Russia Pavilion
Russia signed its participation agreement in December 2025 and has announced its pavilion slogan — "Play to be" — framing play as essential to music, medicine and high technology.
At a glance
- Slogan
- "Play to be — I play in order to live, in order to exist" [source]
- Status
- Participation agreement signed 24 Dec 2025 [source]
- Commissioner
- Alexey Gruzdev, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade [source]
- Concept
- Play across music, medicine and high technologies [source]
- Pavilion category
- 'A' category — announced as one of the largest pavilions of the Expo (Deputy Minister Alexey Gruzdev, Mar 2026); operator/contractor not yet named [source]
What's been announced
A Russian government decree in July 2025 endorsed participation, with Industry and Trade Minister Anton Alikhanov designated to head the organizing committee and four ministries tasked with drafting proposals. The Participation Agreement was signed on 24 December 2025 in Belgrade by Alexey Gruzdev, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade and Russia's Commissioner for Expo 2027, together with Serbia's Commissioner General Jagoda Lazarević and Expo Director Danilo Jerinić.
The pavilion's announced slogan is "Play to be — I play in order to live, in order to exist". Russia intends to show how important play is across spheres of life including music, medicine and high technologies. The country has participated in Expo exhibitions since 1981; pavilion design and budget have not been made public.
“We will be preparing for Russia's participation in EXPO 2027 to demonstrate the special nature of relations between our countries.” — Alexey Gruzdev, Russian Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade and Commissioner for Expo 2027 Belgrade [source]
Visiting — the practical context
Where to find the Russia pavilion, and the guides that cover the trip.
National pavilions sit in the International Participant Area of the 25-hectare Expo site at Surčin, in the western part of Belgrade — the zone that becomes the city's new Belgrade Fair after the event. The site is about 5 km from Nikola Tesla Airport and roughly 13.5 km southwest of central Belgrade (official planning figures), so if you fly in, you land closer to the Expo grounds than to town. Exact positions within the zones haven't been published yet; we'll add the location when the site plan lands.
Specialised Expo, 93 days. Every participating country also gets a National Day — that calendar isn't published yet.
Free city transport, taxi apps, and an airport railway still under construction — the honest status of every route.
Tickets Expo 2027 tickets guideStill not on sale — two planned start dates passed, prices unannounced. What is actually known.
Where to stay Where to stay for Expo 2027Airport side or city centre? The trade-off, weighed.
Russia at Expo 2027 — quick answers
What is Russia's pavilion slogan at Expo 2027?
"Play to be — I play in order to live, in order to exist." Russia intends to show how important play is across spheres of life including music, medicine and high technologies.
When did Russia confirm its Expo 2027 participation?
A government decree endorsed participation in July 2025, and the Participation Agreement was signed in Belgrade on 24 December 2025 by Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Alexey Gruzdev, Russia's Commissioner for Expo 2027.
Has Russia's pavilion design been published?
No — the pavilion's design and budget have not been made public as of mid-2026. Russia has participated in Expo exhibitions since 1981.
Sources (3)
- https://tass.com/economy/1984547 — Government decree endorsing participation
- https://serbia.news-pravda.com/en/russia/2025/12/24/18591.html — Agreement signing
- https://expobelgrade2027.org/en/news/expo-2027-participation-agreement-signed-with-the-russian-federation — Official Expo announcement + slogan
More on Expo 2027
Every country with announced plans — themes, teams, budgets, sourced.
Data Participant trackerEvery publicly named country, confirmation dates and the growth timeline.
Guide The full Expo 2027 guideDates, programme, tickets, getting there — and the rest of Belgrade.