School graduates in Belgorod region wear "Survivors 2026" ribbons

School graduates in Garbuzovo village in Russia's Belgorod region wore ribbons reading "Survivors 2026" at their graduation ceremony instead of the traditional "Class of 2026". The school principal said it was the students' own humorous idea. Graduation photos also show younger students wearing masks of Vladimir Putin and other Russian public figures.

Graduation celebrations took place in Garbuzovo village in Russia's front-line Belgorod region, where the graduates stood out from tradition by wearing ribbons inscribed with "Survivors 2026" rather than the traditional "Class of 2026".

Photos from the ceremony appeared on the Garbuzovo territorial administration's VKontakte page, which was highlighted by Russian outlet Podyom. Local authorities stated they had no connection to the idea and directed all questions to the school principal.

Principal's explanation

School principal Vladimir Rzhevsky told Podyom that the design of the ribbons was thought up by the students themselves and teachers supported their initiative. According to the principal, "the ribbons symbolised only school days and carried no other meaning. The young people chose a non-standard, humorous design. Our school has a small number of students. Students have to answer every day, they are called to the board several times during lessons. In addition, throughout last school year there were many competitions, contests and olympiads," explained Rzhevsky, adding that despite the heavy workload, "the students coped brilliantly with their tasks and achieved excellent results".

Masks and context

Photos from the ceremony also show younger students wearing masks of Russia's President Vladimir Putin, singer Shaman, and Oleg Gazmanov.

Garbuzovo is located in Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine and has come under repeated attack since 2022. The region is one of Russia's closest to the front line, where the civilian population faces direct war threats on a regular basis.