Yuri Trutnev explores creative showcase in Yakutsk
In Yakutsk, the Creative Industries Forum "Made in the Far East" unfolded on May 29, exhibiting a specialized collection of creative products. Artists, craftspeople, and entrepreneurs from all 11 regions of the Far Eastern Federal District displayed their work at the event, which was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Presidential Envoy to the Far East Yuri Trutnev, Minister for the Development of the Far East and Arctic Alexei Chekunkov, and Yakutia's Head Aisen Nikolaev.
Trutnev expressed his sentiment at the forum, saying, "At the Creative Industries Forum, cooperative efforts are fostered, and participants express themselves through creativity. In these trying times, we need some kindness, creativity, and dreams. The forum features people with a spark in their eyes, eager to create something."
Chekunkov highlighted that the creative economy constitutes a significant sector of the Far East's economy, with 9% of its workforce employed in this industry. He anticipates further growth, and mentioned plans to establish creative clusters in cities like Yakutsk, Blagoveshchensk, Vladivostok, Ulan-Ude, and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, as well as the development of new museum complexes and theater universities in three cities.
Nikolaev, the Head of Yakutia, touted his region as the leader in the creative economy of the Far East and Russia, welcoming over 2,000 participants from more than thirty Russian regions attending the forum to share experiences. He expressed enthusiasm about the recently adopted law on creative economy and hoped that it would kickstart, with the forum providing a major push for the development of the creative economy in the Far East.
The creative industries currently make up approximately 2% of the economy in the Russian Far East, a figure projected to grow substantially to meet national targets. By 2030, the revenue generated from residents of creative clusters in the Russian Far East is expected to grow tenfold, reaching approximately 25 billion rubles (about $320 million). Employment in these creative clusters is anticipated to exceed 1,000 by 2030, with investments totaling nearly 5 billion rubles over the next three years. These creative clusters are integrated into city development master plans, emphasizing their importance to regional economic strategies.
The II International Forum of Creative Industries, titled "Created in the Far East: from creativity to economics," was held in Yakutsk from May 29 to 31, 2025. The event gathered government officials, entrepreneurs, cultural activists, and experts from across Russia to discuss the strengthening of creative industries and their economic impact. A strategic session at the forum focused on implementing creative entrepreneurial projects on "Far Eastern and Arctic hectares," a program aimed at supporting sustainable development in rural and remote areas through tourism, ethnocultural initiatives, art residencies, festivals, and other creative projects. Organizers and participants viewed the forum as a means to attract significant investment—targeting at least 1 billion rubles—to the creative economy of the Far East.
- Attendees at the II International Forum of Creative Industries in Yakutsk expressed excitement about the potential growth of the fashion-and-beauty, food-and-drink, home-and-garden, and travel sectors, as they see these industries playing a significant role in the strengthening of the creative economy.
- With plans to develop new museum complexes and theater universities in three cities, as well as the establishment of creative clusters in key cities like Yakutsk, Blagoveshchensk, Vladivostok, Ulan-Ude, and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, it's expected that the lifestyle sector will flourish, enriching the region's cultural offerings and providing new opportunities for entrepreneurs.
- As part of the strategic session at the forum, focus was given to implementing creative entrepreneurial projects on "Far Eastern and Arctic hectares," with the aim to attract significant investment in the countryside and rural areas through tourism, ethnocultural initiatives, art residencies, festivals, and other creative projects, thereby revitalizing the lifestyle, fashion-and-beauty, food-and-drink, home-and-garden, and travel industries in these regions.
