On the temple grounds of the Church of the Conception of John the Baptist in the village of Gubino, Kaluga region, 11 kilometers from the Stavropol monastery of Optina Deserts, on July 12, 2024, the grand opening of the "Days of Dostoevsky" took place.
The festival, which started in July 2022 with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, is being held for the third time. It is known that F.M. Dostoevsky's meeting with the Optina elder Ambrose in 1878 became one of the most important events in the writer's life and influenced the idea of the Brothers Karamazov, which was just beginning to be realized, the novel completing the "great Pentateuch" of Dostoevsky's best works in this genre. It is significant that the opening of the spiritual and educational project this year fell on the memorial day of the Council of the Glorious and All-Praiseworthy 12 Apostles who preached the Gospel all over the world. F.M. Dostoevsky, at a time of universal fascination with the ideas of nihilism, communicated the truths of the Orthodox faith to the "enlightened" world with his works, thereby fulfilling to some extent and the apostolic mission.
The official part of the event was attended by Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation A.Y. Kuznetsova, Deputy Governor of the Kaluga Region K.M. Gorobtsov, Vice-President of the International Society of F.M. Dostoevsky I.L. Volgin.
This year, a new direction was opened within the framework of the festival — an international student camp, which was attended by young people from 12 countries: Russia, Belarus, China, Greece, Serbia, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Guinea, Costa Rica and Peru. The opening of the camp and the laying of the Dostoevsky oak alley took place in the coastal area of Gubino village. Distinguished guests, representatives of universities, and participants of the student camp planted trees with commemorative plaques along the alley.
Then the official opening ceremony began. Presenter Tutta Larsen presented the program of the upcoming days of the festival and gave the floor to the vicar of the Vvedensky Stavropol Monastery of Optina Deserts, Bishop Joseph of Mozhaisk.
Bishop Joseph noted that the annual event in Optina is expanding its boundaries every time: an increasing number of people want to join this cultural and spiritual event. The increasing attention to the forum indicates that for people the work of F.M. Dostoevsky is still relevant, and its spiritual component is necessary. After the opening speech, the Patriarchal greeting was read out to the participants of the spiritual and educational project "Dostoevsky's Days in the Optina Desert".
Addressing the audience, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma A.Y. Kuznetsova noted that F.M. Dostoevsky can be called one of the apostles of Russia. The classic's works have become the most widely read in the world today.  Kuznetsova also noted that F.M. Dostoevsky was one of the very rare writers who built the building of his artistic work on the solid foundation of the Gospel. The questions he posed to the reader are becoming more and more of a concern to society today. In this regard, honoring the memory of the writer, including holding such events, is seen as particularly important for the cultural and spiritual life of Russia. Kuznetsova concluded her speech with the words: "Dostoevsky in his works encourages us to be older, to work on ourselves and, forcing us to know ourselves, leads the whole country to grow up. It is this maturity that we need today to win on all fronts. Not only on those geographical borders where our military is shedding blood, but also on the spiritual and moral front, where we need weapons and a strong team, the family that our great homeland is becoming now."
Deputy Governor of the Kaluga Region K.M. Gorobtsov emphasized that the event "Dostoevsky Days" became one of the main events of the year for the Kaluga region. The unifying purpose of the festival is especially valuable: these days young people, students and families from all over our country, and this year the world, gather.
Vice-president of the International Society of F.M. Dostoevsky I.L. Volgin began his speech with the words of F.M. Dostoevsky: "I am not known to the people of today, but I will be known to the people of the future." This became one of the prophecies of the writer, the fulfillment of which we can see today. I.L. Volgin also recalled the importance for F.M. Dostoevsky of visiting the Optina Desert and meeting with the elder Ambrose. When the writer returned from the monastery, a new stage of his life began, and the whole educated Russia learned about his name. In conclusion, I.L. Volgin noted that during the festival, everyone should find F.M. Dostoevsky in their own way, stay alone with the writer.
The official opening program of the festival also included a gala concert.
On July 13 and 14, within the framework of the spiritual and educational project "Dostoevsky Days in the Optina Desert", meetings and discussions on the preservation of traditional values, culture and art, concerts, theatrical productions, events of the literary block "Stars Read Dostoevsky" and thematic film screenings are held.