On April 2, National Center RUSSIA hosted the 5th Youth Russian Internet Governance Forum (Youth RIGF 2025), serving as a key platform for discussions on digital transformation, internet governance, and innovative technologies. The event brought together students, young professionals, and leading IT industry experts. Organized by the Center for Global IT Cooperation in partnership with the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ, the forum attracted over 400 in-person participants, while thousands more joined online, highlighting young people’s increasing interest in shaping the future of the internet and digital technologies.
The forum kicked off with a plenary session, Cybersecurity for Children and Youth: Challenges, Threats, and Strategy. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko delivered a welcoming address, emphasizing that it is the next generation of talented young specialists who will shape the internet of the future. Their contributions, he noted, will play a crucial role in achieving Russia’s technological sovereignty.
“The growing audience of our forum reflects the increasing interest and enthusiasm for digital technologies among young people,” said Vadim Glushchenko, Director of the Center for Global IT Cooperation. “It is inspiring to see so many future leaders who will shape the development of our country’s digital industry.” He also highlighted the issue of the global digital divide: “Currently, 2.6 billion people worldwide lack internet access, while Russia has achieved 91 percent population coverage. This is our contribution to building a digital Russia, and we can take pride in it. At the same time, our country has always been committed to sharing best practices with partners across the globe.”
The discussion centered on children’s safety in the digital environment.
Tatyana Matveyeva, Head of the Presidential Directorate for the Development of Information and Communication Technology and Communication Infrastructure, said, “We must help children think critically and distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources. Currently, about a third of all children perceive the internet as a fully trustworthy space. However, it is essential that they also learn to recognize risks and threats, as the online world has become an inseparable part of our daily lives.”
Yelizaveta Belyakova, head of the Alliance for the Protection of Children in the Digital Environment, emphasized the importance of collaboration in ensuring online safety.
“In Russia, both the state and businesses are making significant efforts to create a secure internet. Only through joint action can we stay ahead of fraudsters and protect children from being drawn into illegal activities,” she said.
Director of the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ Andrey Vorobyev spoke at the Return to the Roots: Russian Digital Code session. He discussed the significance of Cyrillic in the modern internet and outlined plans to promote and preserve linguistic and cultural diversity within Runet.
“When we launched the .РФ domain 15 years ago, many in the tech community questioned its necessity, saying, “Do you really need this? You’re building a Tower of Babel.” Yet, while most content in the Russian segment of the Internet was in Russian, website addresses remained in Latin script,” Andrey Vorobyev recalled. The domain quickly proved its relevance.
“Within the first few months, we surpassed 200,000 registrations, and .РФ domains began appearing in outdoor advertising, particularly across Russia’s regions. Our message as a registry – “write it as you hear it” – resonated with the public. Ultimately, it’s all about user convenience and accessibility,” he noted.
According to Andrey Vorobyev, the global internet market has also acknowledged the importance of Cyrillic domains.
“During the initial expansion of the domain space, we saw foreign players take an interest in Cyrillic, launching their own Cyrillic top-level domains. Now, as ICANN prepares for the second round of the new gTLD program, it anticipates a significant number of applications for new IDN (internationalized) top-level domains, including those in Cyrillic,” he noted.
He also highlighted the growing influence of the Russian language in the digital space:
“We are witnessing a renaissance of the Russian language online. It is now one of the leading languages in terms of content distribution, which reaffirms its significance in the digital age.”
As part of the forum, the For a Safe Digital Childhood award was presented by the Alliance for the Protection of Children in the Digital Environment to recognize projects that promote digital literacy and online safety for children. Additionally, the annual Digitalization for the Good award and the Youth RIGF award were given to outstanding technology projects and products developed by young professionals aged 18 to 30.
