SIRIUS /Federal Territory/, March 7. /TASS/. Presidential Administration First Deputy Chief of Staff Sergey Kiriyenko revealed that several mascots, depicting the iconic Russian cartoon character Cheburashka, had been reported stolen at the World Youth Festival.

"Stealing Cheburashkas [from guests] is the only violation of rights that has been repeatedly reported here," the senior Russian official said. "Quite a probe ensued," he added, referring to three incidents where a guest, being the first to enter their shared hotel room, took all of the mascots from the other beds to stash them away in his or her bag or under their bed. All pilfered Cheburashkas were subsequently retrieved, he added.

The World Youth Festival took place in the Sirius Federal Territory in far southern Russia on March 1-7, 2024. More than 300,000 people from 190 countries had applied to take part. Participants in the festival’s regional program will visit 30 Russian cities on March 10-17. TASS is the event’s general information partner.