Russian-Speaking Countries

Map

Table

Table of Contents
Interactive MapIntroductionThe Russian LanguageHistory of the Russian LanguageThe Soviet UnionCountries Near RussiaCountries That Speak RussianRussian-Speaking CountriesAfghanistanÅland IslandsAlbaniaAlgeriaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAshmore and Cartier IslandsAustraliaAustralian Indian Ocean TerritoriesAustriaAzerbaijanBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBrazilBritish Virgin IslandsBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileColombiaComorosCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzech RepublicDemocratic Republic of the CongoDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEast TimorEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEswatiniEthiopiaFaroe IslandsFederated States of MicronesiaFijiFinlandFranceGabonGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGreeceGrenadaGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyIvory CoastJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKosovoKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacauMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMauritaniaMauritiusMexicoMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestinePanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeople's Republic of ChinaPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRepublic of MacedoniaRepublic of the CongoRomaniaRussiaRwandaSaint HelenaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint MartinSaint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSaint-BarthélemySan MarinoSão Tomé and PríncipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSiachen GlacierSierra LeoneSingaporeSint MaartenSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSomalilandSouth AfricaSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandThe BahamasThe GambiaTogoTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkish Republic of Northern CyprusTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited States of AmericaUnited States Virgin IslandsUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVatican CityVenezuelaVietnamWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweFAQsHow many countries have Russian as an official language? In which countries is Russian spoken?Do Ukrainians speak Russian?

Introduction

Russian is a widely spoken language in the world, with an estimated 260 million native speakers and an additional 120 million non-native speakers. It is the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages, and one of the 6 official languages of the United Nations. As a prominent language for international communication, it is used by a variety of people from different backgrounds. Russian is also one of the two official languages in Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as being an official language in several unrecognized states including Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Transnistria. It is also used extensively in parts of Ukraine, Estonia and Latvia. Over the past few decades Russian has also become increasingly popular throughout Central Asia as a lingua franca for trade, education and culture.

CountryRussian-Speaking CountryEnglish-Speaking CountryPortugese-Speaking CountrySpanish-Speaking Countries
AfghanistanNoNoNo
AlbaniaNoNoNo
AlgeriaNoNoNo
AndorraNoNoNo
AngolaNoNoYes
AnguillaNoYesNo
Antigua and BarbudaNoYesNo
ArgentinaNoNoNoYes
ArmeniaNoNoNo
ArubaNoNoNo
Ashmore and Cartier IslandsNoNoNo
AustraliaNoYesNo
Australian Indian Ocean TerritoriesNoYesNo
AustriaNoNoNo
AzerbaijanNoNoNo
BahrainNoNoNo
BangladeshNoNoNo
BarbadosNoYesNo
BelgiumNoNoNo
BelizeNoYesNo
BeninNoNoNo
BermudaNoYesNo
BhutanNoNoNo
BoliviaNoNoNoYes
Bosnia and HerzegovinaNoNoNo
BotswanaNoYesNo
BrazilNoNoYes
British Virgin IslandsNoYesNo
BruneiNoYesNo
BulgariaNoNoNo
Burkina FasoNoNoNo
BurundiNoNoNo
CambodiaNoNoNo
CameroonNoNoNo
CanadaNoYesNo
Cayman IslandsNoYesNo
Central African RepublicNoNoNo
ChadNoNoNo
ChileNoNoNoYes
ColombiaNoNoNoYes
ComorosNoNoNo
Costa RicaNoNoNoYes
CroatiaNoNoNo
CubaNoNoNoYes
CuraçaoNoNoNo
CyprusNoNoNo
Czech RepublicNoNoNo
Democratic Republic of the CongoNoNoNo
DenmarkNoNoNo
DjiboutiNoNoNo
DominicaNoYesNo
Dominican RepublicNoNoNoYes
East TimorNoNoNo
EcuadorNoNoNoYes
EgyptNoNoNo
El SalvadorNoNoNoYes
Equatorial GuineaNoNoNoYes
EritreaNoNoNo
EstoniaNoNoNo
EthiopiaNoNoNo
Faroe IslandsNoNoNo
Federated States of MicronesiaNoNoNo
FijiNoYesNo
FinlandNoNoNo
FranceNoNoNo
GabonNoNoNo
GeorgiaNoNoNo
GermanyNoNoNo
GhanaNoYesNo
GreeceNoNoNo
GrenadaNoYesNo
GuamNoYesNo
GuatemalaNoNoNoYes
GuernseyNoYesNo
GuineaNoNoNo
Guinea-BissauNoNoYes
GuyanaNoYesNo
HaitiNoNoNo
HondurasNoNoNoYes
Hong KongNoNoNo
HungaryNoNoNo
IcelandNoNoNo
IndiaNoNoNo
IndonesiaNoNoNo
IranNoNoNo
IraqNoNoNo
IrelandNoYesNo
Isle of ManNoYesNo
IsraelNoNoNo
ItalyNoNoNo
Ivory CoastNoNoNo
JamaicaNoYesNo
JapanNoNoNo
JerseyNoYesNo
JordanNoNoNo
KenyaNoYesNo
KosovoNoNoNo
KuwaitNoNoNo
LaosNoNoNo
LatviaNoNoNo
LebanonNoNoNo
LesothoNoNoNo
LiberiaNoYesNo
LibyaNoNoNo
LiechtensteinNoNoNo
LithuaniaNoNoNo
LuxembourgNoNoNo
MacauNoNoYes
MadagascarNoNoNo
MalawiNoYesNo
MalaysiaNoNoNo
MaldivesNoNoNo
MaliNoNoNo
MaltaNoNoNo
Marshall IslandsNoYesNo
MauritaniaNoNoNo
MauritiusNoYesNo
MexicoNoNoNoYes
MoldovaNoNoNo
MonacoNoNoNo
MongoliaNoNoNo
MontenegroNoNoNo
MontserratNoNoNo
MoroccoNoNoNo
MozambiqueNoNoYes
MyanmarNoNoNo
NamibiaNoNoNo
NauruNoNoNo
NepalNoNoNo
NetherlandsNoNoNo
New CaledoniaNoNoNo
New ZealandNoNoNo
NicaraguaNoNoNoYes
NigerNoNoNo
NigeriaNoYesNo
Norfolk IslandNoYesNo
North KoreaNoNoNo
Northern Mariana IslandsNoNoNo
NorwayNoNoNo
OmanNoNoNo
PakistanNoNoNo
PalauNoNoNo
PalestineNoNoNo
PanamaNoNoNo
Papua New GuineaNoYesNo
ParaguayNoNoNoYes
People's Republic of ChinaNoNoNo
PeruNoNoNoYes
PhilippinesNoYesNo
PolandNoNoNo
PortugalNoNoYes
Puerto RicoNoYesNoYes
QatarNoNoNo
Republic of MacedoniaNoNoNo
Republic of the CongoNoNoNo
RomaniaNoNoNo
RwandaNoNoNo
Saint HelenaNoYesNo
Saint Kitts and NevisNoYesNo
Saint LuciaNoYesNo
Saint MartinNoYesNo
Saint Pierre and MiquelonNoNoNo
Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesNoYesNo
Saint-BarthélemyNoNoNo
San MarinoNoNoNo
Saudi ArabiaNoNoNo
SenegalNoNoNo
SerbiaNoNoNo
SeychellesNoNoNo
Siachen GlacierNoNoNo
Sierra LeoneNoYesNo
SingaporeNoYesNo
Sint MaartenNoNoNo
SlovakiaNoNoNo
SloveniaNoNoNo
Solomon IslandsNoYesNo
SomaliaNoNoNo
SomalilandNoNoNo
South AfricaNoYesNo
South KoreaNoNoNo
South SudanNoYesNo
SpainNoNoNoYes
Sri LankaNoNoNo
SudanNoNoNo
SurinameNoNoNo
SwedenNoNoNo
SwitzerlandNoNoNo
SyriaNoNoNo
São Tomé and PríncipeNoNoYes
TaiwanNoNoNo
TajikistanNoNoNo
TanzaniaNoNoNo
ThailandNoNoNo
The BahamasNoYesNo
The GambiaNoYesNo
TogoNoNoNo
Trinidad and TobagoNoYesNo
TunisiaNoNoNo
TurkeyNoNoNo
Turkish Republic of Northern CyprusNoYesNo
TurkmenistanNoNoNo
Turks and Caicos IslandsNoNoNo
UgandaNoNoNo
UkraineNoNoNo
United Arab EmiratesNoNoNo
United KingdomNoYesNo
United States Virgin IslandsNoYesNo
United States of AmericaNoYesNo
UruguayNoNoNoYes
UzbekistanNoNoNo
VanuatuNoNoNo
Vatican CityNoNoNo
VenezuelaNoNoNoYes
VietnamNoNoNo
Western SaharaNoNoNo
YemenNoNoNo
ZambiaNoYesNo
ZimbabweNoNoNo
EswatiniNoNoNo
Åland IslandsNoNoNo
BelarusYesNoNo
KazakhstanYesNoNo
KyrgyzstanYesNoNo
RussiaYesNoNo

The Russian Language

Russian is an East Slavic language, which has its roots in Old East Slavonic, the successor to Proto-Slavic languages, which developed during the 10th-13th centuries. It belongs to the Slavic branch of the Indo-European language family and has its own unique writing system and alphabet. Its alphabet is based on Cyrillic script, which was created by two Greek missionaries called Cyril and Methodius in 9th century AD. The Cyrillic alphabet used in Russian is composed of 33 letters divided into 10 vowels, 21 consonants and 2 signs (hard & soft signs). There are also several unique letter combinations which have special pronunciation rules known as ‘softening’.

Over time, Russian absorbed many loanwords from other languages such as German, Swedish, Polish and French, making Russian a language with a very rich vocabulary. It also has a vast array of regional dialects and accents which vary slightly from each other but are all mutually intelligible. For example, modern Moscow speech has been heavily influenced by French while dialects found in some rural areas contain words borrowed from Turkic language families.

History of the Russian Language

The Russian language is one of the oldest surviving Indo-European languages, with its earliest records dating back to the 10th century. It is the native language of some 145 million people in Russia and surrounding countries, as well as being spoken by millions more around the world.

The first written record of Russian dates back to the 10th century in a fragment of Christian scripture known as ‘The Tale of Bygone Years’. This text, written in Old Church Slavonic (OCS), is considered the original precursor to modern Russian and other Slavic languages. OCS served as a literary language until roughly 1700, when the modern Russian language emerged. .

Throughout its history, Russian has been heavily regulated and standardized by government authorities in order to ensure consistent use across all levels of society. During the 18th century, Peter I ordered that all official documents be written in Moscow dialects; this soon became accepted as a national standard form across much of Russia’s growing empire. Later reforms during both Tsarist and Soviet times established a single official variant – ‘Standard Written Russian’ – which remains in use today throughout most parts of modern Russia (with some local variations).

The Soviet Union

The Russian language has been used in many parts of the world over the centuries, but its greatest expansion came during the Soviet Union. This was largely due to language policies that were implemented by the government to promote the language and unite all citizens of the Soviet Union under one common tongue.

During this period, learning and teaching of the Russian language was widely encouraged – and even at times forced – in both schools and public settings. This included not just requiring all students to attend classes on Russian grammar, literature and history, but also introducing it into the curricula in other subjects such as mathematics and science. In addition, incentives were created to encourage citizens to use Russian for communication within their communities; for example, providing jobs or promotions to those who spoke fluent Russian.

The government also provided resources for disseminating information about the language through various media outlets such as newspapers, television programs and radio broadcasts. This helped spread its usage even further, especially among minority populations who did not have access to educational institutions or other sources of formal training. By introducing incentives that promoted literacy skills development and providing necessary resources for disseminating information about the language far beyond major cities and townships, it enabled a much broader population gain proficiency in its usage – thus contributing significantly towards its widespread adoption across multiple regions within what was once called ‘the socialist camp’.

Countries Near Russia

Russia is situated in the heart of Eurasia and is bordered by many countries on all sides. To the north, Russia shares a border with Norway, Finland, and Estonia; to the east, it shares its border with China and Mongolia; to the south, Russia shares its border with Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Ukraine; and finally, to the west lies Belarus as well as several Baltic countries such as Latvia, Lithuania (which was formerly part of the Soviet Union), and Poland.

Of all these countries that border Russia, only three—Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan —and two de facto states—Transnistria and Abkhazia—officially recognize Russian as a state language alongside their own national languages. Belarus recognizes both Russian and Belarusian as official languages while Kazakhstan recognizes both Russian and Kazakh, while Kyrgyzstan has Russian as one of its official languages, alongside Kyrgyz. Although both Transnistria (recognizing Moldovan/Romanian) and Abkhazia (recognizing Abkhaz) do not officially recognize Russian as a state language alongside their own national languages, many residents in each region still speak it due to their historical ties with Russia.

In regards to other bordering countries such as Norway or Finland, although most citizens are native speakers of Norwegian or Finnish respectively (with some limited exceptions in certain regions), there are still significant numbers of people living in these countries who speak Russian either fluently or somewhat proficiently due to immigration from Russia over the past few decades. Additionally, there are also other small pockets of minorities within these counties who have kept alive their traditional dialects of Russian spoken in years past which can often sound quite distinct when compared with the modern standard version spoken today.

Furthermore, Russian culture has had a powerful influence on some of its neighboring countries that did not share any kind of formal political union with them during Soviet days but nevertheless received strong cultural influences from Moscow. This is most evident perhaps in Georgia where Georgian is the country’s official language even though many citizens still tend to use various loan words derived from modern-day Russian during everyday conversations. Similarly Azerbaijan’s population also has a high rate of bilingualism between Azeri-Turkish and Russian due to strong linguistic influences which left legacies throughout the country’s history after long centuries under Tsarist rule.

Countries That Speak Russian

The four countries that have Russian as an official language are Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Belarus. All of these countries were formerly part of the Soviet Union, and Russian remains the dominant language in all of them. In Russia, over 160 million people speak Russian as their first language; in Kazakhstan, over 14 million people speak Russian; in Kyrgyzstan, just over 4 million people speak Russian; and in Belarus, around 9 million people speak Russian.

Beyond the countries that have Russian as an official language, there are countries where Russian is a minority language, including Ukraine, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania. In these nations there are Russian-speaking minorities concentrated largely in urban areas. In Ukraine, ethnic Russians account for 17.3 percent of the population; in Kazakhstan they account for 23.7 percent; in both Latvia and Estonia they make up 26.6 percent; while in Lithuania they form 6.1 percent of the population. In these countries, Russian is an important language of communication among those who identify as Russian minority groups and is often spoken alongside the country’s official language.

The countries that have Russian as an official language are:

1. Belarus
2. Kazakhstan
3. Kyrgyzstan
4. Russia

Russian-Speaking Countries

Afghanistan

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No

Åland Islands

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No

Albania

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No

Algeria

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No

Andorra

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No

Angola

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No

Anguilla

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No

Antigua and Barbuda

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Argentina

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Armenia

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Aruba

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No

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Australia

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No

Australian Indian Ocean Territories

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No

Austria

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No

Azerbaijan

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No

Bahrain

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No

Bangladesh

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Barbados

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No

Belarus

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Yes

Belgium

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No

Belize

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No

Benin

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No

Bermuda

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No

Bhutan

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No

Bolivia

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Bosnia and Herzegovina

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No

Botswana

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No

Brazil

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No

British Virgin Islands

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No

Brunei

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No

Bulgaria

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No

Burkina Faso

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No

Burundi

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No

Cambodia

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No

Cameroon

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No

Canada

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No

Cayman Islands

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No

Central African Republic

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No

Chad

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No

Chile

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Colombia

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Comoros

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No

Costa Rica

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Croatia

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No

Cuba

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Curaçao

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No

Cyprus

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No

Czech Republic

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No

Democratic Republic of the Congo

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No

Denmark

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No

Djibouti

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Dominica

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No

Dominican Republic

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East Timor

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No

Ecuador

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Egypt

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No

El Salvador

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Equatorial Guinea

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Eritrea

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No

Estonia

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No

Eswatini

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No

Ethiopia

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No

Faroe Islands

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No

Federated States of Micronesia

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No

Fiji

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No

Finland

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No

France

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No

Gabon

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No

Georgia

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No

Germany

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No

Ghana

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No

Greece

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No

Grenada

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No

Guam

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No

Guatemala

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Guernsey

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No

Guinea

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No

Guinea-Bissau

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No

Guyana

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No

Haiti

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No

Honduras

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Hong Kong

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No

Hungary

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No

Iceland

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No

India

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No

Indonesia

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No

Iran

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No

Iraq

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No

Ireland

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No

Isle of Man

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No

Israel

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No

Italy

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No

Ivory Coast

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No

Jamaica

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No

Japan

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No

Jersey

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No

Jordan

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No

Kazakhstan

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Yes

Kenya

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No

Kosovo

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No

Kuwait

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No

Kyrgyzstan

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Yes

Laos

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No

Latvia

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No

Lebanon

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No

Lesotho

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Liberia

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No

Libya

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No

Liechtenstein

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No

Lithuania

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No

Luxembourg

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No

Macau

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No

Madagascar

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No

Malawi

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No

Malaysia

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No

Maldives

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Mali

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Malta

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Marshall Islands

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No

Mauritania

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No

Mauritius

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Mexico

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Moldova

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Monaco

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No

Mongolia

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Montenegro

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Montserrat

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Morocco

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Mozambique

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Myanmar

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Namibia

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Nauru

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Nepal

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Netherlands

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

New Caledonia

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No

New Zealand

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No

Nicaragua

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Niger

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Nigeria

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Norfolk Island

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

North Korea

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No

Northern Mariana Islands

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No

Norway

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No

Oman

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No

Pakistan

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No

Palau

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No

Palestine

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No

Panama

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No

Papua New Guinea

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Paraguay

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People's Republic of China

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Peru

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Philippines

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Poland

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No

Portugal

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No

Puerto Rico

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Qatar

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Republic of Macedonia

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Republic of the Congo

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Romania

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No

Russia

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Russian-Speaking Country

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Yes

Russia is a Russian-speaking country, with almost 150 million people speaking Russian as their native language. It shares borders with countries that speak many other languages such as Belarus and Kazakhstan, which both have significant populations who speak Russian as well. The official language of the government in Russia is also Russian, making it the only country in the world to have this designation. In addition, over 200 million people worldwide can communicate in Russian to some degree, making it an important language for communication on the global stage. The Russian language uses the Cyrillic alphabet, which features 33 letters and enables Russians to write with greater accuracy and clarity than some other languages.

Rwanda

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Saint Helena

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Saint Kitts and Nevis

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Saint Lucia

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No

Saint Martin

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No

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Saint-Barthélemy

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

San Marino

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No

São Tomé and Príncipe

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Saudi Arabia

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Senegal

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Serbia

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Seychelles

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Siachen Glacier

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Sierra Leone

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Singapore

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Sint Maarten

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Slovakia

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Slovenia

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Solomon Islands

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Somalia

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Somaliland

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

South Africa

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No

South Korea

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No

South Sudan

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Spain

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Sri Lanka

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Sudan

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Suriname

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Sweden

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No

Switzerland

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Syria

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Taiwan

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Tajikistan

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Tanzania

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Thailand

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

The Bahamas

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

The Gambia

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Togo

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Trinidad and Tobago

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Tunisia

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Turkey

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Turkmenistan

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Turks and Caicos Islands

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Uganda

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Ukraine

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

United Arab Emirates

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No

United Kingdom

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

United States of America

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

United States Virgin Islands

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Uruguay

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Uzbekistan

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Vanuatu

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Vatican City

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Venezuela

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Vietnam

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Western Sahara

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Yemen

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Zambia

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

Zimbabwe

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Russian-Speaking Country

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No

FAQs

How many countries have Russian as an official language?

There are four countries that have Russian as an official language: Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia.

In which countries is Russian spoken?

On top of the four countries where Russian is the official language – Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia – other countries have parts of their population that speak Russian as a minority language, such as Azerbaijan, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Ukraine.

Do Ukrainians speak Russian?

The official language of Ukraine is Ukrainian, although part of the Ukrainian population does speak Russian.

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