Putin kicks a ball at a competition in Krasnoyarsk — now it's headed for a museum

At the closing ceremony of the nationwide "Big Changes" competition in Krasnoyarsk, held on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin briefly kicked a ball around with participants. Footage of the moment quickly spread across social media, and organizers have now decided to immortalize it — the ball will be sent to the museum of the "Movement of the First."

According to the state news agency RIA Novosti, citing a representative of the competition's leadership, Alexandra Drozhachikhova, the ball will be taken to the headquarters of the "Movement of the First" and preserved as a memorial relic of this "legendary encounter."

A spot among the exhibits

Artur Orlov, chairman of the "Movement of the First," said that Putin's participation in the final was a "great honor" for members of the organization. He noted that the ball will be given "a place of honor" in the movement's museum, alongside other items documenting its history.

"Big Changes" is a nationwide competition for schoolchildren and students, in which children and teenagers complete team and project-based tasks across various fields. It is the flagship project of the "Movement of the First," which is backed by the Russian government. According to organizers, over six years the competition has involved seven million children and teenagers.

A legacy of the Soviet Komsomol

The "Movement of the First" was established in 2022 as a state-run organization for children and young people. Reuters noted at the time of its founding that the structure draws on the traditions of the Soviet Komsomol and the Young Pioneers, describing it as yet another attempt by the Kremlin to build a nationwide youth movement loyal to the state and its leadership.

The decision to display the ball in a museum illustrates how Russian state institutions treat any public appearance by Putin: even a fleeting moment is presented as extraordinary, and any object the president has touched instantly gains the status of a museum treasure.

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Source: seznamzpravy.cz