The Formation and Recruitment of Russian Youth Political Elites in the Putin Era

This paper investigates the national policies and mechanisms in Russia during the Putin era aimed at training young individuals into political elites, and examines the channels through which youth are chosen and integrated into these elites. Young people undergo a process of political socialization through volunteer initiatives organized by the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs, as well as through patriotic education. They are recruited as political elites through various means, including the Cadres Reserve System in public administration overseen by the executive branch, the Primary election system led by the ruling party and its youth organizations, and through open competitions conducted via online platforms. The President, Presidential Administration, and ruling party lead and directly engage in all these processes. This illustrates that the cultivating and recruitment of young political elites serve dual purposes: addressing practical needs, such as talent shortages, and advancing ideological objectives aimed at securing a next-generation political elite loyal to Putinism. The interaction between youth and the state in the process of training and recruiting young political elites occurs in a top-down manner. From a formal perspective, the cultivating and recruitment of young political elites appear to seek legitimacy from the public, but its content strongly embodies authoritarian characteristics.