- Статьи
- Policy
- The case of volunteers: two thirds of citizens in the Russian Federation are engaged in volunteering
The case of volunteers: two thirds of citizens in the Russian Federation are engaged in volunteering
Two thirds of Russians today are engaged in volunteer activities: such mutual assistance makes the Russian Federation even stronger, including at the front. This was stated by Vladimir Putin on December 5 during the award ceremony of the winners of the international award "We are together". The President especially noted the work of volunteers in new regions and those who help the fighters of the NWO. Who received the main volunteer award from the hands of the head of state and what children's wishes Putin will fulfill under the New Year - in the material "Izvestia".
The development of volunteering in Russia
In Russia, December 5 is celebrated Volunteer Day or Volunteer Day: the date is relatively new - it was established by order of Vladimir Putin in 2017. Since then, the number of volunteers in the country has only increased. A significant point of growth of volunteerism in Russia was the launch of the mutual aid campaign "We are together", which appeared in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic. Now 3.5 million people have joined it, helping more than 16.1 million people in Russia.
The action has long since outgrown the scale originally planned: now it is a full-fledged movement, which annually organizes the international forum of civic participation "We Are Together". It was for its opening on December 5 that thousands of participants came to one of the capital's main venues - Moscow 's Manezh. In total, during the forum it will be visited by about 20 thousand people from 40 countries of the world. On this day Vladimir Putin traditionally addressed the participants.
- We have recently started to celebrate this day - Volunteer Day. I wanted to say holiday, but somehow the word "holiday" does not really fit with your activity, because it is well known that you work always: both on holidays and weekdays, always there and then, where your help is needed, - the President addressed from the stage.
Russian President Vladimir Putin at the awarding ceremony for the international prize #WYWMOSTE at the Manezh exhibition center in Moscow. Second from left: Maria Karpenko (Kursk Region), winner of the award and head of the Second Life movement.
He added that two thirds of Russians are engaged in volunteer activities in one way or another today. This emphasizes that Russia is a "powerful, united family".
- "We see that interest in volunteerism is growing every year, and support measures for volunteers are also expanding," Grigory Gurov, head of Rosmolodezh, told Izvestia. - In 2025, as part of the national project "Youth and Children", we set an ambitious goal - to involve 45% of young people in volunteerism. This is the goal set by the President, and we have sufficient potential to achieve a successful result.
However, the Russian Federation is a big country, and as in any big country there are many issues and problems that require attention and support of those who are not indifferent, he said. "I mean both ecology, help for stray animals, support and assistance to people who need medical support. Are there many or few such issues? There is a sea of them," Vladimir Putin said.
The central event of the forum was the awarding of the international prize "We are together" to volunteers: about 50 thousand applications were received from representatives of 142 countries from all over the world.
- I will not hide, I was even surprised by the geography and the number of participants in the volunteer competition <...>. This is an indicator that such activity, such a noble mission, which you carry out and realize, without any doubt, has no boundaries. And this is what unites the whole world. For this I also want to thank you and welcome all the participants of this competition without exception," the President said.
The head of state presented the statuette "Volunteer of the Year - 2024" to the head of the movement "Second Life" Maria Karpenko, who has been carrying out humanitarian missions in the DNR and LNR since 2016. Vladimir Putin also presented the Order of Courage to Fyodor Gerashchenko, head of the tactical training center "Archangel", deputy head of the regional executive committee of the "People's Front "For Russia" in Krasnodar Krai.
Assistance of volunteers during special operations
The President drew attention to the fact that many of those present at the forum "went through difficult trials in historical regions", and when there was an equally difficult situation in border areas - they went there to use their experience of helping people.
- And this is the key to all our successes, including on the front. And it is pleasant that you are engaged in this activity in almost all areas. Of course, today it is of particular importance to support our guys in the combat zone, on the line of contact. I know that it is not safe, and I bow my head low to the memory of those who gave even their lives in the course of this work," Vladimir Putin said.
Volunteers help residents and socially important organizations of the four regions reunited with the Russian Federation - the DNR, LNR, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya regions. A total of 422 field humanitarian missions were realized, during this time more than 10.4 thousand people responded to volunteer vacancies, and half of them took part in such raids. Thanks to them, more than 1.4 million people have been helped.
- We are engaged in many things, starting from organizing and holding patriotic events, also delivery, unloading, loading of humanitarian aid, elimination of the consequences of emergencies, as well as elimination of the consequences of shelling and rescue work. Of the hottest, the most recent, it was the tragedy in the Kursk region. On the first day, we left immediately with the guys to help. For two weeks we worked with humanitarian aid on delivery, on unloading, on sorting. And this is the most large-scale one," Ivan, a representative of the Luhansk regional branch of the Rescue Corps, told Izvestia.
Support for volunteers at the expense of the budget
It is also important that the society strengthens the significance and importance of the work of volunteers. So, since 2021 in the Russian Federation adopted more than 20 laws in this area, they allowed to create more favorable conditions for people who want to engage in such activities. Among them are laws on new forms of support for volunteers, for example, in the form of payment for communication services without VAT, compensation for medical examinations or paid training, if it was required for volunteer work, Olga Zanko, deputy chairman of the State Duma committee on the development of civil society, issues of public and religious associations, chairman of the central headquarters of the All-Russian public movement "Volunteers of Victory", told "Izvestia".
- At the legislative level, the development of corporate volunteering was supported, business officially became an organizer of volunteer activities, and the role of volunteerism resource centers was legislated. We strive to simplify the process of participation in volunteer projects and make it more comfortable and accessible for everyone. This includes not only support for individual volunteers, but also support for organizations engaged in charitable activities," she said.
Thus, in 2025, according to the approved budget, more than 450 billion rubles will be allocated to NGOs for these purposes, which is 61 billion more than in 2024, Olga Zanko added. By the way, volunteering in Russia today is considered the most important institution of civil society, which contributes to the socio-economic development of the country, regions and municipalities. According to the Ministry of Economic Development and Rosstat, the contribution of volunteers and NGOs to Russia's GDP is 1.5 trillion rubles, or 2%.
What dreams of children from the "Christmas Tree of Wishes" will be fulfilled by the president
Vladimir Putin also took part in the "Wishing Tree" on the platform of the forum, a charity event that has been held for children aged 3 to 17 since 2018. The head of state will fulfill the wishes of three children. The first balloon, which the President took off the Christmas tree, belonged to a girl of 10 years old, who dreams of trying herself as a pilot on an airplane simulator. The second wish was from 12-year-old Taisiya Leonova, who dreams of attending a rehearsal of the Moiseyev Folk Dance Ensemble. The third is from a boy who dreams of visiting St. Petersburg. "We will do it for sure. He will be satisfied," the president promised.
Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in the All-Russian charity event "Christmas Tree of Wishes" within the framework of the International Forum for Civic Participation #WEAMWE
Last year, the president fulfilled the dreams of seventh-grader Ksenia from St. Petersburg, who wanted to try her hand at being a news anchor, boy Nikita from the Kostroma region, who wanted to visit the Hermitage, and eight-year-old Kristina from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, who dreamed of traveling to Lake Baikal.
On that day, the President was also presented with a small gift - a toy Christmas tree made by children from Yasinovataya in the Donetsk People's Republic. It was presented by the volunteers he spoke to after the We Are Together Awards.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
