Registration for the 16th Russian Internet Governance Forum (RIGF 2026) closes on April 3. More than 700 applications have been submitted.
Over the course of two days, nine panel sessions will take place, covering such topics as international cooperation in building the information society, the use of artificial intelligence, child online safety, the preservation of cultural identity and linguistic diversity in the global digital environment, and the digital transformation of healthcare.
The opening of 2026 RIGF will feature such speakers as Tatyana Matveyeva, Head of the Presidential Directorate for the Development of Information and Communication Technology and Communication Infrastructure; Anton Gorelkin, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, ROCIT Chairman; Alexander Shoytov, Deputy Minister of Digital Development; Chengetai Masango, Head of the UN Internet Governance Forum Secretariat; Alexei Rogdev, CEO of the Technical Center of Internet; and Andrei Kuzmichev, Head of Runity Group. The session will be moderated by Andrey Vorobyev, Director of the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ.
The forum will open with a plenary session titled “WSIS+20: A Quarter Century in Building the Information Society. From Words to Deeds?” Participants will discuss the foundations of international digital cooperation, key areas of disagreement, and whether there still are prospects for meaningful dialogue in a rapidly evolving global context.
This session will be followed by a foresight session, “AI as a Trigger for Disruption: What It Is Changing Today and How It Will Transform Governance, the Economy, and Society by 2035,” focusing on adaptive regulatory models and new frameworks of accountability among governments, platforms, and developers.
The session “Preserving Cultural Code and Linguistic Diversity in the Global Digital Environment” will explore ways to ensure the representation of national languages and cultural codes online and examine digital tools that can protect linguistic diversity, transmit traditional knowledge, and help form cultural ecosystems on the global net.
The first day will conclude with discussions on “Digital Transformation of Russian Healthcare: New Roles, Data, and the Future of Medicine” and “The Future of Children’s Online Safety: New Approaches to Risk Forecasting.”
The second day will open with the panel session “Sovereign Clouds: Evolution from a Marketing Term to a Contractual Requirement,” examining how the concept of sovereign cloud is evolving from declarations into practical standards for ensuring data sovereignty and reducing dependence on foreign technologies.
The forum will then continue with the Virtuti Interneti award ceremony, established by the Coordination Center in 2010, honoring those who have made a significant contribution to the development of the Runet and the global digital ecosystem. This year’s winner will deliver a lecture following the ceremony.
The session “How Countries Regulate Generative AI: The Evolution of International Approaches” will continue the discussion on artificial intelligence, focusing on the search for balanced regulatory frameworks amid the limited practice.
The forum will conclude with the panels on “Russian Business: A New Architecture for Digital Advancement” and “Recoding Diplomacy: How the Internet Is Changing the Language of Global Communications.”
“The topics of the Russian Internet Governance Forum reflect how society lives today, both in the digital and physical worlds. Artificial intelligence, child online safety, digital healthcare, and the development of national languages on the internet are issues that concern not only professionals but society as a whole. RIGF brings together those shaping the digital future: experts, practisers, government officials, and business leaders. I am confident that the forum will serve as a platform for substantive dialogue and practical solutions,” Coordination Center Director Andrey Vorobyev remarked.
Key speakers at 2026 RIGF include Yelizaveta Belyakova (Alliance for Child Digital Protection), Alexander Bolkhovityanov (Yandex), Alexei Borodin (Regional Commonwealth in the Field of Communications), Alexei Goreslavsky (Internet Development Institute), Artur Lyukmanov (Foreign Ministry of Russia), Igor Sviridov (Integral Research Institute), and Timur Tsybikov (Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs), among others.
The forum will also feature presentations prepared by young professionals on the discussion topics, as well as a release of the collection “The Internet Today and Tomorrow 2026,” compiled by the Coordination Center and the Center for Global IT Cooperation specially for 2026 RIGF. Read the full program on the 2026 RIGF website.
Join the 2026 RIGF discussions! Participation in 2026 RIGF is free of charge, with prior registration required.
The Russian Internet Governance Forum is organized by the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ and the Center for Global IT Cooperation. The general partner is the Technical Center of Internet, the strategic partner is the Russian Institute for Public Networks (RIPO), and the partner is Runity. The general information partner is the TASS news agency.