Translated material
"Prostokvashino" with Putin, medals of Putin's father, performances by Putin's daughters, Labubu with the face of Putin's press secretary
What is happening at the once influential economic forum in St. Petersburg in 2025
In St. Petersburg, from June 18 to June 20, the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (PMEF) is being held. After the beginning of the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war from the event, which was once one of the most status economic events in Europe, where leaders of leading countries came and where multimillion-dollar transactions were concluded, in fact there was only a loud name. The most high -ranking foreign guest in 2025 was the President of Indonesia Pravobo Subianto, other “friendly” Russia countries, such as China, India and South Africa, were represented by low -ranking officials. The forum was ignored even by leading Russian businessmen and heads of state-owned companies-only six came from the TOP-50 Russian Forbes rating at the PMEF. This is what the event was remembered in such conditions.
Children of Putin (and not only him) again among the speakers
Like a year ago, Putin’s daughter, head of the Innopractics Foundation, Katerina Tikhonova, took part in the PMEF. She spoke at the session of "Scenarios of Technological Repatriation: the role and place of foreign companies in the Russian market." In her speech, Tikhonov reported on an increase in the volume of foreign information technologies returned to Russia.
The forum was also attended by the eldest daughter of Putin, Maria Vorontsova. She acted as a moderator of the session “Neoetics in the era of neurotechnologies” and talked about work on “improving a person”.
In general, this year, the PMEF among the participants turned out to be more than ever many children of the Russian elite, writes the Faridaily telegram channel. Among them are Alexander Vaino (son of the head of the presidential administration Anton Vaino), Peter Fradkov (head of the PSB bank and son of the former prime minister and head of the foreign intelligence service Mikhail Fradkov), head of VK Vladimir Kiriyenko (son of the curator of domestic politics Sergey Kiriyenko) and the senior vice president of VK Stepan Kovalchuk (grandson of friend Putin, President of the Kurchatov Institute Mikhail Kovalchuk), as well as Ksenia Shoigu (daughter of the Secretary of the Council of People's Commissars of the Russian Federation Sergey Shoigu). The forum was attended by Roman Rotenberg, the first vice-president of the Russian Hockey Federation and the son of a friend Putin, businessman Boris Rotenberg, recently dismissed from the post of head coach of SKA.
Putin's quotes are on T -shirts. There is a turn behind them - and this is "one of the most discussed events"
At the stand of Bashkortostan, the manufacturer of clothing Zasport arranged the distribution of T -shirts with quotes by Vladimir Putin, the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov and the head of Bashkortostan Radiy Khabirov. In just three days, the organizers of the action plan to distribute more than five thousand T -shirts.
Among the proposed quotes of Putin - “we are lucky, but we work from morning to night”, “we won’t interfere, but we won’t give our own”, “together we will overcome”, Lavrov - “nafig I came here”, “I am not paid for me to be optimistic.” Last year, such T -shirts were already distributed at Zasport, but the choice was limited by the statements of only the President of the Russian Federation.
Behind T -shirts lined up a queue, which Ural edition of URA.RU called the "one of the most discussed unofficial events" of the forum.
The guests of the forum are distributed to dolls with the faces of Lavrov and Peskov - although this contradicts traditional values
One of the most noticeable topics of the forum is Labubu dolls with the faces of Russian officials. They were given out at the stand of the Moscow region to guests after the interview, the action was arranged by the 360 television channel.
Among the proposed Labubu are dolls with the persons of the Head of the Central Bank Elvira Nabiullina, the Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov.
They also talked about Labubu during one of the meetings of the forum in the framework of the panel “The role of the state and the media in the formation of the worldview and human values”. “In large cities where people are socially provided, we buy Labubu for children. But as for the front, where traditional values are felt differently, everyone chooses Cheburashka, ” said the State Duma deputy Marina Kim in particular. TASS CEO Andrei Kondrashov, in turn, noted that "traditional values are what unites us without Labubu and Tamagochi."
There are serious news: AvtoVAZ presented his first crossover. But here it was not without oddities
More than Labubu dolls, one of the few really important new products was discussed in social networks - the first crossover in the history of AvtoVAZ. The model presented by the company on the first day of the forum was called Lada Azimut. It was created on the basis of Lada Vesta.
The car has a function of voice control using Gigachat from Sber, as well as a voting parking function. Serial production of Lada Azimut is scheduled for 2026. The volume of engines of the starting line is 1.6 and 1.8 liters, power - 120 and 132 horsepower.
The price of the crossover has not yet been announced, but in AvtoVAZ they said that the car would be “affordable and cheaper than foreign analogues”.
In social networks, users were most actively discussing that during the presentation the cover of the car for some reason was shot by a man standing behind the stage-although at high-level events this is usually done using special automatic devices.
The medals of Father Vladimir Putin are shown on a special stand
The Genealogical Company "House of Family Traditions" Christian ", which a year ago exhibited Putin’s family tree at its stand, this time dedicated part of its exposition to the president’s father.
A memorial panel was decorated at the stand on which a photograph of Putin Sr., his award sheet, an order on awarding, as well as 11 medals, mainly received for participation in the Great Patriotic War, was posted.
“We wanted to show that our ancestors of the Great Patriotic War should be remembered not only within the framework of the holidays - May 9 and February 2, but every day, so that all our relatives and friends see the awards, know their heroes, ask questions and know a little more than just their title or position,” said the head of the company Mikhail Shevelev.
You still have little Putin? Wait, he will soon appear even in "Prostokvashino"
The character of Vladimir Putin may appear in the animated series "Prostokvashino", said Julian Slashcheva, chairman of the board of directors of the Soyuzmultfilm film studio, at the forum.
According to her, the appearance of such a character can become a “soft force” to promote Russian culture.
“The president should still appear there, in“ Prostokvashin ” - he must come there, we will draw him. And in fact, this, of course, will become the most popular soft force, which can be anywhere then. Matroskin and the president will create a wonderful duet to promote our country, our culture, ”said Slashcheva.
The journalist of Rossiyskaya Gazeta Susanna Alperina later stated that the words of Slashcheva were torn out of the context - according to her approval, the head of Soyuzmultfilm thus jokingly answered the question of whether they want to make the president one of the heroes of the animated series in the company. The Soyuzmultfilm officially did not refute the statement of Slashcheva.
And, of course, Vladimir Putin himself ...
The President of Russia traditionally participates in one of the events on the last day of the forum. So this time there will be a discussion, within which Putin will perform, will be held on Friday in the evening, June 20.
“This will be a volumetric speech, it will be a speech where, of course, an assessment of the current stage of development of our economy will be given, where the prospects and main directions in which our economy, from the point of view of the president, should develop, should develop,” said Presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov.
On the first day of the forum, Putin held a meeting with foreign journalists. It began in the midnight area and lasted more than two hours, mainly the President of the Russian Federation spoke of Ukraine, NATO, as well as the war of Israel with Iran.
At the very end, answering the question of what mistakes he made in 25 years in power, Putin quoted the Bible: "Which of you without sin, let him give the first stone at me."
Photo on the cover: Polina Bogomolova / TASS / Profimedia