Yevgeny Yevtushenko arrived in Irkutsk, where he was warmly welcomed by Governor Sergei Yeroshchenko and Mayor Dmitry Berdnikov. The poet said he was moved by the reception, and the regional head proposed awarding him the title of Honorary Citizen of Irkutsk Region. In the evening, a creative evening will be held at the N.P. Okhlopkov Drama Theater, after which Yevtushenko will go to Zima to visit his childhood home and read poems to locals.

Russian poet, prose writer, literary scholar, and publicist Yevgeny Yevtushenko has arrived in Irkutsk. This morning at the railway station he was met by the Governor of the Irkutsk Region, Sergey Eroshchenko, and the city mayor, Dmitry Berdnikov. The poet admitted that he was deeply moved by such a warm welcome.
The head of the region, Sergey Eroshchenko, came up with the initiative to confer on Yevgeny Yevtushenko the title of “Honorary Citizen of the Irkutsk Region,” which was supported by the region’s Honorary Citizens. The title of "Honorary Citizen of the Irkutsk Region" is the highest recognition of a citizen’s merits to the Irkutsk Region and is awarded for especially outstanding achievements in the sphere of public and state activity in the protection of human rights, for activities contributing to the comprehensive development of the Irkutsk Region and to raising its standing in the Russian Federation and abroad. Sergey Eroshchenko will present the badge and ribbon of the “Honorary Citizen of the Irkutsk Region” to Yevgeny Yevtushenko at a ceremonial presentation before the concert.
- I am glad to be in Irkutsk, and I am also looking forward to a trip to my native town of Zima, - the poet told journalists immediately upon arrival. - People welcome us very warmly everywhere. We are doing a great thing; our tour is timed to the 70th anniversary of the Great Victory and the inseparable victory of our literature.
Yevgeny Yevtushenko has already traveled halfway across the country. His concert tour of Russian cities, "A Poet in Russia is More Than a Poet," is taking place in honor of the Year of Literature with an educational mission from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok.
On the evening of June 23, at the N.P. Okhlopkov Drama Theater, Yevgeny Alexandrovich Yevtushenko will hold an evening of creative work. After that he will go to Zima, and will certainly visit the house where he was born; then he will recite poems to his fellow townspeople in the city’s main square.