Six Projects by Young Compatriots to Receive Support from the Government of Moscow
From August 21 to 26, Moscow became the venue for the fifth Project Accelerator for young Russian compatriots living abroad. Following the project pitches, six teams from China, Abkhazia, Transnistria, Armenia, and Moldova won. They will receive financial and organizational support from the Government of Moscow to carry out their cultural and humanitarian projects.
Twenty-one teams that successfully passed the preliminary online selection took part in the final stage. Finalists from 14 countries were divided into two leagues: Start, with 8 teams, and Pro, with 13 teams, according to their level of preparation, event-organizing experience, and selection results.
One of the program’s main goals is to help young activists build project management skills and strengthen professional and community ties with Moscow.
Experts from leading Russian universities and educational platforms, representatives of public organizations, organizers of festivals and cultural events, and specialists in communications and psychology worked with the Accelerator participants. According to Natalya Spirina, PhD in Economics, Associate Professor at the Department of Economic Theory at RANEPA, founder and director of the Domino Principle Agency for Gamification Solutions, the in-person stage focused primarily on practical skills. Teams took part in business games, workshops, and psychological training sessions. Leading practitioners spoke to participants about the factors that must be considered when organizing events and the mistakes to avoid. At the same time, the experts’ task was not limited to preparing teams for the final pitch. “Our main task as experts is to make sure more projects actually get implemented. It doesn’t matter whether a team wins or not. That is what we are actively guiding participants toward,” the expert said.
The Project Accelerator expands its geography and increases the number of participants every year. While 26 teams presented projects in 2022, 97 applications were submitted in 2026. Representatives of India and Lebanon also joined the Accelerator for the first time. Along with geography, the content of the initiatives is changing too. Whereas teams previously proposed mostly Russian culture festivals, today applications include immersive quests, conferences, forums, sessions, facilitation formats, and other interactive events. And while the focus used to be mainly on young people, this year teams developed projects for preschoolers and elementary school students, including a patriotic camp and music events.
The Accelerator’s expansion reflects growing interest among young compatriots in project work and cooperation with Moscow. As Georgy Yakovlev, Head of the Office for Compatriots Abroad at the Department for External Economic and International Relations of Moscow, noted, the Government of Moscow runs a large-scale program to support compatriots who take responsibility for preserving and promoting Russian culture and the Russian language abroad. According to Yakovlev, the Accelerator teams show strong professional and creative potential. “Taking part in our program is a chance not only to demonstrate professional knowledge and management skills but also to turn ambitious ideas into concrete results that can work abroad,” said the Head of the Office for Compatriots Abroad at the Department for External Economic and International Relations of Moscow.
Stepan Orlov, Deputy Chairman of the Moscow City Duma, noted the Accelerator’s importance for developing ties with the Russian diaspora. He recalled that Moscow has traditionally paid great attention to cooperation with the Russian diaspora abroad. In particular, the capital adopted a special law on support for compatriots abroad. According to Orlov, Moscow wants Russian-speaking young people to be able to develop their leadership qualities and successfully bring cultural and humanitarian initiatives to life.
Work on the projects continues after the Accelerator ends. Konstantin Kolpakov, Deputy Head of Rossotrudnichestvo, noted growing interest in the program. Since the project began, more than 1,500 people have taken part. According to Kolpakov, Accelerator teams will have the opportunity to implement projects at Rossotrudnichestvo venues, in particular through the work of Russian Houses in different countries around the world.
In addition to educational and project work, the final stage program included an introduction to modern Moscow. At the Smart City pavilion at VDNH, young compatriots learned about the capital’s digital solutions and e-services used in city administration, healthcare, education, housing and utilities, and the transport system. Another stop on the program was the National Center “Russia,” where Accelerator participants visited the exhibition “Journey Across Russia.” They saw dozens of interactive exhibits telling the story of Russian regions’ technological achievements, culture, nature, and development.
The event was organized by the Department for External Economic and International Relations of Moscow and the Moscow House of Compatriots.