Winners of the Country Stage of the "Leader of Public Diplomacy" Contest have been announced in Spain
The country stage of the V International "Leader of Public Diplomacy" Contest has finished in Spain in May 2026. The long-term work of winners of this stage fosters lasting bridges between Russian and Spanish cultures - through cinema, ballet and the legal protection of compatriots.
A professional jury of experts with diverse experience in education, sports, journalism and public service evaluated the contestants.
Polina Adova - a teacher with 25 years of experience, the author of numerous educational projects implemented in Spain. For many years, she has been engaged in the development of the Russian-speaking educational space abroad, combining the pedagogical tradition with practical tasks of cultural integration and psychological aspects;
Tatiana Zakharova - a coach and national rhythmic gymnastics judge in Spain. Her professional activity covers both the training of athletes and the expert assessment of performances at national-level competitions, what determines the special accuracy and exactingness in evaluating competitive projects;
Vladimir Pototski - an ex-journalist for the State-owned Spanish television and Radio company RTVE. His professional experience in media and public communications allows him to evaluate the projects of the participants in terms of their public resonance and communicative effectiveness;
Tatiana Medina Garcia - an ex-civil servant of the Citizens' Security Service, a regular participant in events held by Russian associations in Madrid. Her participation in the jury provides an expert perspective on projects related to legal protection and civic initiative.
The winners are:
Miguel Suarez del Cerro (Cultural Diplomacy nomination) - the Director of the Pamplona Russian Film Cycle, founder and president of the Eslava Association of Slavic Culture in Pamplona, author of the book "Russian Views" and winner of three essay awards. For more than 10 years, the expert has been consistently building a space for dialogue with Russian culture in Spain. The Russian Cinema cycle in Pamplona has become one of the few regular venues where the Spanish audience has the opportunity to get acquainted with Russian cinema in its artistic diversity. At the same time, Miguel Suarez del Cerro hosts programs on Russian cinema and culture on various media platforms;
Tatiana Solovyova-Tsvetkova (Cultural Diplomacy nomination) has been a producer of Russian theater performances in Spain since 1992, founder of the Union of Russian Artists in Spain, and author of the book " Between Two Shores: A Life's Journey Where History and Ballet Are the Protagonists." For three decades, the expert has been popularizing Russian ballet on the Spanish stage. Ballets under her production were awarded prizes for the best performance of the year in Spain in 2008, 2013, 2015, 2018 and 2025. Spanish media have repeatedly called Tatiana Solovyova-Tsvetkova the "Diaghilev of the 21st century." Over the years, she has brought the largest Russian troupes to Spain. She is also a member of the jury of several international and national dance competitions. In her work, Tatiana Solovyova-Tsvetkova is guided by the words of the great choreographer Igor Moiseev:
– I distinguish between civilization and culture. Civilization is the wealth that is around us, and culture is our inner wealth. If civilization overtakes culture and becomes an end in itself, its destructive power will be more than its creative power.
Upcoming projects: “Ballet Clásico Internacional” in Barcelona (June) and Madrid (July-August 2026), as well as performances with star Joaquín Cortés in St. Petersburg and on the stage of the Kremlin Palace of Congresses in October 2026.
Yulia Akhramovich (Legal Diplomacy nomination) - an active lawyer at the Spanish Bar Association, a specialist in administrative, civil and medical law. Yulia Akhramovich has focused her activities on the legal protection of Russian—speaking residents of Spain in situations where their rights are violated by the authorities: tax authorities, social protection authorities, municipalities. A separate area of her work is countering Russophobia in the emigrant community and from the media. To achieve these goals, two associations were established and partnerships were established with a number of Spanish law firms and lawyers. Recently, special attention has been paid to supporting Russian-speaking immigrants from Donbass living in Spain.
– By uniting the Diaspora, we are protecting the future. Our goal is professional legal protection, public support and unification of Russian-speaking residents of Spain on the basis of justice, respect and solidarity, in the name of stability and confidence in the future," - says Yulia Akhramovich.
The winners of the country stage will represent Spain at the international final of the V International Contest "Leader of Public Diplomacy" held as part of the World Public Summit in Moscow, which will take place in Moscow in the fall of 2026.
More information is on the official website of the World Peoples Assembly and at media@world-assembly.org.