting with festival participants, Sergei Kiriyenko remarked that young people from around the world had demonstrated "what an ideal multipolar world can look like—not just in words and discussions, but in action."

"What took place over these five days at the festival in Yekaterinburg will not simply vanish. The exhibition is coming to an end, unfortunately, but we remain—transformed by the experience. For the young people from 191 countries, Russia has ceased to be merely a static historical concept... Creating an exhibition of this scale and conveying all of this within such a short timeframe was an incredibly challenging task. This project has made each of you stronger."