The 29th Russian Internet Forum (RIF 2025), a key event of the year for the Russian IT industry, took place in the Moscow Region on September 24-26. The forum brought together government officials, the country’s leading technology companies, renowned experts, and investors. Key topics were The Right to the Future and The National Code of the Runet.
At the plenary session, “The Economy of Trust: A Formula for the Future for the Russian IT Industry. From Transactions to Relationships,” First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Sergei Kiriyenko stressed that the Russian Internet Forum had united the IT industry for nearly 30 years, and enabled open dialogue to discuss emerging issues together and find effective solutions.
“The Russian IT sector has come under unprecedented sanctions and information pressure. However, this entire set of restrictions, sanctions, and pressure became the foundation, incentive, and motivation for accelerated growth. This growth was made possible thanks to powerful national platforms, mature ecosystems of digital solutions that we have, government support, the work of major Russian IT players, and the growing trust of the Russian audience in our internet services and social networks,” Sergei Kiriyenko emphasized.
RAEC Director Dmitry Gulyayev presented the results of the Runet Economy study for 2024, noting that the Runet grew by 40 percent to 23 trillion rubles last year. He added that for 2025, the expected growth is between 31 percent and 34 percent.
Sergei Plugotarenko, CEO of Digital Economy, highlighted RIF’s historic role in the evolution of the Runet and presented the latest monitoring figures: in 2024, the IT sector’s contribution to Russia’s GDP was 6 percent, workforce employed accounted for 3.2 percent, and its share of taxes paid – 4.3 percent.
The Coordination Center for .RU/.РФ TLDs is the forum’s constant participant and partner, and this year – anniversary partner. Its program featured the sessions “Languages Spoken by the Internet” and “Cyber Threats in Focus”, alongside expert participation in discussions and seminars. At the Domain House at the RIF-2025 CyberDacha, the Coordination Center hosted quizzes, lectures, and workshops.
Among the first events of the forum was four companies joining the Memorandum on Expanding Support for Internet Addressing Tools Using the State Language of the Russian Federation: MSK-IX, ParaType, House of Peoples of Russia, and Ruwiki. The signing ceremony was held in a solemn atmosphere. The Memorandum was signed by Coordination Center Director Andrey Vorobyev, MSK-IX Director General Yevgeny Morozov, ParaType Director Anna Yakupova, Ruwiki Deputy Director General Yelena Litovchenko and Aronia Feride, Head of the Department for Support and Implementation of Language Projects at the House of Peoples of Russia.
“The digital environment plays a vital role in preserving Russian and other languages of the peoples of Russia; it is part of the digital identity of millions of people. Supporting and developing Cyrillic internet addressing ensures full use of the internet by everyone in Russia; this is an important step toward digital sovereignty,” Andrey Vorobyev, Director of the Coordination Center, stressed.
The participants of the Languages Spoken by the Internet session discussed how Russia’s languages were developing and what is done to support them. As noted by Andrey Vorobyev, there are 155 living languages in Russia today, while another 15 have disappeared or have been dormant since the beginning of the 20th century.
Experts in the session also discussed how supporting national languages online, especially in the .РФ domain, helps preserve cultural identity and foster digital diversity. They reviewed government, regional, youth, and business initiatives, and highlighted the challenges that remain.
On the second day, Andrey Vorobyev took part in the RIF 2025 panel Information Hygiene: Cultivating Collective Digital Immunity. Together with moderator Yelizaveta Belyakova (Alliance for the Protection of Children in the Digital Environment) and other experts, he discussed ways to strengthen children’s digital immunity and online safety skills.
Andrey Vorobyev presented the Explore the Internet & Govern It! educational project, which has already reached over 6 million users across most Russian regions, and the audience continues to grow. The project helps children and adolescents explore digital technologies and develop practical digital literacy skills.
Representatives from academia, online platforms, and telecom operators also contributed insights, sharing best practices and practical advice for parents on safe use of digital services.
On the same day, Andrey Vorobyev took part in the panel discussion Finding a Place under the Sun in a World Without Professions. Together with moderator Ruslan Yusufov (MINDSMITH), the participants discussed the challenges facing young people today when choosing a profession, the changing requirements for specialists, and the transformation of career trajectories.
Taking part in the discussion were Sergei Kanev (Movement of the First), Oksana Fetisova (VK), Yulia Goryachkina (Digital Economy), and Dmitry Gulyayev (RAEC). They explored new opportunities emerging in the labor market and how to help young people make informed choices about their paths in a rapidly changing world.
Andrey Vorobyev shared the Coordination Centre’s experience and approaches to working with young people:
“In my opinion, it is important for today’s youth not to choose a narrow profession, but a field that truly interests them. If you are interested in the internet, welcome to our Youth Council. It brought together young people who are passionate about the subject: future journalists, international lawyers, and students from MTUCI, a university specializing in the domain industry. They gain invaluable experience working on various commissions, including at the international level,” he said.
Andrey Vorobyev also encouraged students to undertake internships at companies where they would like to work in the future. According to him, many interns remain with the company, and such experience lays the foundation for further professional growth. “Do what you want to do. And then money, a career, and success will follow,” he concluded.
On the final day of RIF 2025, a discussion entitled Cyber Threats in Focus was held, during which experts examined the online fraud industry and measures that can help users counter emerging threats.
Dmitry Moryakov (VK) presented an overview of current fraud schemes, ranging from phishing and extortion to identity theft, message board scams, and fake charity fundraising. Maria Anisimova (VK) explained how Pochta Mail analyzes email traffic and filters spam.
Vladimir Zykov (Association of Professional Users of Social Media and Messengers) highlighted how Telegram had become a key platform for the sale of counterfeit documents, weapons, and police uniforms. He also talked about telephone scams and demonstrated how criminals exploit leaked data to create fake documents.
Andrey Vorobyev, Director of the Coordination Center, also took part in the discussion 100 Questions for an Adult, organized at RIF 2025 by the Alliance for the Protection of Children in the Digital Environment. Young members of the Movement of the First talked in an informal setting with executives from leading Russian IT companies, asking questions about cybersecurity, technological development, and the digital future. Other participants included Yelizaveta Belyakova, Head of the Alliance; Yegor Knyazev, correspondent for TASS.Children; Dmitry Gulyayev, Director of the Russian Association of Electronic Communications (RAEC); Tamara Chechetkina, Head of VK’s Cyberculture Department; and Ruslan Yusufov, Managing Partner at MINDSMITH.
Meanwhile, the Explore the Internet & Govern It quiz was in full swing at the Domain House throughout the three days of RIF 2025. Forum participants tested their knowledge of the internet, the domain name system, digital technologies, and online safety, and, of course, received commemorative gifts.
The third day of the forum concluded with a quest Geography of .РФ: From Chuvashia to Yakutia in the Address Bar, a workshop Who Governs the Internet?, and a lecture titled Under the Hood of the Internet: The Domain Name System and Top-Level Domains.
Quest participants navigated a digital map of Russia and answered questions about the country’s languages, domain names, and symbols now available in the .РФ zone. Upon completion, everyone received prizes and gifts from the Coordination Center. Stasya Savelyeva, curator of the Internet Governance Summer School, held a workshop where RIF participants learned about approaches to internet governance, current challenges, and even had the opportunity to navigate a simulated crisis situation. Georgy Georgievsky, Head of Registrar and User Relations at the Coordination Center, delivered the lecture “Under the Hood of the Internet,” explaining the technical foundations of the global network, the structure of the domain name system, and other elements of internet infrastructure.
This concludes RIF 2025!
