Ethnic Russians in post-Soviet states

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After the dissolution of the Soviet Union (USSR) in December 1991, about 25 million ethnic Russians in post-Soviet states found themselves living outside of Russia.

All former Soviet citizens had a time window within which they could transfer their former Soviet citizenship to Russian citizenship.[ citation needed ] Where they did not exercise that choice, their resulting citizenship status outside Russia varied by state: from no perceivable change in status – as in Belarus – to becoming permanently resident "non-citizens" – as in Estonia and Latvia, which restricted citizenship to their pre-World War II citizens and their offspring (regardless of ethnic group) upon restoration of their independence in continuity with their sovereign identities prior to June 1940.

In June 2006 Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a plan to introduce national policy aiming at encouraging ethnic Russian immigration to Russia. [1]

Ethnic Russians in post-Soviet states Russians ethnic 94.jpg
Ethnic Russians in post-Soviet states
CountryNumber of
ethnic Russians
Percent of
national population
As of
(census data)
Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukraine8,334,14117.32001 [2]
Flag of Kazakhstan.svg Kazakhstan2,983,31714.92024 [3]
Flag of Uzbekistan.svg Uzbekistan720,3242.12021 [4]
Flag of Belarus.svg Belarus706,9927.52019 [5]
Flag of Latvia.svg Latvia445,61223.72023 [6]
Flag of Estonia.svg Estonia306,80122.52023 [7]
Flag of Kyrgyzstan (2023).svg Kyrgyzstan274,0003.92023 [8]
Flag of Turkmenistan.svg Turkmenistan242,0005.12012 [9]
Flag of Lithuania.svg Lithuania146,0005.12023 [10]
Flag of Moldova.svg Moldova111,7264.12014 [11]
Flag of Azerbaijan.svg Azerbaijan71,0000.72019 [12]
Flag of Tajikistan.svg Tajikistan30,2000.32020 [13]
Flag of Georgia.svg Georgia26,5860.72014 [a]
Flag of Armenia.svg Armenia14,0740.52022 [14]

^ Does not include Abkhazia (2011 census: 22,077 Russians or 9.1% of the population) or South Ossetia (2007 estimate: 2,100 Russians or 3.0% of the population).

^ In Turkmenistan, there were estimated to be at most 150,000 ethnic Russians as of 2007, or under 2% of the population. In Uzbekistan the same year, the Russian population stood at some 800,000 people or under 4% of the country. [15]

See also

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