Participants attend the annual Cadet Ball at the Tavrichesky Palace in Saint Petersburg on March 20, 2026. 300 cadet pairs of Naval, Border, Combined Arms, Emergency Ministry, and Cossack cadet classes from Russia, Mariupol, and Belarus and Boarding school for girls of the Russian Ministry of Defence gathered for a ball dedicated to the 325th anniversary of cadet education in Russia. (Photo by Olga MALTSEVA / AFP)