Where do Russians live? Ethnic composition of the population of Russia. How many peoples live on the territory of Russia? Federal division of the state

Scientists have long tried to figure out what the Russian people are and the influence of what factors its representatives had to endure. There is an expression: “Scratch any Russian and you will get a Tatar.” However, researchers consider it fundamentally incorrect.

Scientists and folklore claim that Russians are characterized by light eyes, brown hair, tall height, and so on. That is, Russians can be called with complete confidence typical Caucasians. Anthropologists recognize the participation in the genesis of the Russian people of such nationalities as the Finno-Ugric, Pontic, and Baltic ethnic groups.

Despite their long stay under the rule of the Golden Horde, the Russians managed to preserve their own genotype, inherited from the Slavs // Photo: russian7.ru

Thus, despite their long stay under the rule of the Golden Horde, the Russians managed to preserve their own genotype, inherited from the Slavs, and avoid assimilation with the Tatar-Mongols. The secret of such stability lies in the genes of our ancestors. The Slavs also managed to survive during the great migration of peoples.

According to scientists, the Russians should thank the gene mutation for this, which resulted in the formation of the R1a1 haplogroup. This mutation turned out to be so strong that over hundreds of years it managed to become dominant in most of the Eastern European countries. The results of a number of genetic studies have shown that Russian women have significant similarities with residents of Western European countries, but men are more similar to the representatives of the stronger sex of the Baltic and Finno-Ugric peoples.

Statistics

According to the results of the latest population census, about 80% of Russians consider themselves Russian. That's just over one hundred and eleven million people. As for territorial settlement, the largest number of Russians were in Moscow (almost ten million people), the capital region (over six million people), in the vastness of the Krasnodar Territory (about four and a half million people), in St. Petersburg (just under four million people) and the Rostov region (almost three million eight hundred thousand people).

According to the results of the latest population census, about 80% of Russians consider themselves Russian // Photo: life.ru

As for big cities, anthropologists strongly doubt that it is possible to maintain “purity” in a megacity. They usually contain a huge number of different nationalities, and traditions are not guarded too zealously.

Where are the most purebred Russians?

Most researchers unanimously argue that purebred Russians should be looked for in small towns and villages. Especially in the north. Here, according to scientists, a kind of conservation of the Russian gene pool and traditions took place.

In the northern regions of Russia, according to scientists, there has been a kind of conservation of the Russian gene pool and traditions // Photo: ruspravda.info

In search of purebred Russians, anthropologists carefully studied populations whose representatives entered into most marriages within it, and whose descendants continued to be within this population. Thus, they came to the conclusion that about thirty million purebred Russians live in Russia. If you subtract the population of cities, you are left with just under ten million people. At the same time, the Nizhny Novgorod region quite unexpectedly turned out to be “the most Russian”. Even though it is not located in the north, which is considered a reserve of national culture, there were just over three and a half million autochthonous Russians here.

If we take surnames as a basis, the residents of Kuban bear the most original Russian surnames.

Russians are an East Slavic people, ethnic group, nation. They make up the majority of the population of the Russian Federation, as well as a significant part of the population in the countries of the former USSR: Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Latvia, Kyrgyzstan, Estonia, Lithuania, Moldova, Transnistria, Turkmenistan. Large diasporas are present in the USA, Canada, Brazil, and Germany. The total number of Russians in the world currently amounts to, according to various estimates, up to 150 million people, of which in Russia - 116 million (2002) (about 79.8% of the country's population). The most widespread religion among Russians is Orthodox Christianity. The national language is Russian.

Population dynamics

Population dynamics .

Year	Number in the country (RI, USSR)	Dynamics, %	Number in the territory RSFSR, Russian Federation	Dynamics, %
1646	7000000	…
1719	11000000	+57,00%
1795	20000000	+82,00%
1843	36000000	+80,00%
1896	55667469	+54,63%
1926	77791124	+39,74%	74072096
1939	99591520	+28,02%	90306276	+21,92%
1959	114113579	+14,58%	97863579	+8,37%
1970	129015140	+13,06%	107747630	+10,10%
1979	137397089	+6,50%	113521881	+5,36%
1989	145155489	+5,65%	119865946	+5,59%
2002	…	…	115889107	-3,32%
2010	…	…	111016896	-4,20%
* Data for 1646 - 1843 are approximate Data for the RSFSR for 1926 include the Cossack Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, the Kirghiz Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic and the Crimean ASSR (1279979, 116436, 301398 Russians, respectively; without them - 72374283 Russians on the territory of the modern Russian Federation), data for the RSFSR for 1939 includes the Crimean ASSR (558481 Russians, without them - 89747795 Russians not in the territory of the modern Russian Federation) * Data for 1926 - 1939 do not include the territory of Tuva

Settlement and numbers in countries of the world

Russian Empire and USSR

Year	Total number	Outside the borders of the Russian Federation	% from everything
1896	55 667 469	4 680 497	8,4
1926	77 791 124	4 554 439	5,9
1939	99 591 520	9 843 725	9,3
1959	114 113 579	16 250 000	14,2
1970	129 015 140	21 267 510	16,5
1979	137 397 089	23 875 208	17,4
1989	145 155 489	25 289 543	17,4
2000-2010	132 397 124	16 508 017	17,4

Year	Number within the borders of the Russian Federation	Dynamics, %
1896	50 986 972	…
1926	73 538 083	+44,23
1939	89 747 795	+22,04
1959	97 863 579	+9,04
1970	107 747 630	+10,10
1979	113 521 881	+5,36
1989	119 865 946	+5,59
2002	115 889 107	-3,32
2010	111 016 896	-4,20

Conditional borders of the Russian Federation:

As of 1897: 45 central, Siberian and North Caucasian provinces, with the exception of Central Asian, Transcaucasian, Polish, Baltic, Little Russian, Belarusian and Novorossiysk (including Crimea).
As of 1926: RSFSR minus the Kazakh, Kirghiz and Crimean ASSR and Tuva.
As of 1939: RSFSR minus the Crimean ASSR and Tuva.
As of 1959, 1970, 1979, 1989: borders of the RSFSR.

By subject

The following is presented list of subjects of the Russian Federation, sorted initially by the number of Russians as of 2002 according to the results All-Russian Population Census 2002, taking into account changes in the administrative-territorial division as of March 1, 2008.

According to the latest census, 115,889,107 Russians live in Russia, which is 79.8% of the total population.

Russians make up the majority in 70 of the 83 constituent entities of the Federation.

Region	Total number Russians, people	Share Russians, %
Moscow	8808009	84,8
Moscow region	6022763	91,0
Krasnodar region	4436272	86,6
Sverdlovsk region	4002974	89,2
Saint Petersburg	3949623	84,7
Rostov region	3934835	89,3
Nizhny Novgorod Region	3346398	95,0
Chelyabinsk region	2965885	82,3
Samara Region	2708549	83,6
Kemerovo region	2664816	91,9
Krasnoyarsk region	2638281	88,9
Novosibirsk region	2504147	93,0
Perm region	2401659	85,2
Volgograd region	2399300	88,9
Altai region	2398117	92,0
Tyumen region (with Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug and Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug)	2336520	71,6
Irkutsk region	2320493	89,9
Saratov region	2293129	85,9
Voronezh region	2239524	94,1
Stavropol region	2231759	81,6
Primorsky Krai	1861808	89,9
Omsk region	1735512	83,5
Orenburg region	1611509	73,9
Tula region	1595564	95,2
Leningrad region	1495295	89,6
Tatarstan	1492602	39,5
Bashkortostan	1490715	36,3
Vladimir region	1443857	94,7
Belgorod region	1403977	92,9
Kirov region	1365438	90,8
Tver region	1361006	92,5
Bryansk region	1328448	96,3
Yaroslavl region	1301130	95,2
Khabarovsk region	1290264	89,8
Arkhangelsk region (with Nenets Autonomous Okrug)	1258938	94,2
Penza region	1254680	86,4
Vologda Region	1225957	96,6
Kursk region	1184049	95,9
Lipetsk region	1162878	95,8
Ryazan Oblast	1161447	94,6
Tambov Region	1136864	96,5
Ivanovo region	1075815	93,7
Transbaikal region	1037502	89,8
Ulyanovsk region	1004588	72,6
Smolensk region	980073	93,4
Kaluga region	973589	93,5
Tomsk region	950222	90,8
Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug	946590	66,1
Udmurtia	944108	60,1
Kurgan region	932613	91,5
Amur region	831004	92,0
Oryol Region	820024	95,3
Kaliningrad region	786885	82,4
Murmansk region	760862	85,2
Pskov region	717101	94,3
Kostroma region	704049	95,6
Astrakhan region	700561	69,7
Buryatia	665512	67,8
Novgorod region	652165	93,9
Komi	607021	59,6
Karelia	548941	76,6
Mordovia	540717	60,8
Sakhalin region	460778	84,3
Khakassia	438395	80,3
Yakutia	390671	41,2
Chuvashia	348515	26,5
Mari El	345513	47,5
Kamchatka Krai	302827	84,4
Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug	298359	58,8
Adygea	288280	64,5
Kabardino-Balkaria	226620	25,1
Jewish Autonomous Region	171697	89,9
North Ossetia	164734	23,2
Karachay-Cherkessia	147878	33,6
Magadan Region	146511	80,2
Dagestan	120875	4,7
Altai Republic	116510	57,4
Kalmykia	98115	33,6
Tuva	61442	20,1
Chechnya	40645	3,7
Chukotka Autonomous Okrug	27918	51,9
Nenets Autonomous Okrug	25942	62,4
Ingushetia	5559	1,2

Settlement structure

By constituent entity of the Russian Federation

A significant part of Russians live in the central part of Russia, in the south and north-west of Russia, in the Urals. According to the 2002 All-Russian Population Census, among the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, the largest percentage of the Russian population is noted in the Vologda region (96.56%). The share of Russians exceeds 90% in 30 constituent entities of the Russian Federation - mainly in the regions of the Central and Northwestern federal districts. In most national republics, the share of Russians ranges from 30 to 50%. The smallest numerical share of Russians is in Ingushetia, Chechnya and Dagestan (less than 5%).

Around the world

Former countries USSR (percentage of total population)

Russian Federation - 79.8% of the total population of Russia according to the 2002 All-Russian Population Census.
Transnistria - 30.4% of the total population of the PMR, 2004 census.
Latvia - 29.6% according to the 2000 census
Estonia - 25.6% according to the 2000 census,
Kazakhstan - 23.7% according to the 2009 census,
Ukraine - 17.3% according to the 2001 census,
Abkhazia - 10.9% according to the 2003 census,
Belarus - 8.3% according to the 2009 census,
Kyrgyzstan - 7.8% according to the 2009 census,
Lithuania - 6.3% according to the 2001 census,
Moldova - 5.9% according to the 2004 census, excluding the PMR,
Uzbekistan - about 4.9% in 2000,
Turkmenistan - about 3.5% for 2001, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry, or 2% according to the President of Turkmenistan for 2001,
South Ossetia - about 2.8%,
Azerbaijan - 1.8% according to the 1999 census,
Georgia - 1.5% according to the 2002 census, excluding Abkhazia and South Ossetia,
Tajikistan - 1.1% according to the 2000 census,
Armenia - 0.5% according to the 2001 census,
Nagorno-Karabakh - 0.1% according to the 2005 census.

Other countries of the world

USA - approx. 3 million people by origin
Canada - ok. 500,000 people by origin
Brazil - 200 thousand people.
Germany - 187 thousand people.
France - 115 thousand people.
Great Britain - 100 thousand people.
Argentina - 100 thousand people.

Ethnographic groups

In the Russian language, two dialect groups are distinguished - Northern Russian (okayaya) and South Russian (akayaya), each of which is divided into smaller dialect groups. Between the northern and southern dialects is the territory of Central Russian dialects. The border between the northern Russian and southern Russian groups runs along the line Pskov - Tver - Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod. In the northern dialect, three groups of dialects are distinguished: Ladoga-Tikhvin, Vologda and Kostroma. In the southern dialect, five groups of dialects are distinguished: Western, Upper Dnieper, Upper Desninsk, Kursk-Oryol and Eastern (Ryazan).

On the basis of the Central Russian dialect group, the unification of the Russian language and the entire culture occurs. Currently, due to the development of school education and mass media, differences in dialects have decreased significantly.

Based on differences in the type of economy, characteristics of folk culture, and religious differences, a number of ethnographic groups are distinguished among Russians:

Goryuny
Gurans
Tundra peasants
Cossacks
Masons (Bukhtarma)
Kamchadal
Karymy
Kerzhaks - in the Nizhny Novgorod Trans-Volga region, in the Urals and in Siberia.
Kolyma residents
Lipovane (Romania)
Markovites
Molokans - in the North Caucasus, Transcaucasia and the Pacific coast of the USA
Oboyantsy - in the south of Odessa region, in Budzhak
Odnodvortsy
Polehi
Poles (ethnographic group of Russians)
Pomors - on the coasts of the White and Barents Seas
Ptishany - in the north-west of the Stavropol Territory
Pushkari (ethnographic group of Russians)
Russkoustyintsy
Sayans (ethnographic group of Russians)
Semeyskie - in Transbaikalia
Siberians
Sitskari
Tudovlyans
Tsukany - in the Tambov region
Shapovala - in the south of the Bryansk region
Yakutians

Anthropology of Russians

According to most anthropological characteristics, Russians occupy a central position among the peoples of Europe. Russian populations are quite homogeneous in anthropological terms. Average anthropological indicators either coincide with average Western European values or deviate from them, remaining, however, within the fluctuations of Western groups.

The following characteristics can be noted that distinguish Russians from Western European populations:

Lighter pigmentation. The proportion of light and medium shades of hair and eyes is increased, the proportion of dark shades is reduced;

Decreased eyebrow and beard growth;

Moderate face width;

The predominance of an average horizontal profile and a medium-high nose bridge;

Less slope of the forehead and weaker development of the brow.

The Russian population is characterized by the extremely rare occurrence of epicanthus. Out of more than 8.5 thousand Russian males examined, epicanthus was found only 12 times, and only in its infancy. The same extremely rare occurrence of epicanthus is observed among the population of Germany. Based on the results of studies of Y-chromosomal markers, two groups of Russian populations are distinguished. In the northern group (Mezen, Pinega, Krasnoborsk) closeness with neighboring Finno-Ugric and Baltic populations was revealed, which may be explained by a common substrate. The South-Central group, which includes the vast majority of Russian populations, is included in a common cluster with Belarusians, Ukrainians and Poles. According to the results of a study of mitochondrial DNA markers, as well as autosomal markers, Russians are similar to other populations of Central and Eastern Europe. High unity in autosomal markers of East Slavic populations and their significant differences from neighboring Finno-Ugric, Turkic and North Caucasian peoples have been revealed. In Russian populations, there is an extremely low frequency of genetic traits characteristic of Mongoloid populations. The frequencies of East Eurasian markers among Russians correspond to the European average.

Language

The Russian language belongs to the eastern subgroup of Slavic languages, which are part of the Indo-European family of languages. The Russian language uses writing based on the Russian alphabet, which goes back to the Cyrillic alphabet (Cyrillic alphabet).

Russian language is the only official language on the territory of Russia. . According to data published in the magazine “Language Monthly” (No. 3, 1997), approximately 300 million people around the world at that time spoke Russian (which put it in 5th place in terms of prevalence), of which 160 million considered it their native language (7th place in the world). The total number of Russian speakers in the world, according to an estimate in 1999, is about 167 million, and another 110 million people speak Russian as a second language.

Russian, along with Belarusian, is also the official language in Belarus. In addition, Russian is one of the three state languages of the unrecognized Transnistria.

The Russian language is the official language (in all cases, another language or other languages acts as the state or second official) in the following states and in certain territories of the states:

In Kazakhstan ( in state organizations and local governments, Russian is officially used along with Kazakh- Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Art. 7, paragraph 2),
In Kyrgyzstan ( In the Kyrgyz Republic, Russian is used as the official language- Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic),
In partially recognized South Ossetia (Constitution of the Republic of South Ossetia, Art. 4, paragraph 2),
In part of Moldova (autonomous Gagauzia),
In some Judean communes (Constanza and Tulcea in Romania), where the Lipovan Old Believers are an officially recognized minority.

Russian language has the status of a language government and other institutions in partially recognized Abkhazia (Constitution of Abkhazia, Art. 6) and regional status in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea within Ukraine (since 2010) and some regions of Ukraine.

In a Gallup, Inc. sociological study on attitudes toward the Russian language in post-Soviet countries, 92% of the population in Belarus, 83% in Ukraine, 68% in Kazakhstan and 38% in Kyrgyzstan chose Russian to fill out the survey questionnaire. . The Institute designated this section of the study as “Russian as the Mother Tongue” (Russian as a native language). The verbal construction of questions and the practical difficulties of conducting surveys may have introduced errors or bias into the results.

In the USA, in the state of New York, in 2009, an amendment was made to the election legislation, according to which in all cities of the state with a population of more than a million people, all documents related to the election process must be translated into Russian. Russian has become one of the eight foreign languages in New York in which all official election campaign materials must be printed. Previously, the list included Spanish, Korean, Filipino, Creole and three dialects of Chinese.

Until 1991, Russian was the language of interethnic communication of the USSR, de facto performing the functions of the state language. It continues to be used in countries that were formerly part of the USSR, as a native language for a significant part of the population and as a language of interethnic communication. In places where emigrants from the countries of the former USSR live compactly (Israel, Germany, Canada, the USA, Australia, etc.), Russian-language periodicals are published, radio stations and television channels operate, Russian-language schools are opened where Russian is actively taught (for example, Shevach-Mofet). In Israel, Russian is studied in the upper grades of some high schools as a second foreign language. In Eastern European countries, until the end of the 1980s, Russian was the main foreign language in schools. All astronauts working on the ISS must study spoken Russian.

Ethnic history

Until the 20th century

The ethnic origin of the first bearers of the ethnonym Rus is still debatable. The Norman theory assumes their Scandinavian origin, other scientists consider them Slavs, others - Iranian-speaking nomads (Roxalans), others - other Germanic tribes - Goths, Rugs, etc. M. V. Lomonosov developed a theory about the Finno-Ugric origin of the ethnonym, but modern It is generally considered obsolete by scientists.

Around the 12th century, as a result of the merger of East Slavic tribal unions, the Old Russian nationality was formed. Its further consolidation was prevented by the feudal disintegration of Kievan Rus and the Tatar-Mongol invasion, and the unification of the principalities under the rule of several states (the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth) laid the foundation for its further disintegration into three modern peoples: Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians . It should be noted that not all scientists completely agree with the proposed scheme (V.V. Sedov, E.M. Zagorulsky, B.N. Florya), and some do not recognize the existence of a single ancient Russian nation at any historical stage. The Russian ethnos was mainly formed from the descendants of the following East Slavic tribes: Ilmen Slovenians, Krivichi, Vyatichi, Northerners and Radimichi. To a lesser extent, the formation of the Russian people was affected by the later assimilation of part of the Finno-Ugric tribes (Merya, Meshchera, Murom) who lived in the northeastern territories colonized by the Slavs. It should be noted that the assimilation of the Finno-Ugric tribes living on the Russian Plain had virtually no effect on the anthropological type of the Slavic colonists. This may be explained by the proximity of the Finno-Ugric population of the Russian Plain to the rest of the population of Eastern Europe. A noticeable Finno-Ugric component is noted among northern Russians, in particular among the Pomors. In addition, the supposedly Baltic-speaking Golyad tribe was assimilated by the Eastern Slavs, mainly the Vyatichi. Based on this fact, in the 19th century, some Polish historians (for example, Franciszek Duchinsky) generally denied the Russians (Great Russians) to belong to the Slavs (Dukhinsky believed that the Russians were a Balto-Germanic mixture with an insignificant Slavic and Finno-Ugric element). This theory, recognized from the very beginning as having political rather than scientific foundations, still has followers.

It should be noted that the origin of Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians is still a controversial issue and too politicized to hope for a complete resolution.

In the 15th century, Russians began to populate the steppe regions of the Volga region and the North Caucasus, the Urals, and in the 17th century they colonized Siberia and the Far East. The largest role in the initial stages of colonization of Siberia and the Far East was played by Cossacks and Pomors. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, a new wave of Russian colonization of Siberia and the Far East took place, this time predominantly peasant. In the 17th-19th centuries, Russians were understood as a combination of three ethnographic groups: Great Russians, Little Russians (Rusyns were also included here) and Belarusians, that is, all Eastern Slavs. It amounted to 86 million (1897) or 72.5% of the population of the Russian Empire. This was the dominant point of view, reflected in encyclopedic publications (see the section “Historical Sources”). However, already from the beginning of the 19th century, a number of researchers considered the differences between the groups to be sufficient to recognize them as distinct peoples. In connection with the subsequent deepening of these differences and the national self-determination of Ukrainians and Belarusians, the ethnonym “Russians” ceased to apply to them and was preserved only for the Great Russians, replacing the previous ethnonym. The results of such a change in concepts did not become visible immediately: after the first Soviet census, about half of the inhabitants of Kuban and the majority of residents of Novorossiya (including Donbass) were classified as Ukrainians in connection with the replacement of the concept of “Russian of Little Russian origin”, but a spontaneous protest against Ukrainization among the Kuban Cossacks, as well as the rehabilitation of the Cossacks in the 1930s, decisively returned the Russian names to the Kuban people. Nowadays, when talking about pre-revolutionary Russia, Russians are understood only as Great Russians - in particular, claiming that Russians made up 43% of its population (about 56 million).

In the XX-XXI centuries

In the 20th century, Russians experienced one of the most difficult periods in their history. As a result of the First World War and the Civil War of 1918-1922, Russia lost large territories; a significant number of representatives of the aristocracy, intelligentsia, Cossacks, officers and other social strata left it. The Russians lost significant layers of national customs and Orthodox culture; during the war itself and the period that followed, a huge number of the population died.

Catastrophic damage to the Russian ethnic group was inflicted during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Among the 8.66 million Soviet soldiers who died at the front and died in captivity, 5.76 million (66.4%) were Russians; some regions with a predominantly Russian population were occupied. The total military and civilian losses of the USSR in the Second World War amounted to about 27 million dead, among whom Russians made up the majority. These losses affected not only the current population decline, but had a catastrophic impact on the rate of population growth due to the death of people and unborn future generations. In the early 1990s, the decline in the number of Russians began: in Russia due to population decline, in the former republics of the USSR - also also in connection with the emigration of the Russian population to Russia, as well as to the EU countries, the USA, Australia and other countries. In particular, during 1989-2002 the number of Russians in Russia itself decreased from 120 to 116 million people, in Ukraine during 1989-2001 - from 11.4 to 8.3 million, in Kazakhstan during 1989-1999. - from 6.2 million to 4.5 million Thus, from 1989 to 1999-2004. the total number of Russians in the former USSR decreased from 145.2 million (50.5% of 285.7 million people in the USSR) to 133.8 million people. (46.7% of 286.3 million people) or by 7.8%, however, taking into account some bias in census data in some former Soviet republics, the number of Russians as a whole can reach more than 137 million people on the territory of the former USSR. (or 47.9%). In the countries of Western Europe, the USA, and Australia, the number of Russians by the beginning of the 21st century, on the contrary, increased due to immigration from the countries of the former USSR.

Discrimination against Russians in the 20th-21st centuries

Over the years, the “Bulletin of the Russian Academy of Sciences” noted the almost universal oppression of Russians by titular ethnic groups in the former Soviet republics and in some administrative entities of Russia, and also pointed out the difficult state of the Russian ethnic group.

Evolution of the ethnonym

Rus', Rusyn, Rusak, Russian land, Russian people

The ancient collective designation for all inhabitants of the ancient Russian state was Rus. To denote singularity the word was used Rusyn, which occurs for the first time in treaties between Russian princes and the Greeks in the 10th century. Until the 18th century, this word denoted the Slavic Orthodox population of the North-Eastern principalities and the Moscow State, especially in contrast with Tatar, Busurman, Jews, nemchin, Latin etc. The word Russian, plural Russians was not used separately as it is now (that is, as a noun), but only as an adjective in combinations Russian land, Russian man, Russian people, Russian people, Russian language etc. . At the same time with Rusyn the word hare was in use (compare Pole, Slovak), however now this word has a connotation of vernacular. The neologism rusichi is only found in The Tale of Igor's Campaign.

Quotes

Quotations from ancient documents are given only those that relate to Northern and North-Eastern Rus'.

“Rusin should not invite Latin to fight on the field near the Russian land, and Latin should not invite Rusin to fight in the field near Rize and on the Gothic birch.”

Total word in Smolensk Pravda Rusyn occurs 35 times.

And in Chuner, the Khan took a stallion from me, and found out that Yaz was not a Besermenian - a Rusin.

Many of our wounds, and those help, sect the filthy without mercy: only the Rusyns should drive out a hundred filthy ones.

But whatever the origin of the name “Russia,” this people, speaking the Slavic language, professing the faith of Christ according to the Greek rite, calling themselves Russi in their native language, and called Rhuteni in Latin, multiplied so much that they either drove out those living among them other tribes, or forced them to live in his way, so that they are all now called by the same name “Russians” (Rutheni).

... Here, with the help of God, I write the words as necessary, the Germans speak with the Rusyns, the Russians speak from household affairs and all sorts of matters, speaking.

Therefore, it is a mistake to call them Muscovites and not Russians, as is done not only by us who live in the distance, but also by their closer neighbors. They themselves, when asked what nation they are, answer: Russac (Russian), that is, Russians, and if they are asked where from, they answer: is Moscova - from Moscow, Vologda, Ryazan or other cities. But you also need to know that there are two Russias, namely: the one that bears the title of empire, which the Poles call White Rus', and the other - Black Rus', which is owned by the Polish kingdom and which adjoins Podolia.

There will be some Gentiles, no matter what faith, or Russian people...

...tsy in Russian: Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner! And leave Kireleison alone; so hello to say; spit on them! After all, Mikhailovich, you are a Russian, not a Greek. Speak in your natural language; do not disparage him in church, in home, or in proverbs.

Exoethnonym "Muscovites"

With the growth of the Moscow state and the subordination of all North-Eastern Rus' to the Moscow prince at the turn of the 15th-16th centuries. exoethnonym arose in Europe moscovitae(sometimes in short form mosc(h)i, Moscow), Muscovites by the name of the capital of the state. Using the Latin suffix - itēs, names of peoples are formed, compare Semites, Hamites, Japhetites, Elamites, Levites. A theory arose and spread that the Muscovite people (like all Slavs, by the way) come from the biblical Mosoch. There was also probably an influence of the Russian word Muscovites, units h. moskvitin. Initially Moscow denoted only the city itself, and accordingly Muscovites- only residents of the city and its environs, but then it passed to all residents of the state, regardless of where they live (a striking example of synecdoche, that is, a transition from the private (the name of the capital) to the whole (the name of the state and its inhabitants). For example, The Parisian dictionary of Muscovites was compiled in Kholmogory, so in this case Muscovites meant the inhabitants of Pomerania.However, in Russia itself the Latin word Muscovites were not used, and only residents of Moscow were called Muscovites (Muscovites). A similar word was used in Turkic languages mosqovlu(see Moskal). Often the collective word for residents of Russia in Eastern European languages was simply Moscow or Moscow(compare Lithuania, Litvins).However, in old sources, in parallel with Muscovites forms from the root are almost always found rus: Reussen, Reissen, Russen, Rutheni, Russi, Rusci(See, for example, Guagnini, Herberstein or Petrei).
In the 19th century, the popular scientific journal Moskvityanin was published.

Rus(s), Russians, Russians, Great Russians

Even in Arabic and Greek sources of the 9th century there is a short form rus/Ross. In the 14th century, a legend appeared about the brothers Czech and Lech, then Rus “joined” them. This legend is reflected in Russian books already in the 17th century. Thus the ethnonym Rus was rethought, and residents began to sometimes be called briefly rus(s)ami.Under the influence of the Greek language in the 16th-17th centuries, a book form appeared in the Russian language Russia(adjective Russian) from Ῥώς . This form Russia became popular in connection with the rethinking of the works of ancient authors who told about the Roxolani people in Scythia. A theory arose that the Russian people descended from the Roksolan tribe, with a change in the name of one letter and the disappearance of the second root. Words Russia And Russian were popular for a long time in Russian literature of the 18th-19th centuries, especially in poetry. In the 18th century the word Russia receives final registration in a “Russified” form Russians(other rare options: Russians, Russians, and adjective Russian). However, this word did not designate residents or subjects of the Russian Empire, but rather marked the ethnic affiliation with the Russian people. All these forms: rus(s), rossy, rossiyans replaced the word Rusyn and became the main ethnonyms in the 18th and early 19th centuries. However, at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries, the transition to seminalism and romanticism began, meaning an approach to folk themes and a simpler language. Therefore, in the 19th century, the popular substantivized adjective Russian replaces old Greekism. Since the middle of the 19th century, the distinction “Russian” has been developed like belonging to a state, and Russian (person, language) as belonging to the people Also in the 17th-19th centuries, a theory was formed about the division of the Russian people into three branches: Great Russians (Great Russians), Little Russians, and Belarusians. Since the 1920s Russians began to mean only Great Russians

Earlier spelling variants of the ethnonym “Russian”

Modern and more etymologically and morphologically correct spelling from Old Russian. russk(-yi), with root Rus- and the suffix - sk- was finally established only in the 19th century. Much earlier at the word Russian there were many spelling variations, primarily with one With: Russians, Russians, Russians, Russians, Russians, etc. It is popular Russian, With - Ouch instead of - th(compare vernacular. small and books lit. small), since in Great Russian dialects Old Russian - th developed into - Ouch. Writing with - th established under the influence of the Church Slavonic language.

Modern term

In modern Russian language

Russian- partially substantivized adjective. Old Russian adjective russk(-yi) derived from the root rus- using the suffix - sk-, which forms derivatives from place names, compare nazaretsk‘from Nazareth’. Rus was both the name of the state of the Eastern Slavs and their early ethnonym. Until the 18th century, the self-name was Rusyn, plural Rus or Rusyns. From the 17th-18th centuries it was gradually replaced by Russians, Russia or Russians, and later from the 18th-19th centuries - to Great Russians. In the 18th-19th centuries a new collective ethnonym was introduced Russians, which however designated all three at once East Slavic people, and only after 1917 - only Great Russians.

In other languages

Most world languages use the root rus- . However, in Byzantine sources, in addition to the stem with - at-, the base with - is also presented O-: Ῥώς, Ῥωσ(σ)ία, ῥωσιστί , where the name Russia ultimately comes from. This Greek vowel is represented today in three languages: Greek ( ρώσοι ), Ukrainian ( Russians) and Polish ( rosjanie). Some languages have different vowels (with - O- or others) is explained by the internal development of the language, and not by Greek influence: orosz , orys, urys and etc.

The Finnish and Estonian languages use a root presumably derived from the Vyatichi or Wends: venelased, venäläiset. In the Baltic languages, a root derived from the Krivichi tribe is used: krievi, mouth kriẽvai.

Russian culture and philosophy

Representatives of the Russian people, ethnic group, and nation have formed such a broad, multifaceted, global phenomenon as Russian culture.

Russian literature

Russian literature is one of the richest and most colorful in the world. She owns the names of such authors as Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Nekrasov, Krylov, Griboyedov, Fonvizin, Derzhavin, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Turgenev, Yesenin, Sholokhov and many others. Russian literature, especially Russian prose of the 19th century, had a significant influence on the development of world culture. The works of Russian writers have been translated into many languages of the world and published in multi-million copies.

Russian music

The Russian musical heritage includes both Russian folk music and the work of Russian composers of the 16th-20th centuries, Russian musical folklore, Russian romance, popular music of the Soviet and post-Soviet period, Russian rock, and the work of bards. Russian composers such as Glinka, Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Stravinsky, Rachmaninov and others are generally recognized throughout the world and have had a significant influence on world culture.

Russian artistic crafts

For many centuries, the Russian people have created a unique culture of folk arts and crafts. Russian folk crafts - Gzhel, Khokhloma, Zhostovo painting, Gorodets painting, Mezen painting on wood, filigree , enamel , Palekh miniature, Fedoskino miniature and others are widely known not only in Russia, but also abroad, and have received worldwide recognition.

Russian national costume

Although differing in individual elements, Russian folk clothing of the northern and southern regions contains common basic features. A man's suit consisted of a shirt-shirt and narrow trousers made of canvas or dyed fabric. A shirt made of white or colored canvas was worn over pants and belted with a belt or long woolen sash. The outerwear was a zipun or caftan, and the shoes were boots or bast shoes.

Women's costume in the northern and southern regions differed in individual details and the location of decoration. The main difference was the predominance of the sundress in the northern costume, and the poneva in the southern costume. The main elements of women's folk costume were a shirt, an apron, a sundress or poneva, a bib, and a shushpan.

Russian kitchen

Dishes such as porridge, cabbage soup, dumplings, pancakes, kvass, okroshka, rye bread and others are traditionally associated with Russian cuisine. Like the cuisines of other countries, Russian cuisine throughout its history has absorbed a large number of different culinary traditions of neighboring peoples. Slavic traditional dishes had a significant influence on the formation of Russian cuisine. For some time, the fast and fast tables were separated. Isolating some products from others led to some simplification of the menu, but also led to the creation of many original dishes, which later became the hallmark of Russian cuisine.

Interest in the Russian culinary tradition outside Russia arose in the 19th century. In a matter of decades, Russian cuisine gained popularity in Europe, and then in the world, and since then it has rightfully enjoyed a reputation as one of the most delicious and diverse.

Russians in world science

Science as a public institution arose in Russia under Peter I. In 1725, as part of the general course towards modernizing the country, the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences was created, where many famous European scientists were invited. Academician Mikhail Lomonosov made a great contribution to the development of Russian and world science, made many discoveries in the fields of astronomy, chemistry, and physics. In 1755 he founded Moscow University.

In the 19th century, Russian science reached the world level. The Russian chemist D.I. Mendeleev discovered in 1869 one of the fundamental laws of nature - the periodic law of chemical elements. The research and inventions in the field of metallurgy by P. P. Anosov, P. M. Obukhov and others were of global importance. V. G. Shukhov’s discoveries in the oil and construction industries were significant. In the field of electrical engineering: V.V. Petrova, N.G. Slavyanov, M.O. Dolivo-Dobrovolsky and other inventors.

In 1904, I. P. Pavlov was awarded the Nobel Prize for his work in the field of digestive physiology, in 1908 - I. I. Mechnikov - for research into the mechanisms of immunity. One of the outstanding scientists and philosophers of the 20th century, Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky, created the doctrine of the biosphere, about the noosphere, developed the fundamentals of geochemistry, biogeochemistry, radiogeology, hydrogeology and other areas, and made an invaluable contribution to the development of other natural sciences. The creator of many scientific schools. His works fundamentally changed the scientific worldview of the 20th century.

In the 20th century, under the leadership of Igor Vasilyevich Kurchatov, the Russian nuclear industry was created. Under him, the development of domestic nuclear weapons began, which gave the USSR, and subsequently the Russian Federation, a guarantee against any foreign invasion. In 1957, under the leadership of Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, the first artificial Earth satellite was launched into low-Earth orbit, and in 1961, the first manned space satellite ship.

Religion

According to legend, the first preacher of Christianity on Russian lands was Andrew the First-Called. The baptism of Kievan Rus, which then united all the Eastern Slavs, was performed in 988 by Prince Vladimir.

Christianity came to Rus' from Byzantium in the form of the Eastern rite (after the Great Schism of 1054 - Orthodoxy) and began to spread in the upper strata of society long before this event. Meanwhile, the abandonment of paganism proceeded slowly. The Magi (priests) of the old gods had a noticeable influence back in the 11th century. Until the 13th century, princes received two names - pagan at birth and Christian at baptism (Vsevolod the Big Nest, for example, also bore the name Dmitry); but this is not necessarily explained by the remnants of paganism (“princely”, the dynastic name had a state and clan rather than a pagan-religious status).

The largest religious organization uniting Orthodox Russians is the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), its dioceses, autonomous Orthodox churches and self-governing parts of the ROC - the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the Japanese Orthodox Church - function abroad.

In the 17th century, some Russians did not support the church reforms carried out by Patriarch Nikon, which caused a schism and the emergence of Old Believers. Large Old Believer organizations are also ethnographic groups.

Many pagan beliefs survived in modified form until the 20th century and even to this day, existing together with Christianity. The attitude of the Russian Orthodox Church towards them is ambiguous, from disapproval to inclusion in the official cult. Among them are rituals (the holidays of Maslenitsa, Ivan Kupala, Navy Day, etc.), and belief in creatures of pagan mythology (brownies, goblins, mermaids, etc.), witchcraft, fortune telling, omens, etc. The second largest denomination among Russians there is Protestantism (1-2 million). According to expert estimates, already in 1996 there were over a million Protestant believers in Russia, belonging to dozens of different churches. The largest Protestant movement in Russia is Baptistism (according to various sources, from 85,000 to 450,000 registered members, the real number is higher due to unregistered associations), which has a 140-year history in Russia. There is also a large number of Pentecostals and charismatics (the so-called “neo-Pentecostals”), there are Calvinists, Lutherans, Seventh-day Adventists, Methodists, and Presbyterians. Some Russians are followers of such para-Christian religious associations as Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons and Moonies.

There are more than 200 parishes of the Catholic Church in Russia. The total number of Catholics is less than a million.

Currently, there is an interest of a small part of the Russian population in paganism in the form in which it existed before the introduction of Christianity in Rus'. The number of adherents of the pagan (Rodnoverie) religion is currently small. In the 1980s, various movements of Hinduism (Gaudia-Vaishnavism, etc.), Buddhism (Geluk, Zen, Theravada) penetrated into Russia, and Confucian unions were created.

After the October Revolution of 1917, Christian churches (the Russian Orthodox Church, other branches of Orthodoxy, Protestant and Catholic) experienced serious persecution (and some Protestants even under the tsarist regime), many churches, monasteries and houses of worship were closed, destroyed or turned into museums, warehouses, workshops etc., the ideology of scientific atheism was introduced at the highest level.

Due to the change in the political situation in the country and the proclamation of freedom of conscience, Christian churches (and other religions) were able to freely conduct religious activities, although a certain part of the population is atheistic.

Notes

All-Russian Population Census 2002. National composition
E. F. Zyablovsky Statistical description of the Russian Empire in its current state. - St. Petersburg, 1808. - P. 106.
P. Y. Shafarik Slavic folk writing. - Moscow, 1843. - P. 12.
Index to the Russian Ethnographic Exhibition. - Moscow, 1867. - P. 42.
Kabuzan V.M. Peoples of Russia in the 18th century: Number and ethnic composition. - M., 1990. - P. 84-86, 225-230.
Demoscope Weekly app.
Mironov B. N. Social history of Russia during the imperial period (XVIII - early XX centuries). The genesis of the individual, the democratic family, civil society and the rule of law. In 2 vols. . - St. Petersburg. , 1999 T. 1. - P. 20.
Transnistria (PMR) is legally part of Moldova, in fact - a self-proclaimed state, recognized only by two partially recognized states: South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The population census in Moldova on October 5-12, 2004 was carried out without taking into account the population of the PMR. In the PMR in 2004, an independent population census was conducted on November 11-18, 2004 (Demoscope. Results of the 2004 PMR population census)
Latvian population census 2000
NKR Population Census 2005, 5-3, Resident population by nationality, gender and level of education
Durnovo N.N., Sokolov N.N., Ushakov D.N. Experience of a dialectological map of the Russian language in Europe with the application of an essay on Russian dialectology. - M., 1915.
Zakharova K. F., Orlova V. T. Dialectal division of the Russian language. - M., 1970.
Publication Russian Ethnographic Museum: Explanatory Dictionary: Russian on the website ethnomuseum.ru
The attribution of Siberians to the Russian nation is ambiguous, cm.: 1) On the eve of the census in Russia, Siberians demand a separate nationality // RosBalt. - information Agency. - 09.09.2010; 2) 24.5 million people during the census will be able to call themselves Siberians // All-Russian population census 2010.- website. - 09/06/2010.
The list of links can be continued.
The inclusion of Cossacks in the Russian nation is ambiguous.
Deryabin V. E. Modern East Slavic peoples // Eastern Slavs. Anthropology and ethnic history / Edited by. - 2nd edition, expanded. - Moscow: Scientific World, 2002. - P. 30-59. - 342 s. - 1000 copies. - ISBN 5-89176-164-5
Bunak V.V. Origin and ethnic history of the Russian people according to anthropological data. - Moscow: Science, 1965. - T. 88 (new series). - (USSR Academy of Sciences. Proceedings of the Institute of Ethnography named after N.N. Miklouho-Maclay).
Mongoloid elements in the population of Central Europe (ru) // Uch. zap. Moscow State University. - Moscow: 1941. - V. 63. - P. 235-270.
Oleg Balanovsky, Siiri Rootsi, Andrey Pshenichnov, Toomas Kivisild, Michail Churnosov, Irina Evseeva, Elvira Pocheshkhova, Margarita Boldyreva, Nikolay Yankovsky, Elena Balanovska, and Richard Villems(English) // Am J Hum Genet. - 2008. - T. 82. - No. 1. - P. 236-250.
Boris Malyarchuk, Miroslava Derenko, Tomasz Grzybovsky, Arina Lunkina, Jakub Charny, Serge Rychkov, Irina Morozova, Galina Denisova, Danuta Miscicka-Sliwka Differentiation of Mitochondrial DNA and Y Chromosomes in Russian Populations (English). - 2005.
Dmitry A. Verbenko, A.N. Knjazev, A.I. Mikulich, E.K. Khusnutdinova, N.A. Bebyakova, S.A. Limborska Variability of the 3'ApoB Minisatellite Locus in Eastern Slavonic Populations (English) // Hum Here. - 2005. - T. 60. - No. 1. - P. 10-18.
Khromova N. A. Polymorphism of the HLA system in representatives of different Slavic ethnic groups (Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian) (ru): Abstract. - Moscow: 2006.
Balanovskaya E. V., Balanovsky O. P. Russian gene pool on the Russian Plain. - Moscow: Luch, 2007. - 416 p. - 5000 copies //
All-Union Population Census of 1989. National composition of the RSFSR and other SSRs.
“Russians in the Russian Federation” - Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Chief Researcher at the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of the Russian Academy of Sciences Viktor Ivanovich Kozlov, “Bulletin of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, 1995, volume 65, M 3, p. 795-205: “There is no doubt that the situation of more than 25 million Russians, cut off by political borders from their historical homeland, almost universally oppressed by the titular ethnic groups of the former Soviet republics, and now sovereign states, deserves every possible attention.”
"Nation State or Democratic Society?" , Cheshko Sergey Viktorovich - candidate of historical sciences, researcher at the Institute of Ethnography named after. N. N. Miklouho-Maclay of the USSR Academy of Sciences, “ Bulletin of the Russian Academy of Sciences", 1990: “It is often argued that the territories and regions of the RSFSR do not need to reproduce the ethnic culture of a given (Russian) ethnic group - this, they say, somehow happens at the level of Russia as a whole (isn’t it in the Ministry of Culture of the RSFSR?) - but the “non-Russian” allied republics perform this function in relation to their “status” ethnic groups. In other words, ethnic groups are understood as dehumanized substances, “unique values,” and the rights, interests, and needs of living people are relegated to the background (there are already too many Russians!”
V. V. Stepanov“Focuses of interethnic tension: reality and forecast” // and modern explanatory dictionaries by Kuznetsov and Ushakov
Encyclopedia "Tales of Igor's Campaign"
Latin suffix - itēs, -ita, plural - itae comes from the Greek -(ί)της, denoting belonging to a country, it corresponds to the suffix - ite in English and French.
Mosoh, the sixth son of Afetiv, grandson, Noah, [his name] is translated from Hebrew into Slavic as “the one who draws” or “the one who draws” from the bow that is pulled, and from the expansion of the large and numerous peoples of the Moscow Slavonic-Russian - Polish , Volyn, Czech, Bulgarian, Serbian, Karvatsky and in general all, how many of them there are, which naturally use the Slavic language. And so from Mosoh, the forefather of the Slavonic Russian, from his inheritance, not only Moscow - a great people, but all of Rus' or the above-mentioned Russia came, although in certain lands some things about the Slavs have changed, but they speak the only Slavic language.
Mémoires de l "Académie impériale des sciences de St. Petersbourg. - St. Petersbourg, 1851 T. 6. - P. 470.
Cihac, A. Dictionnaire d'étymologie daco-romane. - Francfort s/M., 1879. - P. 204.
Linde, S. B. Slownik jezyka polskiego. - 2. - Lwów, 1857 T. 3. - P. 162.
Etymological dictionary of Ukrainian language. - K., 1989 T. 3: Kora - M
The Roxolani of Pliny and Ptolemy, the Roxana of Strabo are now called Rutheni: they are divided into the Whites, with the capital Moscow and Veliky Novgorod, and into the Rubri, subject to Poland.
I find that the people whom we call Muscovites, according to the testimony of Pliny, were called Roxalani; Ptolemy, with a change in one letter, calls them Rosolans on the eighth map of Europe, and partly Strabo. They have long been called Rutens.
Meie A. Common Slavic language: Transl. from fr. = Le Slave Commun (1932). - M: Progress Publishing Group, 2001. - P. 292-293. - 500 s.
Old Hungarian narrow vowel u during the Old Hungarian period (X-XV centuries) expanded into o. Thus, initially Hungarian also had a vowel u (cm. Fundamentals of Finno-Ugric linguistics. - M., 1976. - P. 375-376.)
Phonetically urus.
History of religion in Russia. M., 2001. P. 582
Directory “Religious Associations of the Russian Federation”. M., 1996. P. 112
L. Mitrokhin. Baptistism: history and modernity//L. M. Mitrokhin. Philosophical and logical essays. - St. Petersburg: RKhGI, 1997. - P. 356-469.
“History of Evangelical Christian Baptists in the USSR.” Publishing house VSEKhB, Moscow, 1989
For example, Union of Slavic Communities, Velesov Circle and so on.

Research on the ethnogenesis of Russians: some literature

Pre-revolutionary researchers

Kostomarov N. Two Russian nationalities // Osnova. - St. Petersburg, 1861. - March.
Shakhmatov A. On the issue of the formation of Russian dialects and Russian nationalities // Journal of the Ministry of Public Education. - 1899. - April.

Soviet researchers

Braichevsky M. Origin of Rus'. - K., 1968.
Derzhavin N. Origin of the Russian people. - M., 1944.
Lyapunov B. The oldest mutual connections between the languages of Russian and Ukrainian and some conclusions about the time of their emergence as separate linguistic groups. On Sat. Russian historical lexicology. - M., 1968.
Mavrodin V. Formation of a unified Russian state. - P., 1951.
Rybakov B. A. The first centuries of Russian history. - M., 1964.
Filin F. Origin of Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian languages. - P., 1972.
Issues of formation of the Russian nationality and nation. - M. - L., 1958.
Peoples of the European part of the USSR, vol. I. - M., 1964.
Origin and ethnic history of the Russian people according to anthropological data / Ed. V. Bunaka. - M., 1965.
Russians. Historical and ethnographic atlas. - M., 1967.
L. N. Gumilyov. From Rus' to Russia. - M., 2004.

Modern Russian researchers

Poghosyan E. Rus' and Russia in historical writings of the 1730-1780s // Russia / Russia. - Vol. 3 (11): Cultural practices in ideological perspective. - M.: OGI, 1999. - P. 7-19
Groys B. Search for Russian national identity // Questions of philosophy. - 1992. - No. 9. - P. 52-60.
Rybakovsky L. L. Russians: ethnic homogeneity? - Institute of Socio-Political Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 1998.

International researchers

Grushevsky M. History of Ukraine-Rus. - T. 1. - 2nd ed. - Kyiv, 1913 (New York, 1954).
Kurennoy P. Soviet concepts of the origin of the Great Russian nationality and the “Russian” nation // Scientific Notes of the UVU. - Part 7. - Munich, 1963.
Chubatiy M. The Prince of Rus'-Ukraine is the vineyard of the three Slavic nations. Notes of the scientific partnership im. T. Shevchenko. - T. 178. - New York; Paris, 1964.
Zelenin D. Russische (Ostslawische) Volkskunde. - Berlin; Leipzig, 1927.

Miscellaneous

Vasiliev A. D. Word games: Russians instead of Russians // Political linguistics. - 2008. - No. 25. - P. 35-43. Design. Information. Cartography // BBCRussian.com project: “Family among strangers” (video interview). - 2007.
Scientists have completed a large-scale study of the gene pool of the Russian people // NEWSru.com. - website. - 09.28.2005.
N. I. Ulyanov Russian and Great Russian.
Sergey Ivanov-Mariin Russians in modern Russia (on a sociological study of the social status and role of Russians in Russia) // Russian house. - magazine. - 2010. - No. 12.

There is no exact answer to the question of how many Russians live in the world, but approximate data is available: 127,000,000 people, of which some live in the Russian Federation - 86%. The rest of the world accounts for 14% Russians. The countries with the largest number of Russians are Ukraine and Kazakhstan. Now there is a tendency to reduce the number of Russians in other countries and in Russia itself.

Story

The 16th century could hardly be called densely populated. Research by scientists has revealed that at that time no more than 15 million people lived on its territory. A century later, the population no longer increased, but on the contrary, it decreased by 2-3 million. However, these data cannot be called reliable, since any accurate counting systems were not used in those periods, as is known.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Russian people (in the general understanding of this expression) successfully explored new territories, including the steppe regions of Europe, the North Caucasus, and the Northern Urals. It is populated both in Central Asia and the Far East. Almost everywhere, Russian people found a common language with local peoples, successfully traded with them, taught them, and learned a lot from them. Here are the lines the historian Lev Gumilyov wrote about the Russian people: “We must pay tribute to the intelligence and tact of our ancestors... They treated the surrounding peoples as equals, even if they were different from them. And thanks to this, they survived the centuries-long struggle, establishing as a principle not the extermination of neighbors, but the friendship of peoples...” These words, like no other, confirm the peace-loving essence of a person of Russian nationality and his ability to adapt to any conditions.

The Great Russian Settlement

Russians also settled in a western direction. In the question “How many Russians are there in the world?” it would be inappropriate not to note this. In the 18th century, the Russian state included the former territories of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which we now call Poland, Belarus, and Little Russia. It goes without saying that the territorial expansion of the state was followed by the development of these lands by Russian people. Some moved here on duty, sent by the sovereign, others moved - peasants and artisans - in the hope of finding a new home and long-awaited prosperity.

Studying the topic “How many Russians are there in the world”, let’s say that in those days Russians lived both in the territory of present-day Finland and at the mouth of the Danube, although there were few of them there.

If expressed in numbers, we note that 70% of the Russians of the total number who inhabited it lived in the Urals, 63% in the Volga region, and 40% in the north of the Caucasus. The leader among regions with a Russian population is Siberia, in which three out of four residents were Russian.

In the process of considering the question “How many Russians live in the world”, we found out that Russian people mainly settled throughout the territory of their state, which was constantly expanding in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Emigrants from Russia

In the first half of the 20th century, a mass exodus of people who spoke Russian began from Russia to Western countries. Russia was then abandoned by people who did not want to live in the USSR - a new state that emerged after the overthrow of the Tsar and with the coming to power of the Bolshevik Party led by Vladimir Lenin. Several million people then moved to the countries of the New World alone. Let us note that people were leaving mainly from the western regions of that huge country - Moldova, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, Latvia, Estonia. Approximately half of those who left had Jewish roots. There were many emigrants from among the former military - White Guards. During the Great Patriotic War, there was another wave of emigration, but this time those who joined the German army left the Soviet Union. In the late 60s - early 70s. XX century, those who disagreed with the Soviet political course left for other countries. After the collapse, another wave of exodus began, triggered by Russia's weak economy. Highly qualified specialists were forced to leave the country due to the inability to find work.

The general question “How many Russians live in the world” can be divided into specific ones and find out how many Germans live in other countries. So, about 2,652,214 people live in the United States from Russia. The data is taken from the American The most “Russian” cities are New York, Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, Detroit. The first city on this list is home to 1.6 million people who call themselves Russians. For comparison, let’s denote the number of Chinese living there - 760 thousand - and Dominicans - 620 thousand. 600,000 immigrants from Russia live and work in California.

Russians in other countries

In Australia, there were 67,000 people who called themselves Russian, approximately one in four of whom were born in Russia.

Very few Russians live in sultry Brazil, only 100 people.

Germany is a country that has received a huge number of immigrants from Russia, who mostly arrived here quite recently - during the formation of a new state during the era of Boris Yeltsin's presidency. People who had German roots and lived for generations in the USSR and Russia are called “Russian Germans” in Germany. Calculations carried out by German government agencies indicate the number of such people is 187,835.

It is impossible to put an end to the question “How many Russians are there in the world”, because the number of people who consider themselves to be Russian people changes all the time, and therefore the data always needs to be adjusted.

In the US, one American family earns an average of $50,500. Russian-speaking has an income of $47,000 per year, Chinese - 42,000, Dominican - 20,000.
More than 60% of the total number of Russian speakers have a bachelor's degree.
About 70% work in management positions.
Only every fifth of Russian speakers works in the service sector.

One can only be proud of how many Russian people there are in the world who have successfully demonstrated themselves in many areas of our modern life.

According to various estimates, the Russian-speaking diaspora in the world numbers from 25 to 30 million people. But it is extremely difficult to accurately calculate the number of Russians living in different countries, since the very definition of “Russian” is unclear.

When we talk about the Russian diaspora, we involuntarily return to the rhetorical question - who should be considered Russians: either are they exclusively Russians, or are they joined by citizens of the former republics of the USSR, or do they also include descendants of immigrants from the Russian Empire?

If we count only people from the Russian Federation as Russians abroad, then no fewer questions will arise, since they will include representatives of numerous nationalities living in Russia.

Using the term “Russian” as an ethnonym, we are faced with the problem of national identity on the one hand, and integration and assimilation on the other. Let's say, today's descendant of immigrants from the Russian Empire living in France may feel Russian, but those born into a family of immigrants in the 1980s, on the contrary, will call themselves a full-fledged Frenchman.

Considering the vagueness of the term “Russian diaspora” and the not yet established concept of “Russian diaspora,” another phrase is often used – “Russian-speaking diaspora,” which includes those for whom the Russian language is a unifying principle. However, this is not without controversial issues. For example, according to 2008 data, about 3 million US residents declared their Russian origin, but Russian is the native language of only 706 thousand Americans.

Germany

The Russian-speaking diaspora in Germany is considered the largest in Europe. Taking into account various data, on average it is 3.7 million people, most of whom are Russian Germans. In families that arrived in Germany 15-20 years ago, Russian is still the mother tongue, although some of the immigrants use a mixture of Russian and German, and only a few are fluent in German. It is curious that there are cases when immigrants who have already begun to use the German language again return to the more familiar Russian speech.
Now in every major city in Germany there are Russian shops, restaurants, travel agencies, there are even Russian-speaking law firms and medical institutions. The largest Russian communities are concentrated in Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt am Main. However, the largest concentration of the Russian-speaking population is in the state of Baden-Württemberg.

Argentina

The largest Russian diaspora in South America is in Argentina. According to unofficial data, its number reaches 300 thousand people, of which about 100 thousand speak Russian to one degree or another.
Historians count 5 waves of emigration from Russia to Argentina. If the first was “Jewish”, the second was “German”, then the last three are called “Russian”. The waves of “Russian emigration” coincided with turning points in Russian history – the 1905 revolution, the civil war and perestroika.
At the beginning of the 20th century, many Cossacks and Old Believers left Russia for Argentina. Their compact settlements still exist. A large colony of Old Believers is located in Choel-Choel. While maintaining their traditional way of life, Old Believer families still have an average of 8 children. The largest colony of Cossacks is located in the suburb of Buenos Aires - Schwarzbalde and consists of two settlements.
Russian Argentines carefully maintain cultural ties with their historical homeland. Thus, the Institute of Russian Culture operates in the capital. In Argentina there are also radio stations broadcasting exclusively Russian music - Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev.

USA

According to experts, Russian is the seventh most common language in the United States. The Russian-speaking population grew unevenly in the country: the last and most powerful wave of emigration to the United States swept over the Soviet republics at the turn of the 1980s and 90s. If in 1990 the American authorities counted about 750 thousand Russians, today their number exceeds 3 million people. Since 1990, a quota was introduced for citizens of the USSR - no more than 60 thousand immigrants per year.
It should be noted that in the United States, it is customary to call “Russians” all those who came here from the CIS countries and have different ethnic roots - Russian, Ukrainian, Jewish, Kazakh. Here, more than anywhere else, the duality of the situation is manifested, when ethnic identification and native language do not mean the same thing.
There is a large Russian-speaking diaspora in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Houston. But still, most immigrants prefer to settle in New York, where the connection with Russian history, tradition and culture has been largely preserved.

Israel

It is not known how many representatives of the Russian-speaking diaspora there would be in Israel now if, at the turn of the 1980s and 90s, the US government had not convinced the Israeli authorities to accept the main flow of immigrants from the USSR. The Soviet leadership also contributed to this process by simplifying the repatriation of Jews to Israel.
In the first two years, about 200 thousand immigrants from the USSR arrived in Israel, but by the beginning of the 21st century, the number of emigrants from Russia decreased to 20 thousand people per year.
Today, the Russian-speaking diaspora in Israel numbers about 1.1 million people - approximately 15% of the country's population. This is the second national minority after the Arabs. The diaspora is predominantly represented by Jews - there are no more than 70 thousand ethnic Russians in it.

Latvia

Latvia can be called the country where there are the most Russians per capita - 620 thousand people, which is approximately 35% of the total number of residents of the country. The Russian-speaking diaspora in Latvia is also called the “diaspora of cataclysms”, since Russians remained here after the collapse of the USSR.
It is interesting that the inhabitants of ancient Russian lands settled on the territory of modern Latvia back in the 10th-12th centuries, and in 1212 a Russian courtyard was founded here. Later, Old Believers actively moved to the country to escape persecution.
After the collapse of the USSR, about 47 thousand Russian-speaking people left Latvia, although the situation stabilized very quickly. According to the sociological center Latvijas fakti, 94.4% of the country’s residents now speak Russian.
Most of the Russian-speaking population of Latvia is concentrated in large cities. For example, in Riga, almost half of the residents consider themselves to be part of the Russian diaspora. In fact, all large businesses in Latvia are controlled by Russians; it is not surprising that the top ten ranking of the richest people in Latvia includes six Russians.

Kazakhstan

Russians in Kazakhstan are mostly descendants of exiled people of the 19th - first half of the 20th centuries. The active growth of the Russian population of Kazakhstan began during the period of Stolypin reforms. By 1926, Russians in the Cossack Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic made up 19.7% of the total population.
It is interesting that at the time of the collapse of the USSR there were about 6 million Russians and other Europeans in Kazakhstan - this is more than half of the country’s inhabitants. However, up to the present time there has been a constant outflow of the Russian-speaking population. According to official statistics, 84.4% of the population in the country speak Russian, but about 26% consider themselves Russian - approximately 4 million people, which makes up the largest Russian-speaking diaspora in the world.

Director of the Department for Work with Compatriots Abroad of the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexander Chepurin told Interfax about how a new version of the law on compatriots is being prepared and why it is needed

Moscow. 12th of April. website - Director of the Department for Work with Compatriots Abroad of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Alexander Chepurin spoke in an interview with Interfax about the preparation of a new version of the law on compatriots and the situation in this area in the post-Soviet space

Alexander Vasilyevich, as you know, a new version of the law on compatriots is currently being prepared. Why is it needed?

The fact is that the current law was adopted more than ten years ago. Since then, many changes have occurred, and its provisions, at times declarative, sometimes unrealizable, are behind the times, and do not take into account the realities of modern Russian policy in this area.

For example, in the 90s, the most pressing problem was the provision of humanitarian assistance to compatriots who found themselves in difficult situations in the CIS. Such assistance has increased in recent years, and it will continue to be provided in the future to those who find themselves in an extreme or particularly difficult situation by contacting the humanitarian commission of Russian foreign agencies.

Meanwhile, today the main emphasis is on building relations of cooperation and partnership with foreign Russia. The priority is to strengthen the ethnocultural community, the foundations of community self-organization, protect the rights and legitimate interests of compatriots, and expand its ties with its historical homeland. Work with the diaspora today extends not only to neighboring countries, but also to foreign countries. Moreover, as a result of migration processes, a significant part of Russians, Russian-speaking people now live in distant foreign countries, and, objectively speaking, over time these compatriots will make up half, and perhaps more than half, of the foreign Russian world.

Will the new edition strengthen the position of our compatriots abroad, including in problem countries such as the Baltic states and in what specifically? When will it be submitted to the State Duma?

All innovations meet the interests of compatriots and Russia. Let's take the issue of protecting the rights of compatriots. This is a current thing. At the last World Congress of Compatriots in Moscow, the President of Russia stated that he supports the idea expressed by his compatriots to create a fund for the protection of the rights of foreign compatriots. Now this idea is supported by concrete decisions and deeds. At a meeting of the Government Commission for the Affairs of Compatriots Abroad on April 8 this year. the procedure for forming such a fund was reviewed and generally approved. There is great interest in it, especially from compatriots living in a number of “problem” countries.

By introducing amendments, it is proposed to legislatively consolidate the system of constant communication between Russia and compatriots created in recent years, as well as between compatriots themselves at the country, regional and global levels.

The new edition proposes to introduce a new provision that establishes the possibility of compatriots entering Russian educational institutions on equal terms with Russians, incl. and training at the expense of the Russian budget.

In the last 3 years, more than 20 thousand compatriots have moved to Russia as part of the State Resettlement Program. The bill legislates the right of compatriots to receive assistance when relocating to permanent residence in Russia.

The law introduces a provision that defines the possibilities of moral encouragement on the part of the Russian state for those compatriots who make a significant contribution to the preservation of the ethnocultural space, native language, and the development of ties with Russia.

The amendments consolidate the powers of state authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and local governments in working with compatriots. And this is a huge resource for the development of such work, especially in the field of culture and education.

All this is designed to increase the level of our interaction with compatriots, strengthening their status, be it in foreign countries, the CIS or the Baltic states.

The proposed changes to the law on compatriots passed all the necessary approvals, the bill was approved by the Government and in March of this year. submitted to the State Duma. We hope that its parliamentary discussion will begin in the coming weeks.

According to some reports, the new version of the law will sharply limit the circle of people who fall under the concept of “compatriot.” Is this so and won’t many of those who associate themselves with Russia remain “overboard”?

The main thing we encounter when implementing the existing 1999 law is the amorphousness and vagueness of the provisions relating to the very concept of “compatriot”. It turned out that 150-200 million people could be automatically included in the number of people falling under this concept. These are not only compatriots themselves, but also the titular population of the states of the post-Soviet space, not only residents of Finland and Poland, as territories that were previously part of the Russian state, but - in theory - also residents of Alaska.

The new edition is more realistic. The initial premise is self-identification: an emigrant or, say, a Russian living in the near abroad, from whom “the homeland has left” - does he associate himself spiritually, culturally, mentally with Russia, the Russian ethnocultural environment? The ethnic element - taking into account the multinationality of Russia - is secondary, although a compatriot, as a rule, is ethnically connected with the peoples historically living on the territory of Russia. There may, of course, be exceptions to this rule.

In other words, compatriots are those who actually, in accordance with global practice, are such. In this sense, if you like, the new edition is more specific and as close as possible to those who associate themselves with Russia and Russian civilization.

Does Russia provide financial support to compatriots abroad, in particular to NGOs? What amounts are allocated for this in 2010?

In recent years, the Law on the Federal Budget has allocated 350-400 million rubles annually to support the activities of compatriots living abroad, which are carried out primarily by organizations, if you like - NGOs of compatriots. Three quarters of this amount is spent by Russian foreign institutions in 91 countries, which determine the most important areas and maintain direct and daily contacts with organizations of compatriots. In this regard, the interaction between Russian foreign institutions and the diaspora, established in recent years, is extremely important. Support is directed towards more effective protection of the rights of compatriots in their countries of residence, preservation of the ethnocultural identity of the Russian diaspora and its ties with their historical homeland, structuring of communities, the study and dissemination of the Russian language as an integral part of world culture and an instrument of interethnic communication, provision of humanitarian assistance to compatriots, in including veterans of the Great Patriotic War and labor.

In recent years, the volume of funds allocated to support compatriots has increased many times, although, taking into account the size of the foreign community, they are small in absolute terms. Events are not always held on a grand scale, but they are always met with interest by the diaspora. Therefore, in my opinion, things need to be done in the direction of using for these purposes the significant capabilities of the communities themselves, local “Russian business,” and putting into practice the experience of other diasporas.

With the participation of compatriots in the Russian Federation and abroad, conferences, festivals, thematic round tables and other forums are also held, also aimed at uniting compatriots. Amendments to the law stipulate that the World Congress of Compatriots will be held every three years. In recent years, compatriots, with the assistance of PKDSR, have been organizing network festivals such as “Vivat, Russia!”, “With Russia in the Heart”. In Crimea, from June 6 (A.S. Pushkin’s birthday) to June 12 (Russia Day), a large festival “The Great Russian Word” is held annually, jointly with the Crimean authorities.

In recent years, educational trips to historical places of the Russian Federation “Hello, Russia!” have been conducted for young compatriots - winners of olympiads and competitions on knowledge of the history and culture of Russia. In 2010, about 1,300 young compatriots will arrive in Russia under this program.

Rossotrudnichestvo is actively working in this field in those countries where there are Russian centers of science and culture, the Governments of Moscow, St. Petersburg and Tatarstan, and the Russkiy Mir Foundation. They have their own budgets and their activities are aimed at implementing cultural and educational programs.

When comparing the work with the diaspora carried out by Russia with similar work in other countries, we can say that the Russian Federation looks very worthy.

The celebration of the next anniversary of Victory Day is approaching. Does Russia intend to in any way assist in the celebration of this event by compatriots abroad, for example, to honor and reward veterans?

Organizations of compatriots in the near and far abroad, with the support of the Government Commission for the Affairs of Compatriots Abroad, are taking an active part in their countries in the international action "St. George's Ribbon", they will hold cleanup days to tidy up the burial places of Russian soldiers, "memory watches" and laying flowers at the places burials and monuments. An international youth conference of compatriots “And the saved world remembers...” will be held in Moscow, the participants of which will travel to the places of military glory of Russia. Of course, many embassies will host holiday receptions in honor of veterans. The media of compatriots publish materials about significant events and people who contributed to the Victory.

After the abolition of the institution of dual citizenship in Turkmenistan, many of our compatriots found themselves in a difficult situation. What is it like today, does it cause concern?

The well-being of our compatriots in the post-Soviet space varies from country to country. We closely monitor ongoing processes, the status of the Russian language, and violations of ethnocultural rights. In a number of countries, the scope of application of the Russian language and Russian-language education is narrowing, and pockets of Russian culture are disappearing.

We cannot, of course, not be concerned about the fate of our fellow citizens and compatriots when a situation arises in certain countries that poses a potential threat to their security. We have been closely monitoring the development of the situation in Kyrgyzstan recently.

The situation in Turkmenistan has recently had, in my opinion, positive dynamics. In the capital of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, there is a Russian-Turkmen gymnasium named after A.S. Pushkin, which is the only educational institution of general education in the post-Soviet space that works according to Russian educational standards and Russian textbooks. An agreement was reached on the arrival of Russian higher professional education in Turkmenistan: branches of the Gubkin Institute of Oil and Gas and Lomonosov Moscow State University were opened. In 2009, an agreement was signed between the Russian Federation and Turkmenistan on the mutual recognition of educational documents. Support is provided to the Ashgabat Russian Drama Theater named after Pushkin, which operates in Russian and has been operating since 1926.

It is important that compatriots integrate into the society of their countries of residence, maintaining their “Russianness”, being worthy citizens, but not losing ties with their historical homeland. It is necessary to realize that Russian compatriots are citizens and taxpayers of their countries of residence and have the right to have their national and cultural needs taken into account.

After the recent terrorist attacks in the Moscow metro, the question of working with our compatriots, immigrants from the North Caucasus who now live abroad, has again arisen. According to experts, they, being predominantly anti-Russian, are often a breeding ground for terrorism. Is any work being done with them to return them to normal interaction with the Russian Federation?

The North Caucasian diaspora living outside Russia did not emerge today, but in the last century and is concentrated mainly in the states of the Middle East and Turkey. A dialogue is being established with them. Conferences of compatriots held in recent years show the growing interest of diaspora associations of the peoples of the North Caucasus living in Jordan, the Gulf countries, and Turkey in contacts and interaction with the Russian Federation. We support their desire to preserve their national and cultural identity and provide some assistance within the framework of programs to support compatriots. We strongly welcome more active work in this direction by the mother republics. At the end of last year, we held a conference in Kazan on issues of interaction between the republics and foreign communities with the participation of representatives of the leadership of almost all Russian national republics and their foreign diasporas.

As for representatives of the peoples of the North Caucasus who found themselves abroad in the 90s of the last century, communities are actively working in a number of countries, seeking to maintain their traditions and ties with their homeland. Work with the Chechen diaspora is carried out, in particular, by the leadership of the Chechen Republic, calling on emigrants to return home, renounce their support for terrorism and join peaceful life.

In general, the concept of “compatriot abroad” is not a legal, but rather a spiritual term, implying a positive attitude of a native of Russia, an emigrant, towards his historical homeland.

In which countries do most of our compatriots currently live? In which states is their situation most difficult? Are there statistics on the return of compatriots to Russia for permanent residence?

About 30 million of our compatriots live outside Russia. The majority of them are citizens of post-Soviet states. The problems they faced after the collapse of the USSR are close and similar: a reduction in opportunities to communicate in Russian, receive information in it and conduct office work, the threat of ethnocultural assimilation, displacement from government structures, etc.

Latvia and Estonia have added a problem that is unique to these countries: a significant part of our compatriots do not have any citizenship there and are officially classified as “non-citizens”. These are people who were not born in these countries before 1940 or their descendants and on this basis are deprived of the right to citizenship of the country of residence. This situation is “unique” not only for Europe, but for the whole world. For twenty years now it has been in the field of view of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities and other international institutions, but things are still there.

The size of the Russian population living in the newly independent states has decreased by several million people over the past two decades. Most of them moved to Russia. Others - during the latest population censuses - classified themselves as titular nations.

Since 2007, the State Program for Assisting the Resettlement of Compatriots in the Russian Federation began to operate. More than 20 thousand compatriots and members of their families resettled within its framework. They are provided with assistance in settling down, partial coverage of resettlement costs, and simplified conditions for obtaining citizenship of the Russian Federation. More than 90 percent of those resettled under the State Program are compatriots from the CIS countries. At the same time, Kazakhstan accounts for up to 30 percent, Uzbekistan - 15, Ukraine - 14, Moldova - 10, Kyrgyzstan - 9 percent.