No Country for Old Men

The authorities spend 35 million rubles on offline celebration of Youth Day in Russia amidst pandemic’s third wave
Dmitry Nikitin
Open Media
June 27, 2021

The Russian authorities have spent almost 35 million rubles [approx. 406,000 euros] on celebrating Youth Day (June 27), Open Media has calculated on the basis of public procurement records. Events are being held offline in twenty-three regions; no tenders were announced in the other regions of the Russian Federation. The money has been used to organize concerts, master classes, picnics and lectures, which have not been canceled amidst the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Over the past day, according to the federal pandemic crisis center, 20,538 new cases of infection were reported, and 599 people died. In many regions, restrictions have been introduced and mandatory vaccination has been announced for certain segments of the populace.

The most funds have been allocated for Youth Day celebrations in Tatarstan: the celebration in its capital city of Kazan has cost 10 million rubles. Six venues have been organized around the city for events including a music festival, dance competitions and master classes on promoting TikTok content. Family picnics featuring children’s activity zones, photo shoots, DJ performances and lectures have been scheduled for parents and children at the city’s Gorky Park. The tender documents do not specify whether the number of attendees at the events will be restricted.

In St. Petersburg, a concert costing 1.1 million rubles has been commissioned by city hall’s Committee on Youth Policy and Cooperation with Public Organizations. The celebrations in Tula have cost 1.5 million rubles. The authorities there have scheduled a master class in archery, a football tournament and a city tour.

In some regions, planned events have been canceled due to the epidemiological situation, for example, in Vladivostok, Dagestan and the Perm Region.

Youth Day has been celebrated annually on June 27 since 1993, when it was established by a decree of President Boris Yeltsin. Last year, due to the pandemic, the offline celebration was canceled.

Translated by the Russian Reader