Society of the knowledgeable: Putin's lecture will be the main one at the marathon "Knowledge. The first ones"

The lecture by Russian President Vladimir Putin will take place on the final day of the marathon "Knowledge. The First", which takes place from April 28 to April 30 in all federal districts of the Russian Federation. But the main events are organized at the Victory Museum in Moscow. The forum dedicated to the 80th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War showed how important this topic is for young Russians, Maxim Dreval, Director General of the Russian Society Znanie, told Izvestia. The significance of the event and the results of the two days of the forum are described in the Izvestia article.

Educational marathon "Knowledge. Firsts" — who participates

On April 29, the second day of the educational marathon "Knowledge. The first ones." It is dedicated to the 80th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War. On April 28, the marathon started in all federal districts of the country. It will last until April 30, and the Victory Museum on Poklonnaya Gora in Moscow has become the central venue.

More than 10 thousand schoolchildren and students took part in the events in person, about 10 million followed him online. In addition, 20 veterans of the Great Patriotic War and 20 heroes of the SVR became participants of the forum.

It is expected that in total the event will bring together more than 25 thousand young people who will be able to listen to over 130 lectures by lecturers of the Russian society "Znanie".

— Our federal educational marathon "Knowledge. Firsts" is becoming more ambitious every year. We see how he is changing, how the audience's perception of the world is changing. Young people who come to the venues in person do not just listen to lectures, but are involved in the discussion," Maxim Dreval, General Director of the Russian society Znanie, told Izvestia.

The first marathon "Knowledge. The first" was held in May 2021. The current one has become the ninth in a row. In total, more than 80,000 young people took part in them, and over 700 speakers delivered their lectures.

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As for the marathon that is taking place now, Maxim Dreval notes the special atmosphere due to the importance of the theme of the Great Victory for Russians.

— The participants ask the lecturers difficult, in-depth questions about the exploits of their ancestors, about the current significance of the Great Victory for Russia, and about the connection between generations. The guys have a clear understanding that historical memory is not only about how it was, but also about how to live now. I think this is an example of the awareness and maturity of our youth. I am proud of them and at the same time glad that we manage to reach them, we manage to become a platform for self—development, a place where you can replenish your knowledge base with important, relevant and reliable information," says Maxim Dreval.

As part of the marathon dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Victory, the Wall of Memory project was launched — young participants brought photos of their relatives who participated in the war to be fixed on the wall. The marathon also features "Knowledge. The Library", where the most active viewers can get one of the books recommended by the speakers. Another project planned for implementation this time is the animated comic "Echo of Victory" with stories of monuments to the heroes and events of the Great Patriotic War.

The organizers have already announced the date of the next marathon — it will be held on June 1 and will be dedicated to Children's Day.

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The main statements of the marathon participants

Taking into account the theme of the April marathon, most of the speeches were devoted to the Great Patriotic War, nevertheless, topical domestic political issues and international topics were also touched upon.

For example, Mikhail Mishustin, Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, noted that the Russian economy has withstood the onslaught of about 30,000 Western sanctions, however, the country still faces the task of increasing the level of import substitution, in particular in the field of aircraft construction. It was his performance that opened the first day of the event.

According to Mishustin, in the coming years, the Russian Federation needs to increase the production of fully Russian veterinary vaccines by 25% and increase the share of domestic vital medicines to 90%. He also noted that the preservation of the population, the promotion of health and well—being of people, as well as family support are the most important of Russia's seven national goals. The other two equally important goals are a comfortable and safe living environment and environmental well—being.

Anton Siluanov, Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation, who spoke at the marathon, noted: The Central Bank of Russia is almost ready to issue digital rubles, and its large-scale implementation is expected in 2026. At the same time, the new tax policy made it possible to attract resources to implement Russia's main priorities, he added.

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Moscow has a strong position in the negotiation process on Ukraine, Russia is committed to peace, but no less importantly — on its own terms, Kirill Dmitriev, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries, said in his speech at the marathon. He stressed that the main thing is to calmly convey the position so that it is not distorted. "It is very important to have a calm, respectful dialogue. It's very easy to slam the door and say "you're wrong," but especially when Russia is in a very tight ring of disinformation, where many countries deliberately make sure that our point of view is not heard," said Kirill Dmitriev, who recently flew to Washington, where he held talks with the American side.

The topic of the return of Russian athletes to international competitions was also discussed during the marathon. According to Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev, the current political situation and common sense suggest that the issue of lifting sanctions against Russian sports is moving in a positive direction. At the same time, the politician reported on the work on organizing bilateral competitions of athletes from Russia and the DPRK.

The Russian leader's speech will end the marathon on April 30, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced his lecture to the participants on April 29. At the same time, he did not rule out that Vladimir Putin might meet with American director Oliver Stone at the marathon, who also gave a lecture. Stone is the director of a four—part documentary about the Russian president in 2017. In addition, another foreign participant, ex—CIA analyst Ray McGovern, was scheduled to speak on April 29.

Izvestia asked him how he assesses the prospects for resolving the conflict in Ukraine, and what he thinks about the fact that after many years of silence, the Russian Federation and the United States have started talking to each other. The former CIA analyst said that there are certain obstacles on the way to negotiations, but there is a fairly "strong will" on the part of the leaders of the Russian Federation and the United States and there is an "irresistible desire" to achieve peace.

"Trump has yet to realize that he has weak cards in this game and he only has a couple of aces, while Russia has a full house — if you play poker, then you understand what we are talking about. As soon as he realizes this and as soon as the desire to make a deal, as he calls it, prevails, I hope that both sides will demonstrate significant flexibility and put an end to this conflict in Ukraine," he concluded.

"Trump has an open mind, he has never been hostile towards Russia, and back in 2016, during his first term, he was literally destroyed by the Democratic Party for his openness towards Russia, and he paid the price for it — there was an attempt to impeach him," Oliver Stone said, answering the question A question from Izvestia.

The director also expressed hope for an improvement in relations between Russia and the United States.