Russia begins with them: stories of young Russians who are changing the lives around them

When people talk about the future of Russia, they most often mean projects, technologies, and large-scale government programs. But there are specific people behind each such change. Today, many of them are not even 30 years old, but they are already creating new technologies, developing science, building businesses and protecting the country. On Youth Day, Izvestia tells about young Russians who are already contributing to the development of the country.

Who protects and creates

Russian youth are achieving success in a wide variety of fields, from defense and science to high technology and entrepreneurship. At the same time, we are talking not only about personal achievements, but also about projects that solve national-scale problems.

Thus, at the age of 26, the Hero of Russia, Senior Lieutenant Ivan Zharsky, was awarded the highest state award for courage shown during a special military operation. In one day, his unit destroyed eight pieces of Ukrainian Armed Forces equipment, including a Bradley infantry fighting vehicle, a German Leopard tank, and an enemy stronghold. In addition to the star of the Hero of Russia, the officer was awarded the Order of Courage, the medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree, and the Medal for Bravery.

Young Russians are achieving equally notable results in civilian industries. A resident of the Community of young entrepreneurs and a participant in the project "Created by the young" from Rosmolodezh.Undertake" Nikita Dostalov has developed the world's only prismatic solar power plant with vertical panels oriented to all cardinal directions. This design works effectively even in snowfall and cloudy weather, occupies a significantly smaller area compared to traditional solar power plants and allows you to fix the cost of electricity for decades to come, protecting consumers from rising tariffs and emergency shutdowns.

Stepan Toropov, a 25-year-old chief specialist of the Bacteriophage Department of the Scientific Research and Standardization Department of NPO Microgen, contributed to the technological sovereignty of the country in the field of medical microbiology. He developed a unified process for collecting microorganisms and implemented an improved control system for the stages of research and development work. His proposed solutions are already being used at various sites of the holding.

Arina Veryaskina, a sixth-year student of the Faculty of Fundamental Medicine at Moscow State University, a scholarship holder of the President of Russia, is engaged in research in the field of gerontology and evidence-based preventive medicine. She studies which factors contribute to healthy aging and active longevity.

Responsibility for people

Young professionals are also proving themselves in areas where they have to take responsibility for people's lives. Lilia Kramer, deputy head of the Tyumen Regional branch of the All-Russian Student Rescue Corps, took part in the evacuation of a children's neuropsychiatric boarding school during large-scale forest fires in the Tyumen Region in the spring of 2023. Together with the team, she evacuated 150 children, including students with limited mobility, accompanied them to temporary accommodation points and helped with resettlement. Lilia was awarded the medal of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations "For the promotion of rescue work." Later, she became the winner of the Rosmolodezh competition.Grants" with a project for the development of school rescue teams in the Tyumen region. The aim of the initiative is to teach children how to provide first aid and act in emergency situations.

Such stories are united not only by the age of their characters — each of them solves practical tasks that are significant for society.

Youth as a vector of development

According to Anna Kosareva, a political scientist, producer of the Digoria expert club, and senior specialist at the EISI Media Relations Department, youth has become one of the key driving forces in the country's development.

"According to Rosmolodezh, in 2025, more than 14 million young people participated in volunteer projects, which is almost 50% more than four years before. Today we also see how young men and even girls are volunteering en masse for the front out of a sincere desire to be involved in the fate of the Motherland and contribute to the common cause — the cause of Russia's Victory," she said.

According to the expert, such changes became possible due to the development of an integrated ecosystem of youth policy, including the national project "Youth and Children", the platform "Dobro.Russian Federation", Rosmolodezh projects and other initiatives.

"And most importantly, the youth of our era does not start from scratch. She is taking over the baton carried by previous generations: those who defended the country in 1945, who rebuilt it, who conquered space, who went through the trials of the nineties, preserving the state. Today, our generation holds this baton, and I am sure that it will continue to carry it with dignity," Kosareva emphasized.