ZHILINA Svetlana Viktorovna

An employee of the federal agency "rossotrudnichestvo" who, since at least September 2023, has been serving as the acting head of its representative office in France—the "russian house" in Paris. Under her leadership, the institution implements russian state-sponsored cultural, educational, and historical-patriotic projects, including programs designed to involve foreign children and youth in events held in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine.
On April 3, 2024, she personally participated in the presentation of the international contest "People of Artek," the winners of which received trips to the "Artek" children’s center in the temporarily occupied Crimea. An online meeting with French schoolchildren and their parents took place at the "russian house" in Paris, during which representatives of russian state agencies explained the conditions for participating in the contest and the opportunity to visit Crimea. Zhilina congratulated the participants and emphasized that France’s involvement in this international initiative would be a landmark event. Also participating in the event were Alexander Alimov, director of the department for multilateral humanitarian cooperation and cultural ties at the russian ministry of foreign affairs, and Roman Romanov, coordinator of the "World of Opportunities" party project of the "United russia" party. Alimov invited French schoolchildren to visit "Artek," presenting the temporarily occupied Ukrainian peninsula as russian territory.
According to open sources, 248 schoolchildren from 135 educational institutions in 18 countries participated in the "People of Artek" competition in 2024, from which 100 winners were selected. From July 15 to August 5, 2024, 78 children from 15 countries, including France, Germany, and Finland, attended an international session at "Artek" on the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine. During their stay at the camp, participants took part in events organized by the "Club of Friends of russia" in collaboration with the "United russia" party and met with representatives of russian government agencies. Such programs helped involve foreign children in events organized by the russian federation in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine.
On February 5, 2026, Zhilina opened an international conference in Paris marking the 83rd anniversary of the victory in the Battle of Stalingrad. In her speech, she emphasized the role of soviet troops in turning the tide of World War II. As part of the event, an exhibition by the russian "Battle of Stalingrad" Foundation, titled "Stalingrad in the Fate of France," was presented, dedicated to soviet-French military cooperation. russian and French historians, representatives of civil society organizations, and diplomatic missions participated in the conference. The event was part of the historical and commemorative activities of the russian mission in France.
In October 2026, Zhilina helped organize an international educational session titled "Talent for Growth: In-Demand Fields and Support Tools for African and European Students in russia," which took place at the "russian house" in Paris. The event was dedicated to attracting international students to study at russian institutions of higher education, particularly through state-funded quotas.