It's all right: online platforms and wind energy discussed at the start of the SPIEF

Economic sovereignty, the return of foreign brands, the development of domestic online platforms, and renewable energy became the most discussed topics during the so-called SPIEF 2025 zero day. Discussions were held at the highest level, with Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Maxim Oreshkin, as well as Deputy Prime Ministers Denis Manturov and Alexander Novak taking part in thematic sessions. The participants have already invested heavily in the stands to attract maximum attention to them: Uralchem has assembled a huge flower arrangement dedicated to Victory Day, stress levels can be measured at Rospotrebnadzor, and guests are greeted by lab toys with the faces of Russian politicians near the site of the Moscow region. The tone set by the opening day of the SPIEF is in the Izvestia article.

How was the start day of SPIEF 2025?

The XXVIII St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) kicked off on June 18. The main theme of this year's event is "Shared values — the foundation for growth in a multipolar world." The forum will last until June 21. Bahrain received the honorary status of a guest country in 2025, and in total, politicians from 50 countries are expected at the site.

Already on the zero day of the forum, President Vladimir Putin convened an economic meeting.

"The [International Economic] Forum in St. Petersburg has traditionally opened today, and it is becoming more and more significant for our country and for our partners abroad," the Russian leader said.

He recalled that for maximum efficiency, it is necessary to constantly assess the situation, monitor macroeconomic trends within the country, take into account external challenges and the situation on world markets. Based on this, we can talk about possible legislative innovations.

What did Oreshkin and Manturov talk about at SPIEF 2025

The changes in the global economy were at the center of the plenary discussion on day zero of SPIEF 2025. The world is waiting for decentralization, it will not have a single capital, Maxim Oreshkin, deputy head of the Russian presidential administration, predicted at the session "Forming a new platform for global growth."

— The centers of power are changing. Previously, these were the economies of the so—called "Big Seven", which has not been big for a long time, but now they are new growth centers," stated Maxim Oreshkin, emphasizing the importance of an open dialogue on building a global future.

It is Russia's own achievements in various fields that should be in the first place today. The participants of the sessions agreed on this. A special support system has been created for such projects: from idea to implementation. And it has already produced good results.

— The volume of orders transferred from abroad and already placed at Russian enterprises amounted to more than 102 billion rubles. Today, according to the Central Research Institute, 44 major corporations are participating in the program as customers, 80 projects worth more than 12 billion rubles have already been supported,— said Katerina Tikhonova, CEO of Innopraktika, speaking at the session "Scenarios of technological repatriation. The role and place of foreign companies in the Russian market".

It is important to properly combine our technological sovereignty with the return of foreign companies to our market, which will happen sooner or later. In turn, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Denis Manturov said at the forum that foreign business should contribute to the lifting of sanctions.

"First, let the sanctions be lifted, and then let them come and talk,— he replied to a question from reporters.

The first deputy chairman of the government also separately assessed the chances of the French Renault company returning to Russia.

— Renault supplies equipment to Ukraine as a whole — we know and see this. And when statements come from public sources, we will definitely take this criterion into account," Denis Manturov pointed out.

As for foreign investments, Russia does not reject them, but they must be smart and aimed at developing new technological competencies in the country, the Deputy Prime Minister noted. Also, according to him, the country needs to form protective mechanisms of preferences for domestic producers.

How will renewable energy be developed in Russia

Today's oil price promotes continued investment in its production, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on the sidelines of SPIEF 2025. However, he added, given the strengthening of the ruble, the established value creates a "difficult" situation for Russia. However, at the sessions, special attention was paid not so much to traditional energy resources as to the new, green agenda.

In particular, Bank ROSSIYA and the Association for the Development of Renewable Energy (ARVE) have signed a cooperation agreement. The document was signed by Tatiana Polinko, Chairman of the Board of the credit institution, and Alexey Zhikharev, Director of the ARVE. The agreement provides for cooperation aimed at developing renewable energy in the Russian Federation, attracting investment in the industry, and improving the regulatory framework for the development of the sector.

According to Tatyana Polinko, Russia's enormous natural potential, especially in Siberia and the Far East, is currently underutilized: wind, solar and hydroelectric power plants are still being built in insufficient quantities to achieve carbon neutrality. The constraints are the high cost of financing and the need to build infrastructure. It is in the development of investment projects in this area that financial organizations can help, she stated.

The total installed capacity of renewable energy sources in Russia by the end of 2025 may exceed 7.5 GW, demonstrating significant growth — 15% higher than in 2024, said Elena Dubovitskaya, Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at the Skolkovo School of Management. This growth confirms that the development of renewable energy in the country is not just a trend, but a strategic direction, she stressed. Even though Russia is traditionally considered a raw material power that uses oil and gas reserves, renewable energy, as practice shows, is an important element of ensuring the country's security, said Mikhail Khachaturian, associate professor at the Department of Strategic and Innovative Development at the Financial University.

In addition, the results of the ARVE integrated regional investment rating in the field of renewable energy for 2024 were announced at the Bank ROSSIYA stand on the zero day of the SPIEF. The Rostov Region took the first place among the regions in terms of the totality of indicators, the Stavropol Territory took the second place, and the Volgograd Region took the third place.

Online platforms and technological sovereignty

Internet platforms were another topic of discussion at the zero-day venues. They were discussed at the session "National Online Platforms in the Era of Digital Transformation: Global Challenges and Prospects". In particular, Svetlana Balanova, CEO of the National Media Group (NMG), and Artemy Lebedev, a Russian designer and entrepreneur, took part in it.

During the discussion at the SPIEF, Svetlana Balanova noted that the audience is "re—electing" television today - it is returning to such information consumption. TV is also being transformed, developing in new formats, thanks to which it "acquires" the viewer anew. At the same time, according to her, it is now very important to experiment with different formats and not ignore the fact that the younger generation is characterized by fast clip thinking.

— We can get annoyed about the fact that young people have clip thinking and want to watch short content. The experiment was very important to me. We shot a special series for VK — "Our garage". Initially, it was planned to show it immediately on the online platform. Short episodes of 12-15 minutes each," she said.

Balanova noted that the experiment was successful. This can be seen from the ratings received at the end of the project screening.

As noted at the session, Russian digital services still need to evolve in order to compete on an equal footing with global players. Despite major successes, Russian platforms have a significant way to go. The media environment today is in urgent need of developing Russian online platforms, although Zen and VK Video, as well as Rutube, look competitive today, according to independent expert Andrey Barkhota.

It is important that national digital platforms are an integral part of the country's economy. They become a "meeting place" for brands, including small businesses and users, and allow them to maintain advertising budgets and subscriptions within the country, supporting the development of the IT sector, said Ekaterina Movsisyan, CEO of the KROS communications agency.

— Digital platforms aggregate all user data that remains as a digital footprint. They are interesting not only for brands and advertisers, but they can also describe the "portrait" of the population of an entire country. China, for example, controls its digital security very strictly. Using foreign platforms, we share information about our citizens, so it is important to develop our own in order to minimize such "leaks," said Ekaterina Movsisyan from KROS.

Stands of participants at SPIEF-2025

Every year, SPIEF turns not only into a platform for dialogue between government and business, but also into a grand exhibition — a parade of stands where companies, regions and state corporations demonstrate their achievements.

This year, Uralchem surprised with a truly large-scale and touching project — for the 80th anniversary of the Victory, the company created a grandiose panel of 200 thousand fresh flowers. 80 florists worked on the composition, in the center of which is the Order of Victory, the symbol of military valor of the USSR, and it took more than three days of work.

For the first time, the stand of the united Wildberries and Russ companies appeared at the forum. Guests can choose a gift from regional brands or take something from a selection of "vibe" products - eye patches, sunscreen... Alfa-Bank has erected a cultural masterpiece by building a whirlwind of books, and PSB has presented a giant luminous cloud.

For the first time, the Prostokvashino cafe opened at the forum. The characters of the legendary cartoon here are not just decorations, but full—fledged participants of the forum, where everyone has their own badge. Matroskin the cat declares: "I used to be so angry because I didn't have a badge at the SPIEF."

The regional stands also did not remain in the shadows: Bashkortostan was impressed by a giant robot made of honeycombs, accompanied by "flying" bees. The Smolensk region has brought an aquarium with sturgeons — it has a proud inscription "grown in the Smolensk region." Sevastopol was really touched by the composition "Soldier and Sailor", and the Moscow region gave the floor to Sofia's robot — guests can chat with her. At the Rospotrebnadzor stand, each guest can measure their stress levels and receive a bracelet that detects ultraviolet radiation and provides recommendations.

In addition, on the forum's open spaces, next to the stand of the Moscow region, you can find popular labuba toys with the faces of Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina and other government officials — Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev.