Russians

East Slavic ethnic group, living in Russia, making the 80% of the population. The Russians are the largest Slavic group and the largest nation in Europe. They are of a strongly expressed national identity and a rich cultural and political history. As the most powerful, then culturally and politically the most influential Slavic group of Orthodox religion, the Russians have always been of special importance for the Serbs, and their friendship, support and protection have been accepted with a romantic charge of national feelings.

LANGUAGE

The name Rus is a corrupt form of a Finnish name for the Swedes, referring to the founders of the Kiev Russia – the Varangians, a people of Scandinavian origin. Another interpretation refers to a legend about three brothers the invaders (Czеch, Lеch and Rus), who, a long time ago, conquered three Slavic groups, imposing their personal names on them.

RELIGION AND TRADITION

The Russians adopted Christianity in 988 in the period of prince Vladimir. After the fall of Constantinople in 1456 to the Ottoman hands, for a long time Russia was the only one free Orthodox country – the empire that preserved Orthodoxy.  Russians gave a great number of saints.

ART

The Russians, through their composers, painters, writers and philosophers made  some of the greatest contributions to the development of European history and cultural heritage.

GEOGRAPHY

Russia is the largest country in the world. It spreads over vast lands of Europe and Asia. The name of the Asian part of Russia is Siberia, while the European part goes to the natural borders of the Ural mountain ranges. Considering its vast lands, Russia is relatively sparsely populated. The total number of the population is about 145 million.

HISTORY

The history of the nation starts with founding the Kiev Russia in the 9th century.  In the late 10thcentury, the Russians adopted Christianity from the Orthodox Byzantium. Later on, the seat of the Russian Church and the whole nation was Moscow. The first Russian national dynasty was of Scandinavian origin, and fro the mid-16th century, the it was the Romanovs until the 1918 revolution. The Russian people suffered greatly under the communists, but also gained great power through the revolutionary newly formed the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union broke up in the late 20th century and the Russians got liberated from communism, soon to start restoring their Orthodox roots.