Category Archives: Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin has a new saber to rattle a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile designed to update the Kremlins nuclear quiver, and reportedly almost ready for deployment.

The missile called the RS-28 Sarmat by Russia and ominously dubbed the Satan II by NATO is designed to carry up to 15 nuclear warheads, five more than the outgoing Soviet-era R-36M Satan.

The missile is liquid-fueled, and categorized as a super-heavy ICBM one with enough lifting capacity to deliver multiple warheads arranged in a so-called multiple independently targeted re-entry vehicle. In other words, one missile can theoretically hit as many as 15 nearby targets.

The missile is designed to be fired from the existing R-36M silos with minimal modification.

When the missile was put through its paces during a test in April striking mock targets at a range of 3,000 miles Dmitry Rogozin, head of the state Roscosmos agency overseeing the missiles construction, called the Sarmat a superweapon.

The Kremlin claims its design which includes a shorter boost phase during the rockets launch and supposedly novel trajectories will make it harder for US missile defenses to intercept the Sarmat in the event of a thermonuclear war.

The missile is also equipped to carry hypersonic munitions in its warhead, according to Russian reports effectively making the ICBM a cruise-missile launch platform.

Putin claimed in April that the Sarmat is capable of overcoming all modern means of anti-missile defense, and that Russias enemies should think twice before issuing threats.

But the Sarmat, which Putin claims is coming soon, is already years behind schedule.

The missile was first announced in 2014 with a planned deployment date of 2020. But problems with the missiles engines delayed proper testing, Russian news agency Interfax reported.

Testing began in earnest in 2018, and by 2020, the Kremlin announced the weapon would be deployed by 2022. After Aprils test launch, Roscosmos claimed the missile would see service no later than the fall of 2022, according to Interfax.

As of last month, however, the missile was still in testing.

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What is 'Satan II,' Russia's new nuclear missile?

But for anyone involved in fending off Russia's cyberattacks on Ukraine over the past eight years, Russia's preference for civilian over military targets has long been apparent, says Viktor Zhora, a senior cybersecurity-focused official in Ukraine's State Services for Special Communications and Information Protection, or SSSCIP. Zhora, whose cybersecurity firm worked on incident response for Russia's breach of Ukraine's Central Election Commission in 2014 before he joined the government, lists the Kremlin's biggest cyberattacks on his country over the past eight years: that election-focused intrusion, designed to both cripple Ukraine's electoral body and spoof its results; cyberattacks on electric utilities that caused blackouts in late 2015 and 2016; data-destroying attacks that hit the country's treasury, railways, and Ministry of Finance; and finally, the NotPetya worm that carpet-bombed Ukrainian networks in 2017 before spreading globally to cause more than $10 billion in damage.

Given that every one of those attacks targeted civilian institutions, it was all too predictable that Russia's physical war would fall back to the same pattern, Zhora argues. Without any significant successes on the battlefield, we see that Russia switched to purely terroristic tactics, says Zhora. They continue to attack our civilian infrastructure, and in this way, its more or less similar to their trends in cyberwarfare.

Zhora notes that those cyberattacks on civilians haven't stoppedthey've only fallen off the radar as vastly more destructive, lethal physical attacks have eclipsed them. The Ukrainian government, he says, has counted hundreds of breaches this year of the countrys energy, telecom and finance sectors.

The purpose of all of that civilian targeting, both cyber and physical, is in part an attempt to weaken Ukrainians' resolve as a country, says Oleh Derevianko, founder of the Ukrainian cybersecurity firm ISSP. They want to create a situation where people are not satisfied with what's going on and exert pressure on the government to engage into negotiations, says Dereviankoadding that the strategy has badly backfired, instead unifying Ukrainians against the Russian threat more strongly than ever. But he argues that on some level, too, Russian forces may also be responding to pressure to simply do something to contribute to the war effort. "They need to report some success to their chain of their command," says Derevianko. They're frustrated on the battlefield, so they attack civilians.

SSSCIP's Zhora, on the other hand, goes further: He believes that Russia's attacks on civilians may not be a means to an end, but rather Russia's true goal. He says Russia isn't merely trying to defeat the Ukrainian military, win a war, or conquer the Donbas, but instead to defeat and destroy the Ukrainian people.

The intention is to wipe out the whole nation, says Zhora. He says that motivation to directly attack Ukraine's population can be seen in the history of the two countries' relations far earlier than any recent war or cyberwar, stretching back as far as the Holodomor, the man-made famine that starved to death millions of Ukrainians in the early 1930s as Soviet officials ordered Ukrainian grain to be confiscated or locked in warehouses to rot.

Its a continuation of genocide, Zhora says. Its one more chance to try to wipe out the Ukrainian people, to restore the Soviet Union, to change the global order.

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Russias Cyberwar Foreshadowed Deadly Attacks on Civilians

Second sudden death of top official reported in Russia's military supply chain in less than a week  Fox News

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Second sudden death of top official reported in Russia's military supply chain in less than a week - Fox News

Overview of the demographics of Russia

Russia, the largest country in the world by area, had a population of 147.2 million according to the 2021 census,[1] or 144.7 million when excluding Crimea and Sevastopol,[a] up from 142.8 million in the 2010 census.[9] It is the most populous country in Europe, and the ninth-most populous country in the world; with a population density of 8.5 inhabitants per square kilometre (22 per square mile).[10] As of 2020, the overall life expectancy in Russia at birth is 71.54 years (66.49 years for males and 76.43 years for females).[2]

From 1992 to 2012 and again since 2016, Russia's death rate has exceeded its birth rate, which has been called a demographic crisis by analysts.[11] Subsequently, the nation has an ageing population, with the median age of the country being 40.3 years.[12] In 2009, Russia recorded annual population growth for the first time in fifteen years; and during the mid-2010s, Russia had seen increased population growth due to declining death rates, increased birth rates and increased immigration.[13] However, since 2020, due to excess deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia's population has undergone its largest peacetime decline in recorded history.[14] In 2020, the total fertility rate across Russia was estimated to be 1.5 children born per woman,[15] which is below the replacement rate of 2.1 and about equal to the European average.[13]

Russia is a multinational state,[16] home to over 193 ethnic groups nationwide. In the 2010 Census, roughly 81% of the population were ethnic Russians, and the remaining 19% of the population were ethnic minorities;[17] and over four-fifths of Russia's population was of European descent, of which the vast majority were East Slavs,[18] with a substantial minority of Finnic and Germanic peoples.[19][20] According to the United Nations, Russia's immigrant population is the world's third-largest, numbering over 11.6 million; most of whom are from other post-Soviet states.[21]

Demographic statistics according to the latest Rosstat vital statistics[22] and the World Population Review in 2019.[23]

Note: Crude migration change (per 1000) is a trend analysis, an extrapolation [24]

The total fertility rate is the number of children born to each woman. It is based on fairly good data for the entire period. Sources: Our World In Data and Gapminder Foundation.[25]

In many of the following years, Russia had the highest total fertility rate in the world.[25] These elevated fertility rates did not lead to population growth due to the casualties of the Russian Revolution, the two world wars and political killings.

Population pyramid in 1927

Population pyramid in 1941

Population pyramid in 1946

Population pyramid in 2015

Infant mortality rate

All numbers for the Russian Federation in this section do not include the Ukrainian regions of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk, which Russia annexed in September 2022 and which are currently partly under Russian military control. The annexation is internationally recognized only by North Korea.

In 2006, in a bid to compensate for the country's demographic decline, the Russian government started simplifying immigration laws and launched a state program "for providing assistance to voluntary immigration of ethnic Russians from former Soviet republics".[37] In August 2012, as the country saw its first demographic growth since the 1990s, President Putin declared that Russia's population could reach 146 million by 2025, mainly as a result of immigration.[38] New citizenship rules introduced in April 2014 allowing eligible citizens from former Soviet republics to obtain Russian citizenship, have gained strong interest among Russian-speaking residents of those countries (i.e. Russians, Germans, Belarusians and Ukrainians).[39][40]

There are an estimated four million undocumented immigrants from the ex-Soviet states in Russia.[41] In 2012, the Russian Federal Security Service's Border Service stated there had been an increase in undocumented migration from the Middle East and Southeast Asia (Note that these were Temporary Contract Migrants)[42] Under legal changes made in 2012, undocumented immigrants who are caught will be banned from reentering the country for 10 years.[43][44]

Since the collapse of the USSR, most immigrants have come from Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Belarus, from poor areas of China, and from Vietnam and Laos[45]

Temporary migrant workers in Russia consists of about 7 million people, most of the temporary workers come from Central Asia (mostly from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan), South Caucasus (mostly from Armenia and Azerbaijan), East Asia (mostly from poor areas of China, from Vietnam and Laos). Most of them work in the construction, cleaning and in the household industries. They primarily live in cities such as Moscow, Sochi and Blagoveshchensk. The mayor of Moscow said that Moscow cannot do without worker migrants. New laws are in place that require worker migrants to be fluent in Russian, know Russian history and laws. The Russian Opposition and most of the Russian population opposes worker migration. The hate of worker migration has become so severe it has caused a rise in Russian nationalism, and spawned groups like Movement Against Illegal Immigration.[46][47]

The fourth wave of Russian emigration took place after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 when people began migrating from Russia in large numbers. This wave continues into the present, with the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine leading to considerable Russian emigration associated with the invasion.

Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, more than 300,000 Russian citizens and residents are estimated to have left Russia by mid-March 2022, at least 500,000 by the end of August 2022, and an additional 400,000 by early October,[citation needed] as political refugees, economic migrants, and conscientious objectors,[48][49][50][51][52] making a total of approximately 900,000. Aside from a desire to evade criminal prosecution for opposing the invasion and fear of being conscripted after president Vladimir Putin's 21 September announcement of partial mobilization, those fleeing voiced reasons such as disagreement with the war, the uselessness and cruelty of the war, sympathy for Ukraine, disagreement with the political roots of the war with Ukraine, the rejection of killing, and an assessment that Russia is no longer the place for their family.[53]

Russia, by constitution, guarantees free, universal health care for all Russian citizens, through a compulsory state health insurance program.[55] The Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation oversees the Russian public healthcare system, and the sector employs more than two million people. Federal regions also have their own departments of health that oversee local administration. A separate private health insurance plan is needed to access private healthcare in Russia.[56]

Russia spent 5.32% of its GDP on healthcare in 2018.[57] Its healthcare expenditure is notably lower than other developed nations.[58] Russia has one of the world's most female-biased sex ratios, with 0.859 males to every female,[12] due to its high male mortality rate.[59] In 2019, the overall life expectancy in Russia at birth was 73.2 years (68.2 years for males and 78.0 years for females),[60] and it had a very low infant mortality rate (5 per 1,000 live births).[61]

The principal cause of death in Russia are cardiovascular diseases.[62] Obesity is a prevalent health issue in Russia; 61.1% of Russian adults were overweight or obese in 2016.[63] However, Russia's historically high alcohol consumption rate is the biggest health issue in the country,[64][65] as it remains one of the world's highest, despite a stark decrease in the last decade.[66] Smoking is another health issue in the country.[67] The country's high suicide rate, although on the decline,[68] remains a significant social issue.[69]

Russia had one of the highest number of confirmed cases in the world. Analysis of excess deaths from official government demographic statistics, based on births and deaths and excluding migration, showed that Russia had its biggest ever annual population drop in peacetime, with the population declining by 997,000 between October 2020 and September 2021, which demographer Alexei Raksha interpreted as being primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[70]

Ethnic groups in Russia of more than 1 million people in 2010

Percentage of ethnic Russians by region in 2010

Russia is a multinational state, with many subnational entities associated with different minorities.[16] There are over 193 ethnic groups nationwide. In the 2010 census, roughly 81% of the population were ethnic Russians, and the remaining 19% of the population were ethnic minorities;[17] while over four-fifths of Russia's population was of European descentof which the vast majority were Slavs,[18] with a substantial minority of Finnic and Germanic peoples.[19][20] Turkic peoples form a large minority, and are spread around pockets across the vast nation.[71] Various distinct ethnic groups also inhabit the North Caucasus.[72] Other minorities include Mongolian peoples (Buryats and Kalmyks),[73][74] the Indigenous peoples of Siberia,[75] a historical Jewish population,[76] and the Koryo-saram (including Sakhalin Koreans).[77]

According to the United Nations, Russia's immigrant population is the third-largest in the world, numbering over 11.6 million;[21] most of which are from post-Soviet states, mainly Ukrainians.[78] There are 22 republics in Russia, who have their own ethnicities, cultures, and languages. In 13 of them, ethnic Russians constitute a minority:

Russian is the official and the predominantly spoken language in Russia. It is the most spoken native language in Europe, the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, as well as the world's most widely spoken Slavic language.[81] Russian is the second-most used language on the Internet after English,[82] and is one of two official languages aboard the International Space Station,[83] as well as one of the six official languages of the United Nations.[81]

Russia is a multilingual nation; approximately 100150 minority languages are spoken across the country.[84][85] According to the Russian Census of 2002, 142.6million across the country spoke Russian, 5.3million spoke Tatar, and 1.8million spoke Ukrainian.[86] The constitution allows the country's individual republics the right to establish their own state languages in addition to Russian, as well as guarantee its citizens the right to preserve their native language and to create conditions for its study and development.[87] However, various experts have claimed Russia's linguistic diversity is rapidly declining.[88][89]

Religion in Russia (2012)[90]

Undeclared (5.5%)

Russia is a secular state by constitution, and its largest religion is Christianity. It has the world's largest Orthodox population.[91][92] As of a different sociological surveys on religious adherence; between 41% to over 80% of the total population of Russia adhere to the Russian Orthodox Church.[93][94][95] Other branches of Christianity present in Russia include Catholicism (approx. 1%), Baptists, Pentecostals, Lutherans and other Protestant churches (together totalling about 0.5% of the population) and Old Believers.[96][97] There is some presence of Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism; pagan beliefs are also present to some extent in remote areas, sometimes syncretized with one of the mainstream religions.

In 2017, a survey made by the Pew Research Center showed that 73% of Russians declared themselves as Christiansout of which 71% were Orthodox, 1% were Catholic, and 2% were Other Christians, while 15% were unaffiliated, 10% were Muslims, and 1% followed other religions.[98] According to various reports, the proportion of Atheists in Russia is between 16% and 48% of the population.[99]

Islam is the second-largest religion in Russia, and it is the traditional religion amongst most peoples of the North Caucasus, and amongst some Turkic peoples scattered along the Volga-Ural region.[100] Buddhists are home to a sizeable population in three Siberian republics: Buryatia, Tuva, Zabaykalsky Krai, and in Kalmykia; the only region in Europe where Buddhism is the most practised religion.[101]

Russia has an adult literacy rate of 100%.[103] It grants free education to its citizens under its constitution.[104] The Ministry of Education of Russia is responsible for primary and secondary education, as well as vocational education; while the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia is responsible for science and higher education.[105] Regional authorities regulate education within their jurisdictions within the prevailing framework of federal laws. Russia is among the world's most educated countries, and has the third-highest proportion of tertiary-level graduates in terms of percentage of population, at 62%.[106] It spent roughly 4.7% of its GDP on education in 2018.[107]

Russia has compulsory education for a duration of 11 years, exclusively for children aged 7 to 1718.[105] Its pre-school education system is highly developed and optional,[108] some four-fifths of children aged 3 to 6 attend day nurseries or kindergartens. Primary school is compulsory for 11 year-olds, starting from age 6 to 7, and leads to a basic general education certificate.[105] An additional two or three years of schooling are required for the secondary-level certificate, and some seven-eighths of Russians continue their education past this level. Admission to an institute of higher education is selective and highly competitive:[104] first-degree courses usually take five years.[109] The oldest and largest universities in Russia are Moscow State University and Saint Petersburg State University.[110] There are ten highly prestigious federal universities across the country. Russia was the world's fifth-leading destination for international students in 2019, hosting roughly 300,000.[111]

Russia is one of the world's most urbanized countries, with roughly 75% of its total population living in urban areas.[12] Moscow, the capital and largest city, has a population estimated at 12.4 million residents within the city limits,[112] while over 17 million residents in the urban area,[113] and over 20 million residents in the metropolitan area.[114] Moscow is among the world's largest cities, being the most populous city entirely within Europe, the most populous urban area in Europe,[113] the most populous metropolitan area in Europe,[114] and also the largest city by land area on the European continent.[115] Saint Petersburg, the cultural capital, is the second-largest city, with a population of roughly 5.4 million inhabitants.[116] Other major urban areas are Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, and Chelyabinsk.

Census information:

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Demographics of Russia - Wikipedia

As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was preparing to address Congress, Russia warned that increasing military aid to the beleaguered country would only aggravate the 10-month conflict.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters at an earlier press briefing in Moscow that the expansion of Western weapon supplies to Ukraine "leads to an aggravation of the conflict and, in fact, does not bode well for Ukraine."

Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, speaks as Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, and Chief of the General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov attend a meeting with senior military officers in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022. (Sergey Fadeichev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Asked whether Zelenskyys visit to Washington would possibly lead to possible peace talks with Russia, Peskov said: "I dont think so."

His comments were the first official Russian reaction to news that Zelenskyy was heading to Washington the presidents first known foreign trip since Russia's Feb. 24 invasion triggered a war that has killed thousands and laid waste to towns and cities across Ukraine.

ZELENSKYY VISIT IS A MESSAGE TO PUTIN THAT US WILL BACK UKRAINE FOR AS LONG AS IT TAKES: WHITE HOUSE

Zelenskyy met with President Joe Biden in Washington Wednesday, where U.S. officials announced a huge new military aid package for Kyiv. He later addressed Congress, where he thanked U.S. leaders and "ordinary Americans" for their support in fighting off the invaders and pressed for additional aid.

Biden said the U.S. and Ukraine would continue to project a "united defense" as Russia wages a "brutal assault on Ukraine's right to exist as a nation."

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks during a joint news conference with U.S. President Joe Biden (not pictured) in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., December 21, 2022. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

The massive $1.8 billion package includes for the first time a Patriot missile battery and precision guided bombs for fighter jets, U.S. officials said.

Speaking during a meeting with his top military brass, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would take lessons learned in the conflict to "develop our armed forces and strengthen the capability of our troops."

ZELENSKYY'S MESSAGE TO AMERICANS: I REALLY WANT TO WIN TOGETHER

He said special emphasis would go to developing nuclear forces, which he described as "the main guarantee of Russia's sovereignty."

Putin also said the Russian military's new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile will enter service shortly. The Sarmat is intended to replace aging Soviet-built ballistic missiles and form the core of Russia's nuclear forces.

A local resident walks next to a house destroyed in a Russian shelling in Kramatorsk, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko)

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the beefed-up Russian military will include 695,000 volunteer contract soldiers, 521,000 of whom should be recruited by the end of 2023. The Russian military had about 400,000 contract soldiers as part of its 1-million-member military before the fighting in Ukraine began.

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He also said Russia would form new units in the country's west in view of ambitions by Finland and Sweden to join NATO.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Bradford Betz is a Fox News Digital breaking reporter covering crime, political issues, and much more.

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Russia warns US military aid to Ukraine will escalate conflict as ...

MOSCOW, Dec 25 (Reuters) - Russia is ready to negotiate with all parties involved in the war in Ukraine but Kyiv and its Western backers have refused to engage in talks, President Vladimir Putin said in an interview aired on Sunday.

Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine has triggered the most deadly European conflict since World War Two and the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

There is, thus far, little end in sight to the war.

The Kremlin says it will fight until all its aims are achieved while Kyiv says it will not rest until every Russian soldier is ejected from all of its territory.

"We are ready to negotiate with everyone involved about acceptable solutions, but that is up to them - we are not the ones refusing to negotiate, they are," Putin told Rossiya 1 state television.

An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Putin needed to return to reality and acknowledge it was Russia which did not want talks.

"Russia single-handedly attacked Ukraine and is killing citizens," the adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, tweeted. "Russia doesn't want negotiations, but tries to avoid responsibility."

Russian attacks on power stations have left millions without electricity, and Zelenskiy said Moscow would aim to make the last few days of 2022 dark and difficult.

"Russia has lost everything it could this year. ... I know darkness will not prevent us from leading the occupiers to new defeats. But we have to be ready for any scenario," he said in an evening video address.

The Ukrainian armed forces' general staff said there was still a threat of air and missile strikes on critical infrastructure across the country.

Russian troops had shelled dozens of towns and positions along the front line, it said in a Facebook post.

Zelenskiy, referring to a strike on the southern city of Kherson on Saturday that officials say killed at least 10 people, vowed, "We will find every Russian murderer".

Putin accused the West of trying to cleave Russia apart.

"I believe that we are acting in the right direction, we are defending our national interests, the interests of our citizens, our people. And we have no other choice but to protect our citizens," Putin said.

Asked if the geopolitical conflict with the West was approaching a dangerous level, Putin said: "I don't think it's so dangerous."

Putin said the West had begun the conflict in 2014 by toppling a pro-Russian Ukrainian president in the Maidan Revolution protests.

Soon after, Russia annexed Crimea and Russian-backed separatist forces began fighting in eastern Ukraine.

"Actually, the fundamental thing here is the policy of our geopolitical opponents which is aimed at pulling apart Russia, historical Russia," Putin said.

Putin casts the conflict in Ukraine, which he calls a "special military operation," as a watershed moment when Moscow finally stood up to a Western bloc that he says has been seeking to destroy Russia since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.

Ukraine and the West say Putin has no justification for what they cast as an imperial-style war of occupation.

Putin described Russia as a "unique country" and said the vast majority of its people were united in wanting to defend it.

"As for the main part - the 99.9% of our citizens, our people who are ready to give everything for the interests of the Motherland there is nothing unusual for me here," Putin said.

"This just once again convinces me that Russia is a unique country and that we have an exceptional people. This has been confirmed throughout the history of Russia's existence."

Additional reporting by Pavel Polityuk in Kyiv and David Ljunggren in Ottawa;Editing by Gareth Jones, Diane Craft and Leslie Adler

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Putin says Russia ready to negotiate over Ukraine | Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a news conference after a meeting of the State Council on youth policy in Moscow, Russia, December 22, 2022.

Sergey Guneev | Sputnik | Reuters

Russia is ready to negotiate with all parties involved in the war in Ukraine but Kyiv and its Western backers have refused to engage in talks, President Vladimir Putin said in an interview aired on Sunday.

Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine has triggered the most deadly European conflict since World War Two and the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

There is, thus far, little end in sight to the war.

The Kremlin says it will fight until all its aims are achieved while Kyiv says it will not rest until every Russian soldier is ejected from all of its territory, including Crimea which Russia annexed in 2014.

"We are ready to negotiate with everyone involved about acceptable solutions, but that is up to them - we are not the ones refusing to negotiate, they are," Putin told Rossiya 1 state television.

CIA Director William Burns said this month that while most conflicts end in negotiation, the CIA's assessment was that Russia was not yet serious about real talks.

An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Putin needed to return to reality and acknowledge it was Russia that did not want talks.

"Russia single-handedly attacked Ukraine and is killing citizens," Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted. "Russia doesn't want negotiations, but tries to avoid responsibility."

Relentless Russian attacks on power-generating facilities since October have regularly left millions of Ukrainians without heat and water.

"The threat of enemy air and missile strikes on critical infrastructure facilities remains throughout the territory of Ukraine," the Ukrainian armed forces' general staff said in an update on Facebook.

Russian troops had shelled dozens of towns and positions along the front line, it said, causing civilian casualties in the southern Kherson region. Moscow denies it targets civilians.

Putin said Russia was acting in the "right direction" in Ukraine because the West, led by the United States, was trying to cleave Russia apart.

"I believe that we are acting in the right direction, we are defending our national interests, the interests of our citizens, our people. And we have no other choice but to protect our citizens," Putin said.

Asked if the geopolitical conflict with the West was approaching a dangerous level, Putin said: "I don't think it's so dangerous."

Putin said the West had begun the conflict in 2014 by toppling a pro-Russian Ukrainian president in the Maidan Revolution protests.

Soon after, Russia annexed Crimea and Russian-backed separatist forces began fighting in eastern Ukraine.

"Actually, the fundamental thing here is the policy of our geopolitical opponents which is aimed at pulling apart Russia, historical Russia," Putin said.

Putin casts what he calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine as a watershed moment when Moscow finally stood up to a Western bloc he says has been seeking to destroy Russia since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.

Ukraine and the West say Putin has no justification for what they cast as an imperial-style war of occupation.

Putin described Russia as a "unique country" and said the vast majority of its people were united in wanting to defend it.

"As for the main part the 99.9% of our citizens, our people who are ready to give everything for the interests of the Motherland there is nothing unusual for me here," Putin said.

"This just once again convinces me that Russia is a unique country and that we have an exceptional people. This has been confirmed throughout the history of Russia's existence."

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Putin says Russia ready to negotiate over Ukraine, Kyiv says Moscow ...

Putin: Russia ready to negotiate over Ukraine

Russia is ready to negotiate with all parties involved in the war in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin has said, while accusing Kyiv and its western allies of refusing to negotiate.

Speaking in an interview with Rossiya 1 state television, Putin said:

We are ready to negotiate with everyone involved about acceptable solutions, but that is up to them we are not the ones refusing to negotiate, they are.

He added that Russia was acting in the right direction in Ukraine because the west, led by the US, was trying to cleave Russia apart. He continued:

I believe that we are acting in the right direction, we are defending our national interests, the interests of our citizens, our people. And we have no other choice but to protect our citizens.

Moscow has persistently said it is open to negotiations, but Kyiv and its allies suspect Putins claims are a ploy to buy time after a series of Russian defeats and retreats on the battlefield.

The Russian president said on Thursday that Moscow will strive for an end to the war and that this would inevitably involve some kind of negotiations on the diplomatic track. His comments came a day after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited the US.

John Kirby, the White Houses spokesperson, said Putin has shown absolutely zero indication that hes willing to negotiate an end to the war. Quite the contrary, Kirby said, adding:

Everything he is doing on the ground and in the air bespeaks a man who wants to continue to visit violence upon the Ukrainian people.

Key events

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Russia is ready to negotiate with all parties involved in the war in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin has said, while accusing Kyiv and its western allies of refusing to negotiate. Moscow has persistently said it is open to negotiations, but Kyiv and its allies suspect Putins claims are a ploy to buy time after a series of Russian defeats and retreats on the battlefield.

Ukraines presidential adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, said Putin needs to come back to reality after the Russian leader claimed Moscow was ready for negotiations. It is obvious that Russia doesnt want negotiations, but tries to avoid responsibility, Podolyak tweeted.

President Putin also blamed the west for starting the conflict in Ukraine in 2014 by toppling a pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovych, in the Maidan revolution protests. But he told Rossiya 1 state television that the geopolitical conflict with the west was not so dangerous.

Air raid alerts blared across Kyiv and most of Ukraine twice on Sunday. Officials gave the all-clear and there were no immediate reports of Russian attacks on the country. Unconfirmed reports on Ukrainian social media suggested the sirens may have been triggered after Russian jets took to the skies in Belarus.

At least 16 people were killed and 64 injured in Russias shelling of the Kherson region in southern Ukraine on Saturday, the regions governor, Yaroslav Yanushevych, said. Russian forces opened fire on the Kherson region 71 times with artillery, multiple-launch rocket systems and mortars, Yanushevych said. Iuliia Mendel, a Ukrainian former presidential spokesperson, shared photos of people waiting to donate blood in Kherson.

Among those killed in Kherson on Saturday were three Ukrainian emergency workers, who died when a mine exploded while they were demining parts of the Kherson region. All three selflessly served and performed the task of demining territories liberated from the enemy in the Kherson region, the Zhytomyr emergency service said on its Facebook page.

Russian forces rate of advance in the Bakhmut area of eastern Ukraine has probably slowed in recent days, according to analysts. In its latest update, the US thinktank the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) cited one Russian military blogger as saying that Ukrainian forces had pushed back elements of the Russian private mercenary company, the Wagner group, to positions they held days ago.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy used his latest video address to say that Ukrainians would create their Christmas miracle by remaining unbowed, despite Russian attacks that have left millions without power. Speaking 10 months to the day since Russia invaded, Zelenskiy said that while freedom came at a high price, slavery would cost more.

Russias parliament is preparing to introduce a higher taxation rate for people who have left the country, as many have since the war in Ukraine began in February. Some local media reported that as many as 700,000 fled after the announcement of a mobilisation drive to call up new troops to join the fight in September. The government rejected that figure at the time.

Chinas foreign minister, Wang Yi, has defended his countrys position on the war in Ukraine and indicated that Beijing will deepen ties with Moscow in the coming year. China will deepen strategic mutual trust and mutually beneficial cooperation with Russia, Wang said in a video address, according to an official text of his remarks.

The Archbishop of Canterbury and Pope Francis have used their Christmas addresses to call for an end to the war in Ukraine. Condemning the use of food as a weapon of war, the pope said the war in Ukraine and conflict in other countries had put millions at risk of famine.

Updated at 14.18EST

Local residents in Kyiv, Ukraine, have been spotted singing Christmas carols during an air raid alarm inside a metro station.

Relentless Russian attacks on power generating facilities since October have regularly left millions of Ukrainians without heat and water.

The threat of enemy air and missile strikes on critical infrastructure facilities remains throughout the territory of Ukraine, the Ukrainian armed forces general staff said in an update on Facebook.

Russian troops had shelled dozens of towns and positions along the front line, it said, causing civilian casualties in the southern Kherson region. Moscow has denied targeting civilians.

Updated at 12.23EST

Ukraines ministry of defence has tweeted information about a blood donation centre in Kherson following yesterdays shelling, which killed at least 16 people and wounded dozens.

Updated at 11.48EST

Updated at 11.33EST

Updated at 11.36EST

Its 6pm in Kyiv. Heres where we stand:

Russia is ready to negotiate with all parties involved in the war in Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin has said, while accusing Kyiv and its western allies of refusing to negotiate. Moscow has persistently said it is open to negotiations, but Kyiv and its allies suspect Putins claims are a ploy to buy time after a series of Russian defeats and retreats on the battlefield.

Ukraines presidential adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, said Putin needs to come back to reality after the Russian leader claimed Moscow was ready for negotiations. It is obvious that Russia doesnt want negotiations, but tries to avoid responsibility, Podolyak tweeted.

President Putin also blamed the west for starting the conflict in Ukraine in 2014 by toppling a pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovych, in the Maidan revolution protests. But he told Rossiya 1 state television that the geopolitical conflict with the west was not so dangerous.

Air raid alerts blared across Kyiv and most of Ukraine twice on Sunday. Officials gave the all-clear and there were no immediate reports of Russian attacks on the country. Unconfirmed reports on Ukrainian social media suggested the sirens may have been triggered after Russian jets took to the skies in Belarus.

At least 16 people were killed and 64 injured in Russias shelling of the Kherson region in southern Ukraine on Saturday, the regions governor Yaroslav Yanushevych said. Russian forces opened fire on the Kherson region 71 times with artillery, multiple launch rocket systems and mortars, Yanushevych said. Iuliia Mendel, a Ukrainian former presidential spokesperson, shared photos of people waiting to donate blood in Kherson.

Among those killed in Kherson on Saturday were three Ukrainian emergency services workers, who died when a mine exploded while they were demining parts of the Kherson region. All three selflessly served and performed the task of demining territories liberated from the enemy in the Kherson region, the Zhytomyr emergency service said on its Facebook page.

Russian forces rate of advance in the Bakhmut area of eastern Ukraine has probably slowed in recent days, according to analysts. In its latest update, the US thinktank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) cited one Russian military blogger as saying that Ukrainian forces had pushed back elements of the Russian private mercenary company, the Wagner group, to positions they held days ago.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy used his latest video address to say that Ukrainians would create their Christmas miracle, by remaining unbowed, despite Russian attacks that have left millions without power. Speaking 10 months to the day since Russia invaded, Zelenskiy said that while freedom came at a high price, slavery would cost even more.

Russias parliament is preparing to introduce a higher taxation rate for people who have left the county, as many have since the war in Ukraine began in February. Some local media reported that as many as 700,000 fled after the announcement of a mobilisation drive to call up new troops to join the fight in September. The government rejected that figure at the time.

Chinas foreign minister, Wang Yi, has defended his countrys position on the war in Ukraine and indicated that Beijing will deepen ties with Moscow in the coming year. China will deepen strategic mutual trust and mutually beneficial cooperation with Russia, Wang said in a video address, according to an official text of his remarks.

The archbishop of Canterbury and Pope Francis have used their Christmas addresses to call for an end to the war in Ukraine. Condemning the use of food as a weapon of war, the pope said the war in Ukraine and conflict in other countries had put millions at risk of famine.

Updated at 11.01EST

The only church in the village of Kyselivka in Ukraines southern Kherson region has been destroyed by Russian shelling, according to its defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov.

Here are some of the latest images we have received from Ukraine.

Iuliia Mendel, a Ukrainian former presidential spokesperson, has shared photos of people waiting to donate blood in Kherson after its regional governor, Yaroslav Yanushevych, issued an appeal for donations.

At least 16 people were killed and 64 injured in Russias shelling of the Kherson region on Saturday, according to Yanushevych.

Read more from the original source:

Russia-Ukraine war live: Putin said Russia ready to negotiate over ...

Top Questions

What is the Russian language?

The Russian language is the principal state and cultural language of Russia. Russian is the primary language of the majority of people in Russia. It is also used as a second language in other former republics of the Soviet Union. It belongs to the eastern branch of the Slavic family of languages.

Who created the Russian language?

The Russian language was shaped by several major influences. These included the 9th-century Christian missionaries Saints Cyril and Methodius, who used Old Church Slavonic in their work among the Slavs, and Peter the Great (reigned 16821725), whose Westernizing policies opened Russian to western European languages. The 19th-century poet Aleksandr Pushkin, by combining colloquial and Old Slavonic diction in his writings, ended a controversy over which form of Russian was best for literary uses.

Is the Russian language based on Greek?

The Russian language itself is not based on Greek, but its alphabet is. The Cyrillic alphabet is very closely based on the Greek alphabet, though it contains about a dozen additional letters, which were created in order to represent sounds found in Russian but not in Greek.

Why is Russian important for astronauts?

Aboard the International Space Station, the operating language is English, so all astronauts have to be fluent or at least proficient in that tongue to perform their procedures. However, one means of travel to and from the ISS is Russias Soyuz spacecraft, which is operated solely in Russian, so astronauts have to be proficient in that language too.

Russian language, Russian Russki yazyk, principal state and cultural language of Russia. Together with Ukrainian and Belarusian, the Russian language makes up the eastern branch of the Slavic family of languages. Russian is the primary language of the overwhelming majority of people in Russia and is also used as a second language in other former republics of the Soviet Union. Russian was also taught extensively in those countries lying within the Soviet sphere of influence, especially in eastern Europe, in the second half of the 20th century.

Russian dialects are divided into the Northern group (stretching from St. Petersburg eastward across Siberia), the Southern group (in most of central and southern Russia), and the Central group (between Northern and Southern). Modern literary Russian is based on the Central dialect of Moscow, having basically the consonant system of the Northern dialect and the vowel system of the Southern dialect. The differences between these three dialects are fewer than between the dialects of most other European languages, however.

Russian and the other East Slavic languages (Ukrainian, Belarusian) did not diverge noticeably from one another until the Middle Russian period (the late 13th to the 16th century). The term Old Russian is generally applied to the common East Slavic language in use before that time.

Russian has been strongly influenced by Old Church Slavonic andsince the 18th-century westernizing policies of Tsar Peter I the Greatby the languages of western Europe, from which it has borrowed many words. The 19th-century poet Aleksandr Pushkin had a very great influence on the subsequent development of the language. His writings, by combining the colloquial and Church Slavonic styles, put an end to the considerable controversy that had developed as to which style of the language was best for literary uses.

The modern language uses six case forms (nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, instrumental, locative) in the singular and plural of nouns and adjectives and expresses both a perfective aspect (completed action) and an imperfective aspect (process or incomplete action) in verbs. In its sound system the Russian language has numerous sibilant consonants and consonant clusters as well as a series of palatalized consonants contrasting with a series of unpalatalized (plain) consonants. (Palatalized consonants are those produced with simultaneous movement of the blade of the tongue toward or to the hard palate; they sound as if they have an accompanying y glide and are frequently known as soft consonants.) The reduced vowels and of the ancestral Slavic language were lost in Russian in weak position during the early historical period. Russian clause structure is basically subjectverbobject (SVO), but word order varies depending on which elements are already familiar in the discourse.

Read this article:

Russian language | Origin, History, Dialects, & Facts | Britannica

Culture of peoples and nationalities of Russia

Russian culture (Russian: , romanized:Kul'tura Rossii) has been formed by the nation's history, its geographical location and its vast expanse, religious and social traditions, and Western influence.[1] Russian writers and philosophers have played an important role in the development of European thought.[2][3] The Russians have also greatly influenced classical music,[4] ballet,[5] sport,[6] painting,[7] and cinema.[8] The nation has also made pioneering contributions to science and technology and space exploration.[9][10]

Page of a Russian illuminated manuscript; 14851490

Russia's 160 ethnic groups speak some 100 languages.[11] According to the 2002 census, 142.6million people speak Russian, followed by Tatar with 5.3million and Ukrainian with 1.8million speakers.[12] Russian is the only official state language, but the Constitution gives the individual republics the right to make their native language co-official next to Russian.[13] Despite its wide dispersal, the Russian language is homogeneous throughout Russia. Russian is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia and the most widely spoken Slavic language.[14] Russian belongs to the Indo-European language family and is one of the living members of the East Slavic languages; the others being Belarusian and Ukrainian (and possibly Rusyn). Written examples of Old East Slavic (Old Russian) are attested from the 10th century onwards.[15]

Over a quarter of the world's scientific literature is published in Russian. Russian is also applied as a means of coding and storage of universal knowledge6070% of all world information is published in the English and Russian languages.[16] The language is one of the six official languages of the United Nations.[citation needed]

Russian folklore takes its roots in the pagan beliefs of ancient Slavs, which is nowadays still represented in the Russian folklore. Epic Russian bylinas are also an important part of Slavic mythology. The oldest bylinas of Kievan cycle were recorded in the Russian North, especially in Karelia, where most of the Finnish national epic Kalevala was recorded as well.[citation needed]

Many Russian fairy tales and bylinas were adapted for Russian animations, or for feature movies by famous directors like Aleksandr Ptushko (Ilya Muromets, Sadko) and Aleksandr Rou (Morozko, Vasilisa the Beautiful). Some Russian poets, including Pyotr Yershov and Leonid Filatov, created a number of well-known poetical interpretations of classical Russian fairy tales, and in some cases, like that of Alexander Pushkin, also created fully original fairy tale poems that became very popular.[citation needed]

Folklorists today consider the 1920s the Soviet Union's golden age of folklore. The struggling new government, which had to focus its efforts on establishing a new administrative system and building up the nation's backwards economy, could not be bothered with attempting to control literature, so studies of folklore thrived. There were two primary trends of folklore study during the decade: the formalist and Finnish schools. Formalism focused on the artistic form of ancient byliny and faerie tales, specifically their use of distinctive structures and poetic devices.[17] The Finnish school was concerned with connections amongst related legends of various Eastern European regions. Finnish scholars collected comparable tales from multiple locales and analyzed their similarities and differences, hoping to trace these epic stories' migration paths.[18]

Once Joseph Stalin came to power and put his first five-year plan into motion in 1928, the Soviet government began to criticize and censor folklore studies. Stalin and the Soviet regime repressed folklore, believing that it supported the old tsarist system and a capitalist economy. They saw it as a reminder of the backward Russian society that the Bolsheviks were working to surpass.[20] To keep folklore studies in check and prevent "inappropriate" ideas from spreading amongst the masses, the government created the RAPP the Russian Association of Proletarian Writers. The RAPP specifically focused on censoring fairy tales and children's literature, believing that fantasies and "bourgeois nonsense" harmed the development of upstanding Soviet citizens. Fairy tales were removed from bookshelves and children were encouraged to read books focusing on nature and science.[21] RAPP eventually increased its levels of censorship and became the Union of Soviet Writers in 1932.[citation needed]

In order to continue researching and analyzing folklore, intellectuals needed to justify its worth to the Communist regime. Otherwise, collections of folklore, along with all other literature deemed useless for the purposes of Stalin's Five Year Plan, would be an unacceptable realm of study. In 1934, Maksim Gorky gave a speech to the Union of Soviet Writers arguing that folklore could, in fact, be consciously used to promote Communist values. Apart from expounding on the artistic value of folklore, he stressed that traditional legends and fairy tales showed ideal, community-oriented characters, which exemplified the model Soviet citizen.[22] Folklore, with many of its conflicts based on the struggles of a labor-oriented lifestyle, was relevant to Communism as it could not have existed without the direct contribution of the working classes.[23] Also, Gorky explained that folklore characters expressed high levels of optimism, and therefore could encourage readers to maintain a positive mindset, especially as their lives changed with the further development of Communism.[18]

Yuri Sokolov, the head of the folklore section of the Union of Soviet Writers also promoted the study of folklore by arguing that folklore had originally been the oral tradition of the working people, and consequently could be used to motivate and inspire collective projects amongst the present-day proletariat.[24] Characters throughout traditional Russian folktales often found themselves on a journey of self-discovery, a process that led them to value themselves not as individuals, but rather as a necessary part of a common whole. The attitudes of such legendary characters paralleled the mindset that the Soviet government wished to instill in its citizens.[25] He also pointed out the existence of many tales that showed members of the working class outsmarting their cruel masters, again working to prove folklore's value to Soviet ideology and the nation's society at large.[26]Convinced by Gorky and Sokolov's arguments, the Soviet government and the Union of Soviet Writers began collecting and evaluating folklore from across the country. The Union handpicked and recorded particular stories that, in their eyes, sufficiently promoted the collectivist spirit and showed the Soviet regime's benefits and progress. It then proceeded to redistribute copies of approved stories throughout the population. Meanwhile, local folklore centers arose in all major cities.[27] Responsible for advocating a sense of Soviet nationalism, these organizations ensured that the media published appropriate versions of Russian folktales in a systematic fashion.[18]

Apart from circulating government-approved fairy tales and byliny that already existed, during Stalin's rule authors parroting appropriate Soviet ideologies wrote Communist folktales and introduced them to the population. These contemporary folktales combined the structures and motifs of the old byliny with contemporary life in the Soviet Union. Called noviny, these new tales were considered the renaissance of the Russian epic.[28] Folklorists were called upon to teach modern folksingers the conventional style and structure of the traditional byliny. They also explained to the performers the appropriate types of Communist ideology that should be represented in the new stories and songs[29] As the performers of the day were often poorly educated, they needed to obtain a thorough understanding of Marxist ideology before they could be expected to impart folktales to the public in a manner that suited the Soviet government. Besides undergoing extensive education, many folk performers traveled throughout the nation in order to gain insight into the lives of the working class, and thus communicate their stories more effectively.[30] Due to their crucial role in spreading Communist ideals throughout the Soviet Union, eventually some of these performers became highly valued members of Soviet society. A number of them, despite their illiteracy, were even elected as members of the Union of Soviet Writers.[31]

These new Soviet fairy tales and folk songs primarily focused on the contrasts between a miserable life in old tsarist Russia and an improved one under Stalin's leadership.[32] Their characters represented identities for which Soviet citizens should strive, exemplifying the traits of the "New Soviet Man".[33] The heroes of Soviet tales were meant to portray a transformed and improved version of the average citizen, giving the reader a clear goal for an ideal community-oriented self that the future he or she was meant to become. These new folktales replaced magic with technology, and supernatural forces with Stalin.[34] Instead of receiving essential advice from a mythical being, the protagonist would be given advice from omniscient Stalin. If the character followed Stalin's divine advice, he could be assured success in all his endeavors and a complete transformation into the "New Soviet Man".[35] The villains of these contemporary fairy tales were the Whites and their leader Idolisce, "the most monstrous idol", who was the equivalent of the tsar. Descriptions of the Whites in noviny mirrored those of the Tartars in byliny.[36] In these new stories, the Whites were incompetent, stagnant capitalists, while the Soviet citizens became invincible heroes.[37]

Once Stalin died in March 1953, folklorists of the period quickly abandoned the new folktales. Written by individual authors and performers, noviny did not come from the oral traditions of the working class. Consequently, today they are considered pseudo-folklore, rather than genuine Soviet (or Russian) folklore.[38] Without any true connection to the masses, there was no reason noviny should be considered anything other than contemporary literature. Specialists decided that attempts to represent contemporary life through the structure and artistry of the ancient epics could not be considered genuine folklore.[39] Stalin's name has been omitted from the few surviving pseudo-folktales of the period.[38] Instead of considering folklore under Stalin a renaissance of the traditional Russian epic, today it is generally regarded as a period of restraint and falsehood.[citation needed]

Russian literature is considered to be among the world's most influential and developed.[40] It can be traced to the Middle Ages, when epics and chronicles in Old East Slavic were composed.[41] By the Age of Enlightenment, literature had grown in importance, with works from Mikhail Lomonosov, Denis Fonvizin, Gavrila Derzhavin, and Nikolay Karamzin.[42] From the early 1830s, during the Golden Age of Russian Poetry, literature underwent an astounding golden age in poetry, prose and drama.[43] Romanticism permitted a flowering of poetic talent: Vasily Zhukovsky and later his protg Alexander Pushkin came to the fore.[44] Following Pushkin's footsteps, a new generation of poets were born, including Mikhail Lermontov, Nikolay Nekrasov, Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy, Fyodor Tyutchev and Afanasy Fet.[42]

The first great Russian novelist was Nikolai Gogol.[45] Then came Ivan Turgenev, who mastered both short stories and novels.[46] Fyodor Dostoevsky and Leo Tolstoy soon became internationally renowned. Ivan Goncharov is remembered mainly for his novel Oblomov.[47] Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin wrote prose satire,[48] while Nikolai Leskov is best remembered for his shorter fiction.[49] In the second half of the century Anton Chekhov excelled in short stories and became a leading dramatist.[50] Other important 19th-century developments included the fabulist Ivan Krylov,[51] non-fiction writers such as the critic Vissarion Belinsky,[52] and playwrights such as Aleksandr Griboyedov and Aleksandr Ostrovsky.[53][54] The beginning of the 20th century ranks as the Silver Age of Russian Poetry. This era had poets such as Alexander Blok, Anna Akhmatova, Boris Pasternak, Konstantin Balmont,[55] Marina Tsvetaeva, Vladimir Mayakovsky, and Osip Mandelshtam. It also produced some first-rate novelists and short-story writers, such as Aleksandr Kuprin, Nobel Prize winner Ivan Bunin, Leonid Andreyev, Yevgeny Zamyatin, Dmitry Merezhkovsky and Andrei Bely.[42]

After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Russian literature split into Soviet and white migr parts. In the 1930s, Socialist realism became the predominant trend in Russia. Its leading figure was Maxim Gorky, who laid the foundations of this style.[56] Mikhail Bulgakov was one of the leading writers of the Soviet era.[57] Nikolay Ostrovsky's novel How the Steel Was Tempered has been among the most successful works of Russian literature. Influential migr writers include Vladimir Nabokov,[58] and Isaac Asimov; who was considered one of the "Big Three" science fiction writers.[59] Some writers dared to oppose Soviet ideology, such as Nobel Prize-winning novelist Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, who wrote about life in the Gulag camps.[60]

Some Russian writers, like Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky, are known also as philosophers, while many more authors are known primarily for their philosophical works. Russian philosophy blossomed since the 19th century, when it was defined initially by the opposition of Westernizers, advocating Russia's following the Western political and economical models, and Slavophiles, insisting on developing Russia as a unique civilization. The latter group includes Nikolai Danilevsky and Konstantin Leontiev, the early founders of eurasianism.[citation needed]

In its further developments, Russian philosophy was always marked by a deep connection to literature and interest in creativity, society, politics and nationalism; cosmos and religion were other primary subjects. Notable philosophers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries include Vladimir Solovyov, Sergei Bulgakov, Pavel Florensky, Nikolai Berdyaev, Vladimir Lossky and Vladimir Vernadsky. In the 20th century Russian philosophy became dominated by Marxism.[citation needed]

Russia owes much of its wit to the great flexibility and richness of the Russian language, allowing for puns and unexpected associations. As with any other nation, its vast scope ranges from lewd jokes and silly word play to political satire.[citation needed]

Russian jokes, the most popular form of Russian humour, are short fictional stories or dialogues with a punch line. Russian joke culture features a series of categories with fixed and highly familiar settings and characters. Surprising effects are achieved by an endless variety of plots. Russians love jokes on topics found everywhere in the world, be it politics, spouse relations, or mothers-in-law.[citation needed]

Chastushka, a type of traditional Russian poetry, is a single quatrain in trochaic tetrameter with an "abab" or "abcb" rhyme scheme. Usually humorous, satirical, or ironic in nature, chastushkas are often put to music as well, usually with balalaika or accordion accompaniment. The rigid, short structure (and to a lesser degree, the type of humor these use) parallels limericks. The name originates from the Russian word , meaning "to speak fast".[citation needed]

Russian visual artworks are similar in style with the ones from other eastern Slavic countries like Ukraine or Belarus.[citation needed]

As early as the 12th and 13th centuries Russia had its national masters who were free of all foreign influence, i. e. that of the Greeks on the one hand, and on the other hand that of the Lombard master-masons called in Andrei Georgievich to build the Uspensky (Assumption) Cathedral in the city of Vladimir. Russia's relations with the Greek world were hampered by the Mongol invasion, and it is to the isolation arising from this that we must attribute the originality of Slavo-Russian ornamentation, which has a character of its own, quite unlike the Byzantine style and the Romanesque.[citation needed]

The history of Russian architecture begins with early woodcraft buildings of ancient Slavs, and the church architecture of Kievan Rus'.[61] Following the Christianization of Kievan Rus', for several centuries it was influenced predominantly by the Byzantine Empire.[62] Aristotle Fioravanti and other Italian architects brought Renaissance trends into Russia.[63] The 16th-century saw the development of the unique tent-like churches; and the onion dome design, which is a distinctive feature of Russian architecture.[64] In the 17th-century, the "fiery style" of ornamentation flourished in Moscow and Yaroslavl, gradually paving the way for the Naryshkin baroque of the 1690s.[citation needed]

After the reforms of Peter the Great, Russia's architecture became influenced by Western European styles. The 18th-century taste for Rococo architecture led to the splendid works of Bartolomeo Rastrelli and his followers. The most influential Russian architects of the eighteenth century; Vasily Bazhenov, Matvey Kazakov, and Ivan Starov, created lasting monuments in Moscow and Saint Petersburg and established a base for the more Russian forms that followed.[65] During the reign of Catherine the Great, Saint Petersburg was transformed into an outdoor museum of Neoclassical architecture.[66] During Alexander I's rule, Empire style became the de facto architectural style,[67] and Nicholas I opened the gate of Eclecticism to Russia. The second half of the 19th-century was dominated by the Neo-Byzantine and Russian Revival style. In early 20th-century, Russian neoclassical revival became a trend.[68] Prevalent styles of the late 20th-century were the Art Nouveau, Constructivism,[69] and Socialist Classicism.[70]

Some notable Russian buildings include:

Matryoshka doll is a Russian nesting doll. A set of Matryoshka dolls consist of a wooden figure which can be pulled apart to reveal another figure of the same sort but somewhat smaller inside. It has in turn another somewhat smaller figure inside, and so on. The number of nested figures is usually six or more. The shape is mostly cylindrical, rounded at the top for the head and tapered towards the bottom, but little else. The dolls have no extremities, (except those that are painted). The true artistry is in the painting of each doll, which can be extremely elaborate. The theme is usually peasant girls in traditional dress, but can be almost anything; for instance, fairy tales or Soviet leaders.[citation needed]

Other forms of Russian handicraft include khokhloma, Dymkovo toy, gzhel, Zhostovo painting, Filimonov toys, pisanka, Pavlovo Posad shawl, Rushnyk, and palekh.[citation needed]

Russian icons are typically paintings on wood, often small, though some in churches and monasteries may be as large as a table top. Many religious homes in Russia have icons hanging on the wall in the krasny ugol, the "red" or "beautiful" corner (see Icon Corner). There is a rich history and elaborate religious symbolism associated with icons. In Russian churches, the nave is typically separated from the sanctuary by an iconostasis (Russian ikonosts) a wall of icons. Icon paintings in Russia attempted to help people with their prayers without idolizing the figure in the painting. The most comprehensive collection of Icon art is found at the Tretyakov Gallery.[71]

The use and making of icons entered Kievan Rus' following its conversion to Orthodox Christianity from the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire in 988 AD. As a general rule, these icons strictly followed models and formulas hallowed by usage, some of which had originated in Constantinople. As time passed, the Russiansnotably Andrei Rublev and Dionisiuswidened the vocabulary of iconic types and styles far beyond anything found elsewhere. The personal, improvisatory and creative traditions of Western European religious art are largely lacking in Russia before the seventeenth century, when Simon Ushakov's painting became strongly influenced by religious paintings and engravings from Protestant as well as Catholic Europe.[citation needed]

In the mid-seventeenth century, changes in liturgy and practice instituted by Patriarch Nikon resulted in a split in the Russian Orthodox Church. The traditionalists, the persecuted "Old Ritualists" or "Old Believers", continued the traditional stylization of icons, while the State Church modified its practice. From that time icons began to be painted not only in the traditional stylized and nonrealistic mode, but also in a mixture of Russian stylization and Western European realism, and in a Western European manner very much like that of Catholic religious art of the time. The Stroganov movement and the icons from Nevyansk rank among the last important schools of Russian icon-painting.[citation needed]

A lubok (plural Lubki, Cyrillic: Russian: , ) is a Russian popular print, characterized by simple graphics and narratives derived from literature, religious stories and popular tales. Lubki prints were used as decoration in houses and inns. Early examples from the late 17th and early 18th centuries were woodcuts, then engravings or etchings were typical, and from the mid-19th century lithography. They sometimes appeared in series, which might be regarded as predecessors of the modern comic strip. Cheap and simple books, similar to chapbooks,[72] which mostly consisted of pictures, are called lubok literature or (Cyrillic: Russian: ). Both pictures and literature are commonly referred to simply as lubki. The Russian word lubok derives from lub a special type of board that pictures were printed on.[citation needed]

Baba Yaga riding a pig and fighting the infernal Crocodile; 17th century

The sun, moon, seasons and 12 months in the form of signs of the zodiac; the end of the 17th-early 18th century

The Mice are burying the Cat; 18th century

Farnos the Red Nose (lubok depicting a pig-riding jester); 18th century

The Russian Academy of Arts was created in 1757 with the aim of giving Russian artists an international role and status. Notable portrait painters from the Academy include Ivan Argunov, Fyodor Rokotov, Dmitry Levitzky, and Vladimir Borovikovsky.[citation needed]

In the early 19th century, when neoclassicism and romantism flourished, famous academic artists focused on mythological and Biblical themes, like Karl Briullov and Alexander Ivanov.[citation needed]

Realism came into dominance in the 19th century. The realists captured Russian identity in landscapes of wide rivers, forests, and birch clearings, as well as vigorous genre scenes and robust portraits of their contemporaries. Other artists focused on social criticism, showing the conditions of the poor and caricaturing authority; critical realism flourished under the reign of Alexander II, with some artists making the circle of human suffering their main theme. Others focused on depicting dramatic moments in Russian history. The Peredvizhniki (wanderers) group of artists broke with Russian Academy and initiated a school of art liberated from Academic restrictions. Leading realists include Ivan Shishkin, Arkhip Kuindzhi, Ivan Kramskoi, Vasily Polenov, Isaac Levitan, Vasily Surikov, Viktor Vasnetsov and Ilya Repin.[citation needed]

By the turn of the 20th century and on, many Russian artists developed their own unique styles, neither realist nor avant-garde. These include Boris Kustodiev, Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, Mikhail Vrubel and Nicholas Roerich. Many works by the Peredvizhniki group of artists have been highly sought after by collectors in recent years. Russian art auctions during Russian Art Week in London have increased in demand and works have been sold for record breaking prices.[citation needed]

The Russian avant-garde is an umbrella term used to define the large, influential wave of modernist art that flourished in Russia from approximately 1890 to 1930. The term covers many separate, but inextricably related, art movements that occurred at the time; namely neo-primitivism, suprematism, constructivism, rayonism, and futurism. Notable artists from this era include El Lissitzky, Kazimir Malevich, Wassily Kandinsky, Vladimir Tatlin, Alexander Rodchenko, Pavel Filonov and Marc Chagall. The Russian avant-garde reached its creative and popular height in the period between the Russian Revolution of 1917 and 1932, at which point the revolutionary ideas of the avant-garde clashed with the newly emerged conservative direction of socialist realism.[citation needed]

In the 20th century many Russian artists made their careers in Western Europe, forced to emigrate by the Revolution. Wassily Kandinsky, Marc Chagall, Naum Gabo and others spread their work, ideas, and the impact of Russian art globally.[citation needed]

During the Russian Revolution a movement was initiated to put all arts to service of the dictatorship of the proletariat. The instrument for this was created just days before the October Revolution, known as Proletkult, an abbreviation for "Proletarskie kulturno-prosvetitelnye organizatsii" (Proletarian Cultural and Enlightenment Organizations). A prominent theorist of this movement was Alexander Bogdanov. Initially, Narkompros (ministry of education), which was also in charge of the arts, supported Proletkult. Although Marxist in character, the Proletkult gained the disfavor of many party leaders, and by 1922 it had declined considerably. It was eventually disbanded by Stalin in 1932. De facto restrictions on what artists could paint were abandoned by the late 1980s.[citation needed]

However, in the late Soviet era many artists combined innovation with socialist realism including Ernst Neizvestny, Ilya Kabakov, Mikhail Shemyakin, Igor Novikov, Erik Bulatov, and Vera Mukhina. They employed techniques as varied as primitivism, hyperrealism, grotesque, and abstraction. Soviet artists produced works that were furiously patriotic and anti-fascist in the 1940s. After the Great Patriotic War Soviet sculptors made multiple monuments to the war dead, marked by a great restrained solemnity.[citation needed]

Russians have distinctive traditions of folk music. Typical ethnic Russian musical instruments are gusli, balalaika, zhaleika, balalaika contrabass, bayan accordion, Gypsy guitar and garmoshka. Folk music had great influence on the Russian classical composers, and in modern times it is a source of inspiration for a number of popular folk bands, most prominent being Golden Ring, Ural's Nation Choir, Lyudmila Zykina. Russian folk songs, as well as patriotic songs of the Soviet era, constitute the bulk of repertoire of the world-renowned Red Army choir and other popular Russian ensembles.[citation needed]

Russian folk dance (Russian: ) can generally be broken up into two main types of dances Khorovod (Russian: ), a circular game type dance where the participants hold hands, sing, and the action generally happens in the middle of circle, and Plyaska (Russian: or ), a circular dance for men and women that increases in diversity and tempo, according to Bob Renfield, considered to be the preeminent scholar on the topic. Other forms of Russian Folk Dance include Pereplyas (Russian: ), an all-male competitive dance, Mass Dance (Russian: ), an unpaired stage dance without restrictions on age or number of participants, Group Dance (Russian: ) a type of mass dance employs simple round-dance passages, and improvisation, and types of Quadrilles (Russian: ), originally a French dance brought to Russia in the 18th century.[73]

Ethnic Russian dances include khorovod (Russian: ), barynya (Russian: ), kamarinskaya (Russian: ), kazachok (Russian: ) and chechotka (Russian: ) (a tap dance in bast shoes and with a bayan).[74] Troika (Russian: ) A dance with one man and two women, named after the traditional Russian carriage which is led by three horses. Bear Dance or dancing with bears (Russian: ) Dates back to 907 when Great Russian Prince Oleg, in celebration of his victory over the Greeks in Kiev, had as entertainment, 16 male dancers dress as bears and four bears dress as dancers .[75][76] Dances with dancers dressed as bears are a recurring theme, as seen a recording of the Omsk Russian Folk Chorus.[77] One of the main characteristics of Russian furious dances is the Russian squat dance elements.[78][79]

Until the 18th-century, music in Russia consisted mainly of church music and folk songs and dances.[80] In the 19th-century, it was defined by the tension between classical composer Mikhail Glinka along with other members of The Mighty Handful, and the Russian Musical Society led by composers Anton and Nikolay Rubinstein.[80] The later tradition of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era, was continued into the 20th century by Sergei Rachmaninoff, one of the last great champions of the Romantic style of European classical music.[81] World-renowned composers of the 20th century include Alexander Scriabin, Alexander Glazunov, Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Prokofiev, Dmitri Shostakovich, Georgy Sviridov and Alfred Schnittke.[80]

Soviet and Russian conservatories have turned out generations of world-renowned soloists. Among the best known are violinists David Oistrakh and Gidon Kremer,[82][83] cellist Mstislav Rostropovich,[84] pianists Vladimir Horowitz,[85] Sviatoslav Richter,[86] and Emil Gilels,[87] and vocalist Galina Vishnevskaya.[88]

The original purpose of the ballet in Russia was to entertain the imperial court. The first ballet company was the Imperial School of Ballet in St. Petersburg in the 1740s. The Ballets Russes was a ballet company founded in the 1909 by Sergey Diaghilev, an enormously important figure in the Russian ballet scene. Diaghilev and his Ballets Russes' travels abroad profoundly influenced the development of dance worldwide.[89] The headquarters of his ballet company was located in Paris, France. A protg of Diaghilev, George Balanchine, founded the New York City Ballet Company in 1948.[citation needed]

During the early 20th century, Russian ballet dancers Anna Pavlova and Vaslav Nijinsky rose to fame. Soviet ballet preserved the perfected 19th century traditions,[90] and the Soviet Union's choreography schools produced one internationally famous star after another, including Maya Plisetskaya, Rudolf Nureyev, and Mikhail Baryshnikov. The Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow and the Mariinsky in Saint Petersburg remain famous throughout the world. ballet from then on spead world wide.[91]

The first known opera made in Russia was A Life for the Tsar by Mikhail Glinka in 1836. This was followed by several operas such as Ruslan and Lyudmila in 1842. Russian opera was originally a combination of Russian folk music and Italian opera. After the October revolution many opera composers left Russia. Russia's most popular operas include Boris Godunov, Eugene Onegin, The Golden Cockerel, Prince Igor, and The Queen of Spades.[citation needed]

During the Soviet times, popular music also produced a number of renowned figures, such as the two balladeersVladimir Vysotsky and Bulat Okudzhava,[92] and performers such as Alla Pugacheva.[93] Jazz, even with sanctions from Soviet authorities, flourished and evolved into one of the country's most popular musical forms.[92] The Ganelin Trio have been described by critics as the greatest ensemble of free-jazz in continental Europe.[94] By the 1980s, rock music became popular across Russia, and produced bands such as Aria, Aquarium,[95] DDT,[96] and Kino.[97] Pop music in Russia has continued to flourish since the 1960s, with globally famous acts such as t.A.T.u.[98] In the recent times, Little Big, a rave band, has gained popularity in Russia and across Europe.[99] Other modern music can be found in the media, such as Youtube. For example, the song "Moscow, Moscow," is extremely popular among memes and other means of entertainment.

Russian and later Soviet cinema was a hotbed of invention, resulting in world-renowned films such as The Battleship Potemkin.[101] Soviet-era filmmakers, most notably Sergei Eisenstein and Andrei Tarkovsky, would go on to become among of the world's most innovative and influential directors.[102][103] Eisenstein was a student of Lev Kuleshov, who developed the groundbreaking Soviet montage theory of film editing at the world's first film school, the All-Union Institute of Cinematography.[104] Dziga Vertov's "Kino-Eye" theory had a huge impact on the development of documentary filmmaking and cinema realism.[105] Many Soviet socialist realism films were artistically successful, including Chapaev, The Cranes Are Flying, and Ballad of a Soldier.[citation needed]

The 1960s and 1970s saw a greater variety of artistic styles in Soviet cinema. The comedies of Eldar Ryazanov and Leonid Gaidai of that time were immensely popular, with many of the catchphrases still in use today.[106][107] In 196168 Sergey Bondarchuk directed an Oscar-winning film adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's epic War and Peace, which was the most expensive film made in the Soviet Union.[108] In 1969, Vladimir Motyl's White Sun of the Desert was released, a very popular film in a genre of ostern; the film is traditionally watched by cosmonauts before any trip into space.[109] In 2002, Russian Ark was the first feature film ever to be shot in a single take.[110] Today, the Russian cinema industry continues to expand.[111]

Russia also has a long and rich tradition of animation, which started already in the late Russian Empire times. Most of Russia's cartoon production for cinema and television was created during Soviet times, when Soyuzmultfilm studio was the largest animation producer. Soviet animators developed a great and unmatched variety of pioneering techniques and aesthetic styles, with prominent directors including Ivan Ivanov-Vano, Fyodor Khitruk and Aleksandr Tatarskiy. Soviet cartoons are still a source for many popular catch phrases, while such cartoon heroes as Russian-style Winnie-the-Pooh, cute little Cheburashka, Wolf and Hare from Nu, Pogodi! being iconic images in Russia and many surrounding countries. The traditions of Soviet animation were developed in the past decade by such directors as Aleksandr Petrov and studios like Melnitsa, along with Ivan Maximov.[citation needed]

Russia has almost 37 thousand media outlets, over 35 thousand newspapers,[112] and 12 thousand magazines.[113] The largest internationally operating news agencies in Russia are TASS, RIA Novosti, and Interfax.[114] Television is the most popular media in Russia, as 99% of the Russian population receives at least one television channel,[112] and roughly 60% of Russians watch television on a daily basis.[115] The most watched TV channels in Russia include the state-owned Russia-1, Channel One Russia, NTV, REN TV, and Russia Today.[113] Popular nationwide radio stations in Russia include Radio Rossii, Echo of Moscow, Radio Mayak, Radio Yunost, and Russkoye Radio.[113]

Originating from Russian scientific community and telecommunication industries, a specific Russian culture of using the Internet has been established since the early 1990s. In the second half of the 1990s, the term Runet was coined to call the segment of Internet written or understood in the Russian language. Whereas the Internet "has no boundaries", "Russian Internet" (online communications in the Russian language) can not be localized solely to the users residing in the Russian Federation as it includes Russian-speaking people from all around the world. This segment includes millions of users in other ex-USSR countries, Israel and others abroad diasporas.[116]

With the introduction of the Web, many social and cultural events found reflections within the Russian Internet society. Various online communities formed, and the most popular one grew out of the Russian-speaking users of the California-based blogging platform LiveJournal (which was completely bought out in December 2007 by Russian firm SUP Fabrik).[117] In January 2008 a LiveJournal blog of the "3rd statesman" Sergey Mironov had appeared and he was shortly followed by the new President Dmitry Medvedev who opened a personal video blog which was later also expanded with a LiveJournal version.[citation needed]

As of late, there are scores of websites offering Russian language content including mass media, e-commerce, search engines and so on. Particularly notorious are the "Russian Hackers".[118] Russian web design studios, software and web-hosting enterprises offer a variety of services, and the results form a sort of national digital culture. E-commerce giants such as Google and Microsoft have their Russian branches. In September 2007, the national domain .ru passed the milestone of a million domain names.[119] By the end of the 2000s, VKontakte social network became the most populated in the Runet.[citation needed]

Russia's research and development budget is the world's ninth-highest, with an expenditure of approximately 422 billion rubles on domestic research and development.[120] In 2019, Russia was ranked tenth worldwide in the number of scientific publications.[121] Russia ranked 45th in the Global Innovation Index in 2021.[122] Since 1904, Nobel Prize were awarded to twenty-six Soviets and Russians in physics, chemistry, medicine, economy, literature and peace.[123]

Mikhail Lomonosov proposed the conservation of mass in chemical reactions, discovered the atmosphere of Venus, and founded modern geology.[124] Since the times of Nikolay Lobachevsky, who pioneered the non-Euclidean geometry, and a prominent tutor Pafnuty Chebyshev, Russian mathematicians became among the world's most influential.[125] Dmitry Mendeleev invented the Periodic table, the main framework of modern chemistry.[126] Sofya Kovalevskaya was a pioneer among women in mathematics in the 19th century.[127] Nine Soviet/Russian mathematicians have been awarded with the Fields Medal. Grigori Perelman was offered the first ever Clay Millennium Prize Problems Award for his final proof of the Poincar conjecture in 2002, as well as the Fields Medal in 2006, both of which he infamously declined.[128][129]

Alexander Popov was among the inventors of radio,[130] while Nikolai Basov and Alexander Prokhorov were co-inventors of laser and maser.[131] Zhores Alferov contributed significantly to the creation of modern heterostructure physics and electronics.[132] Oleg Losev made crucial contributions in the field of semiconductor junctions, and discovered light-emitting diodes.[133] Vladimir Vernadsky is considered one of the founders of geochemistry, biogeochemistry, and radiogeology.[134] lie Metchnikoff is known for his groundbreaking research in immunology.[135] Ivan Pavlov is known chiefly for his work in classical conditioning.[136] Lev Landau made fundamental contributions to many areas of theoretical physics.[137]

Nikolai Vavilov was best known for having identified the centers of origin of cultivated plants.[138] Trofim Lysenko was known mainly for Lysenkoism.[139] Many famous Russian scientists and inventors were migrs. Igor Sikorsky was an aviation pioneer.[140] Vladimir Zworykin was the inventor of the iconoscope and kinescope television systems.[141] Theodosius Dobzhansky was the central figure in the field of evolutionary biology for his work in shaping the modern synthesis.[142] George Gamow was one of the foremost advocates of the Big Bang theory.[143] Many foreign scientists lived and worked in Russia for a long period, such as Leonard Euler and Alfred Nobel.[144][145]

Roscosmos is Russia's national space agency. The country's achievements in the field of space technology and space exploration can be traced back to Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, the father of theoretical astronautics, whose works had inspired leading Soviet rocket engineers, such as Sergey Korolyov, Valentin Glushko, and many others who contributed to the success of the Soviet space program in the early stages of the Space Race and beyond.[147]:67,333

In 1957, the first Earth-orbiting artificial satellite, Sputnik1, was launched. In 1961, the first human trip into space was successfully made by Yuri Gagarin. Many other Soviet and Russian space exploration records ensued. In 1963, Valentina Tereshkova became the first and youngest woman in space, having flown a solo mission on Vostok 6.[148] In 1965, Alexei Leonov became the first human to conduct a spacewalk, exiting the space capsule during Voskhod 2.[149]

In 1957, Laika, a Soviet space dog, became the first animal to orbit the Earth, aboard Sputnik 2.[150] In 1966, Luna9 became the first spacecraft to achieve a survivable landing on a celestial body, the Moon.[151] In 1968, Zond 5 brought the first Earthlings (two tortoises and other life forms) to circumnavigate the Moon.[152] In 1970, Venera7 became the first spacecraft to land on another planet, Venus.[153] In 1971, Mars3 became the first spacecraft to land on Mars.[154]:3460 During the same period, Lunokhod 1 became the first space exploration rover,[155] while Salyut1 became the world's first space station.[156] Russia had 176 active satellites in space in 2021,[157] the world's third-highest.[158]

Not only the minorities in Russia but the Russian culture as a whole has in the different regions of the country like in Northwest Russia, Central Russia, Southern Russia, Siberian Russia, Volga Russia, Ural Russia, Far East Russia and the Russian North Caucasus and their Oblasts own local traditions and characteristics which were developed over a long period of time through strong ethno-cultural interactions within the various groups and communities, like Slavs, Tatars and Finno-Ugrics.[159]

Traditional Russian clothes include kaftan, a cloth which Old Russia had in common with similar robes in the Ottoman Empire, Scandinavia and Persia.[160] Kosovorotka, which was over a long time of period a traditional holidays blouse worn by men.[161] Ushanka for men, which design was influenced in 17th century when in central and northern Russia a hat with earflaps called treukh was worn. Sarafan which is connected to the Middle East region and were worn in Central- and Northern regions of Old Russia. In Southern Russia burka and papaha are connected to the Cossacks which, in turn, is culturally connected to the people of the Northern Caucaus. Kokoshnik for women was primarily worn in the northern regions of Russia in the 16th to 19th centuries. Lapti and similar shoes were mostly worn by poorer members in Old Russia and northern regions where Slavic, Baltic and Finno-Ugric people lived. Valenki are traditional Russian shoes from 18th century designs which originally originated in the Great steppe, from Asian nomads.[citation needed] Russian traditional cloths and its elements still have a high priority in today's Russia, especially in pagan Slavic communities, folk festivals, Cossack communities, in modern fashion and Russian music ensembles.[citation needed]

Russian cuisine has been formed by climate, cultural and religious traditions, and the vast geography of the nation; and it shares similarities with the cuisines of its neighbouring countries. Crops of rye, wheat, barley, and millet provide the ingredients for various breads, pancakes and cereals, as well as for many drinks.[162] Bread, of many varieties,[163] is very popular across Russia.[164] Flavourful soups and stews include shchi, borsch, ukha, solyanka, and okroshka. Smetana (a heavy sour cream) and mayonnaise are often added to soups and salads.[165][166] Pirozhki, blini, and syrniki are native types of pancakes. Beef Stroganoff, Chicken Kiev, pelmeni,[167] and shashlyk are popular meat dishes.[168] Other meat dishes include stuffed cabbage rolls (golubtsy) usually filled with meat.[169] Salads include Olivier salad,[170] vinegret,[171] and dressed herring.[172]

Russia's national non-alcoholic drink is kvass,[173] and the national alcoholic drink is vodka, which was created in the nation in the 14th century.[174] The country has the world's highest vodka consumption,[175] while beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage.[176] Wine has become increasingly popular in Russia in the 21st century.[177] Tea has also been a historically popular beverage in Russia.[178]

Russia has eight, diversepublic, patriotic, and religiousofficial holidays.[179] The year starts with New Year's Day on January 1, soon followed by Russian Orthodox Christmas on January 7; the two are the country's most popular holidays.[180] Defender of the Fatherland Day, dedicated to men, is celebrated on February 23;[181] International Women's Day, dedicated to women, on March 8;[182] and Spring and Labor Day, originally a Soviet era holiday dedicated to workers; on May 1.[183]

Victory Day, which honors Soviet victory over Nazi Germany and the End of World War II in Europe, is celebrated as an annual large parade in Moscow's Red Square;[184] and marks the famous Immortal Regiment civil event.[185] Other patriotic holidays include Russia Day on June 12, celebrated to commemorate Russia's declaration of sovereignty from the collapsing Soviet Union;[186] and Unity Day on November 4, commemorating the uprising which marked the end of the PolishLithuanian occupation of Moscow.[187]

Popular non-public holidays include Old New Year on 14 January;[188] Tatiana Day on 25 January, dedicated to students;[189] Maslenitsa, an ancient and popular East Slavic folk holiday;[190] Cosmonautics Day on 12 April, in tribute to the first human trip into space;[191] Kupala Night on 67 July, a traditional Slavic holiday;[192] and Peter and Fevronia Day. Two major Christian holidays are Easter and Trinity Sunday.[193] The Scarlet Sails is a famous public event held annually during the White Nights Festival in Saint Petersburg.[194]

Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Judaism are Russia's traditional religions, deemed part of Russia's "historical heritage" in a law passed in 1997.[195]Estimates of believers widely fluctuate among sources, and some reports put the number of non-believers in Russia as high as 48-67% of the population.[196] Russian Orthodoxy is the dominant religion in Russia.[197] 95% of the registered Orthodox parishes belong to the Russian Orthodox Church while there are a number of smaller Orthodox Churches.[198] However, the vast majority of Orthodox believers do not attend church on a regular basis. Nonetheless, the church is widely respected by both believers and nonbelievers, who see it as a symbol of Russian heritage and culture.[199] Smaller Christian denominations such as Roman Catholics, Armenian Gregorians, and various Protestants exist.

The ancestors of many of today's Russians adopted Orthodox Christianity in the 10th century.[199] The 2007 International Religious Freedom Report published by the US Department of State said that approximately 100 million citizens consider themselves Russian Orthodox Christians.[200] According to a poll by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center, 63% of respondents considered themselves Russian Orthodox, 6% of respondents considered themselves Muslim and less than 1% considered themselves either Buddhist, Catholic, Protestant or Jewish. Another 12% said they believe in God, but did not practice any religion, and 16% said they are non-believers.[201]

The steppe culture of the Russian Cossacks originated from nomadic steppe people which merged with Eastern Slavic people groups into large communities. The early Cossack communities emerged in the 14th century, the first, among others, were the Don Cossacks. Other Cossack communities that have played an important role in Russia's history and culture are the Ural Cossacks, Terek Cossacks, Kuban Cossacks, Orenburg Cossacks, Volga Cossacks, Astrakhan Cossacks, Siberian Cossacks, Transbaikal Cossacks, Amur Cossacks, Ussuri Cossacks. Cossacks defended the Russian borders and expanded Russia's territory. The regions of the large Cossack communities enjoyed many freedoms in Tsarist Russia. The culture of the Cossacks became an important part of Russian culture, many Russian songs and various elements in dances and Russia's culture in general were much shaped by the Cossack communities.[202]

The forest plays a very important role in Russia's culture and history. The forest had a great influence on the characteristics of Russian people and their cultural creations. Many myths of Russian culture are closely intertwined with the forest. Various of the early Slavic and other tribes built their houses out of wood so that the forest influenced the style of Russian architecture significantly. The handcraft Hohloma which originated in the Volga region is made out of wood and depicts numerous plants of the forest, like the berry Viburnum opulus (Russian: , Kalina), flowers and leaves. Many Russian fairy tales play in the forest and fictional characters like Baba Yaga are strongly connected to Russian wood culture. The forest is also an important subject of many Russian folk songs.[203][204][205]

Russian walking culture

Strolling or walking (Russian: , gulyat') is very common in the Russian society. In contrast to many western countries strolling is very common among young people in Russia. Young people often arrange just to go for a walk.[206][207] Besides the verb, the experience itself, which describes the time span of the walk, is called progulka (Russian: ).[208] Walking is so important in Russian culture that gulyat' is also a synonym for "to party".[209][210][self-published source?]

Mushroom hunting and berry picking

Activities in the forest where people pick mushrooms and berries are very common in Russia.Mushrooms (Russian: , griby) have been an important part of Russian folk culture at least since the 10th century and an essential part of Russian meals. There are more than 200 kinds of edible mushrooms in Russia. Mushrooms were always considered magical and so they play a prominent role in Russian fairy tales. The ability to identify and prepare edible mushrooms is often passed on from generation to generation. The mushroom hunting tradition is especially common in Slavic-speaking and Baltic countries. The berry (Russian: , yagoda) also plays an important role in Russian folk culture and is often part of Russian craftsmanship, folk songs and national costumes. The cranberry was known in Europe for centuries as the "Russian berry". To pick mushrooms and berries in forests is a kind of meditation in Russia.[211][212][213][214][215]

Historically, Russian athletes have been one of the most successful contenders in the Olympic Games,[217] ranking second in an all-time Olympic Games medal count.[218] Russia is the leading nation in rhythmic gymnastics; and Russian synchronized swimming is considered to be the world's best.[219] Figure skating is another popular sport in Russia, especially pair skating and ice dancing.[220] Russia has produced a number of famous tennis players.[221] Chess is also a widely popular pastime in the nation, with many of the world's top chess players being Russian for decades.[222] The 1980 Summer Olympic Games were held in Moscow,[223] and the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2014 Winter Paralympics were hosted in Sochi.[224][225]

As the Soviet Union, Russia was traditionally very strong in basketball, winning Olympic tournaments, World Championships and Eurobasket. As of 2009 they have various players in the NBA, notably Utah Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko, and are considered as a worldwide basketball force. In 2007, Russia defeated world champions Spain to win Eurobasket 2007. Russian basketball clubs such as PBC CSKA Moscow (numerous Euroleague Champions) have also had great success in European competitions such as the Euroleague and the ULEB Cup.[citation needed]

Although ice hockey was only introduced during the Soviet era, the national team soon dominated the sport internationally, winning gold at seven of the nine Olympics and 19 of the 30 World Championships they contested between 1954 and 1991. Russian players Valeri Kharlamov, Sergei Makarov, Viacheslav Fetisov and Vladislav Tretiak hold four of the six positions on the IIHF Team of the Century.[226] As with some other sports, the Russian ice hockey programme suffered after the breakup of the Soviet Union, with Russia enduring a 15-year gold medal drought. At that time many prominent Russian players made their careers in the National Hockey League (NHL). In recent years Russia has reemerged as a hockey power, winning back to back gold medals in the 2008 and 2009 World Championships, and overtaking Team Canada as the top ranked ice hockey team in the world, but then lost to Canada in the quarter-finals of the 2010 Olympics and 2010 World Junior Championship.[227] The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) was founded in 2008 as a rival of the NHL.[citation needed]

Bandy, known in Russian as "hockey with a ball" and sometimes informally as "Russian hockey" (as opposed to "Canadian hockey", an informal name for ice hockey), is another traditionally popular ice sport, with national league games averaging around 3,500 spectators.[228] It's considered a national sport.[229] The Soviet Union national bandy team won all the Bandy World Championships from 1957 to 1979. The Russian team is the reigning world champion since the 2014 tournament, having defended the title in 2015.[citation needed]

Football is the most popular sport in Russia.[230] The Soviet Union national football team became the first European champions by winning Euro 1960,[231] and reached the finals of Euro 1988.[232] In 1956 and 1988, the Soviet Union won gold at the Olympic football tournament. Russian clubs CSKA Moscow and Zenit Saint Petersburg won the UEFA Cup in 2005 and 2008.[233][234] The Russian national football team reached the semi-finals of Euro 2008.[235] Russia was the host nation for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup,[236] and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[237]

Russia has an extensive history of martial arts. Some of its best-known forms include the fistfight, Sambo, and Systema with its derivatives Ryabko's Systema and Retuinskih's System ROSS. Undefeated lightweight UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is from Makhachkala and was called by President Vladimir Putin following his victory over Conor McGregor.[citation needed]

State symbols of Russia include the Byzantine double-headed eagle, combined with St. George of Moscow in the Russian coat of arms; these symbols date from the time of the Grand Duchy of Moscow. The Russian flag appeared in the late Tsardom of Russia period and became widely used during the era of the Russian Empire. The current Russian national anthem shares its music with the Soviet Anthem, though not the lyrics (many Russians of older generations don't know the new lyrics and sing the old ones). The Russian imperial motto God is with us and the Soviet motto Proletarians of all countries, unite! are now obsolete and no new motto has been officially introduced to replace them. The Hammer and sickle and the full Soviet coat of arms are still widely seen in Russian cities as a part of old architectural decorations. Soviet Red Stars are also encountered, often on military equipment and war memorials. The Soviet Red Banner is still honored, especially the Banner of Victory of 1945.[citation needed]

The Matryoshka doll is a recognizable symbol of Russia, while the towers of Moscow Kremlin and Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow are main Russia's architectural symbols. Cheburashka is a mascot of Russian national Olympic team. Mary, Saint Nicholas, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint Alexander Nevsky, Saint Sergius of Radonezh, Saint Seraphim of Sarov are Russia's patron saints. Chamomile is a flower that Russians often associate with their Motherland, while birch is a national tree. The Russian bear is an animal often associated with Russia, though this image has Western origins and Russians themselves do not consider it as a special symbol. The native Russian national personification is " " Mother Motherland (the statue of it located on the Mamay hill " " in Volgograd /former Stalingrad/), called Mother Russia at the West.[citation needed]

Tourism in Russia has seen rapid growth since the late Soviet times, first inner tourism and then international tourism as well. Rich cultural heritage and great natural variety place Russia among the most popular tourist destinations in the world. The country contains 29 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, while many more are on UNESCO's tentative lists.[238] Major tourist routes in Russia include a travel around the Golden Ring of ancient cities, cruises on the big rivers like Volga, and long journeys on the famous Trans-Siberian Railway. Diverse regions and ethnic cultures of Russia offer many different food and souvenirs, and show a great variety of traditions, like Russian banya, Tatar Sabantuy, or Siberian shamanist rituals.[citation needed]

Most popular tourist destinations in Russia are Moscow and Saint Petersburg, the current and the former capitals of the country and great cultural centers, recognized as World Cities. Moscow and Saint Petersburg feature such world-renowned museums as Tretyakov Gallery and Hermitage, famous theaters like Bolshoi and Mariinsky, ornate churches like Saint Basil's Cathedral, Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Saint Isaac's Cathedral and Church of the Savior on Blood, impressive fortifications like Moscow Kremlin and Peter and Paul Fortress, beautiful squares like Red Square and Palace Square, and streets like Tverskaya and Nevsky Prospect. Rich palaces and parks of extreme beauty are found in the former imperial residences in suburbs of Moscow (Kolomenskoye, Tsaritsyno) and Saint Petersburg (Peterhof, Strelna, Oranienbaum, Gatchina, Pavlovsk Palace, Tsarskoye Selo). Moscow contains a great variety of impressive Soviet-era buildings along with modern skyscrapers, while Saint Petersburg, nicknamed Venice of the North, boasts of its classical architecture, many rivers, channels and bridges.[citation needed]

Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, shows a unique mix of Christian Russian and Muslim Tatar cultures. The city has registered a brand The Third Capital of Russia, though a number of other major Russian cities compete for this status, like Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg and Nizhny Novgorod, all being major cultural centers with rich history and prominent architecture. Veliky Novgorod, Pskov and the cities of Golden Ring (Vladimir, Yaroslavl, Kostroma and others) have at best preserved the architecture and the spirit of ancient and medieval Rus', and also are among the main tourist destinations. Many old fortifications (typically Kremlins), monasteries and churches are scattered throughout Russia, forming its unique cultural landscape both in big cities and in remote areas.[citation needed]

The warm subtropical Black Sea coast of Russia is the site for a number of popular sea resorts, like Sochi, known for its beaches and wonderful nature. At the same time Sochi can boast a number of major ski resorts, like Krasnaya Polyana; the city is the host of 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2014 Winter Paralympics. The mountains of the Northern Caucasus contain many other popular ski resorts, like Dombay in KarachayCherkessia.[citation needed]

The most famous natural tourist destination in Russia is Lake Baikal, named the Blue Eye of Siberia. This unique lake, oldest and deepest in the world, has crystal-clean waters and is surrounded by taiga-covered mountains.[citation needed]

Other popular natural destinations include Kamchatka with its volcanoes and geysers, Karelia with its many lakes and granite rocks, Altai with its snowy mountains and Tyva with its wild steppes.[citation needed]

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Culture of Russia - Wikipedia