Ulan-Ude beats Chita to become Total Dictation 2026 capital

Ulan-Ude has been selected as the capital of Total Dictation for 2026, surpassing Chita, Pskov, and Obninsk in the final competition.

Apr 16, 2026

The city of Ulan-Ude in Buryatia will serve as the central hub for the annual literacy event.
Source:
Alexander Oshchepkov / NGS.RU

The city of Ulan-Ude has overtaken Chita, Pskov, and Obninsk in the competition for the capital of Total Dictation 2026, RIA Novosti reported on February 1.

Earlier, Chita had outpaced all three rival cities in the public vote. This gave it an advantage but did not guarantee victory.

According to the official portal of Zabaykalsky Krai, Chita«s project did not win first place after the defense, but it received financial support. This will help attract a young audience to the dictation venues.

The literacy check event will take place on April 18, 2026. The author of the dictation text has been chosen as Alexei Varlamov — a writer, publicist, and rector of the Maxim Gorky Literature Institute.

The capital of Total Dictation will host the text author at its main venue and become the heart of the online marathon. Previously, the capitals of Total Dictation in various years have been Vladivostok, Tallinn, Saint Petersburg, Yakutsk, Yaroslavl, Nizhny Tagil, Tomsk, and Sirius.

According to the information agency Chita.Ru (registered with Roskomnadzor — media registration certificate IA No. FS 77-71394 dated October 17, 2017).