Ugra through the eyes of compatriots: young people from 12 countries got acquainted with the region within the framework of the “Hello, Russia!” program

From June 24 to June 30, 2024, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug-Ugra was visited by 50 compatriots under the Rossotrudnichestvo program “Hello, Russia!”

The delegation includes participants in competitions and Olympiads on knowledge of the Russian language, culture, and history of Russia, which were held in Uganda, Tanzania, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, France, Israel, Kazakhstan, Serbia, Tajikistan, Belarus, Moldova, and South Ossetia. The participants took a sightseeing tour of Khanty-Mansiysk, and visited museums, including the Museum of Nature and Man and the Ethnographic Museum “Torum Maa,” where they learned about the way of life and culture, clothing, tools, and games of the indigenous peoples of the North, Khanty and Mansi.

The guests of Ugra got acquainted with local youth movements, musicians, and artists, visited the gallery of the famous Ugra artist Gennady Raishev, played chess, set sports records together with ex-world champion in professional boxing Ruslan Provodnikov, and even tried themselves as TV presenters.

During the International Environmental campaign “Save and Preserve” on June 25, young people supported the relay race “Garden of Friendship” with the participation of the Goodwill Ambassador of the International Organization of Northern Regions “Northern Forum” Vera Kondratieva and decorated the territory of the Archeopark with new trees.

In addition to the entertainment and educational program, the children contributed to helping other people: they visited the Humanitarian Volunteer Corps, collected a “box of goods” with basic necessities for those in need, honored the memory of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War by laying flowers at the Eternal Flame at the Memorial of Glory, visited the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, where they talked with representatives of the movement “Young and Orthodox Ugra.”

Studying the scientific side of the Autonomous Okrug, the youth visited the Ugra Scientific Research Institute of Information Technologies, the Scientific and Analytical Center for Rational Subsoil Use named after Shpilman, and the High-Tech Technopark. They were told about the digital developments of the region and immersed in virtual reality using a VR helmet.

The children will remember not only amazing impressions, but also joint musical compositions created together with Ugra artists Vera Kondratieva and Gleb Levinsky. With Gleb Levinsky, the participants recorded the song “At the confluence of two rivers” dedicated to Ugra, and with Vera Kondratieva the song “Evea” in the Khanty language.

“I am sure that this trip to Ugra is filled with unforgettable impressions and meetings, has become an important event in the life of the guys, and new friends and impressions will remain with them for many years. It is the energy of compatriots that contributes in many ways to strengthening friendship abroad, preserving ties with the historical homeland and the continuity of generations,” said Yevgeny Primakov, head of Rossotrudnichestvo.

The Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo) has been implementing the program of cultural and educational trips “Hello, Russia!” since 2014. The purpose of the program is to assist the younger generation of compatriots living abroad in the study of multinational Russian culture, and acquaintance with the historical homeland. In the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug-Ugra, the “Hello, Russia!” program has been running since 2022 and this year it was held for the third time.