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Russophone

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	Topics Russophone Topic Home A Russophone (or russophone; , also Russian-speaking) is literally a speaker of the Russian languageRussian language Russian is the most widely spoken language of Eurasia and the most widespread of the Slavic languages.... either natively or by preference. At the same time the term is used in a more specialized meaning to describe the category of people whose cultural background is associated with Russian language regardless of ethnic and territorial distinctions. The largest and most populous Russophone country is RussiaRussia Russia , also the Russian Federation , is a country that stretches over a vast expanse of Eurasia.... , where the language originates from. There are sizable Russophone communities in many neighbouring countries that were parts of the former Soviet UnionSoviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , more commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a Communist state that existed... , of which BelarusBelarus Belarus is a landlocked nation-state in Eastern Europe, which borders Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia.... , UkraineUkraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe.... , KazakhstanKazakhstan Kazakhstan, also spelled Kazakstan, , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a country that stretches over a ... , MoldovaMoldova The Republic of Moldova is a landlocked country in eastern Europe, located between Romania to the west and Ukraine to the e... , EstoniaEstonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia , is a country in Northern Europe.... and LatviaLatvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in Eastern Europe.... . Additionally, there are large Russophone immigrant communities in IsraelIsrael Israel , officially the State of Israel, is a country in Western Asia on the southeastern edge of the Mediterranean Se... and various parts of the United StatesUnited States The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., and America, is... , CanadaCanada Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, occupying most of northern North America.... and AustraliaAustralia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland o... . There are an estimated 280 million Russophones worldwide. Russian population in post-Soviet states Russophony in the post-Soviet statesPost-Soviet states The Post-Soviet states, also commonly known as former Soviet republics, are the independent nations that split off fro... is a controversial phenomenon. Throughout Russia and the former Soviet states, the languages of many different ethnic groups were suppressed by RussificationRussification Russification is an adoption of the Russian language or some other Russian attribute by non-Russian communities.... , as Russian attained its status as a de factoDe facto Overview *De facto* is a Latin expression that means "in fact" or "in practice".... language that unified the Soviet nation and was used exclusively in all official and interstate affairs. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union this situation was reversed in the countries of the "Near Abroad" (??????? ?????????, blizhneye zarubezhye) — the term used in Russia for the post-Soviet statesPost-Soviet states The Post-Soviet states, also commonly known as former Soviet republics, are the independent nations that split off fro... — and the use of Russian was discouraged, with the notable exceptions of BelarusBelarus Belarus is a landlocked nation-state in Eastern Europe, which borders Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia.... , KazakhstanKazakhstan Kazakhstan, also spelled Kazakstan, , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a country that stretches over a ... , and KyrgyzstanKyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, formerly the Kyrgyz Republic, is a country in Central Asia.... where Russian remains today an official language. The breakaway republics of AbkhaziaAbkhazia Abkhazia IPA: or is a region of 8,600 km in the Caucasus, which is de jure an autonomous republic of Georgia , but... \|Georgia]]), South OssetiaSouth Ossetia South Ossetia is a self-proclaimed republic within the internationally recognized borders of Georgia.... (Georgia), and TransnistriaTransnistria Transnistria, officially Pridnestrovskaya Moldavskaya Respublika is a region of the Republic of Moldova in Eastern Eur... (Moldova) have also declared Russian as official in the territories under their control. See also Russians in UkraineRussians in Ukraine Russians in Ukraine form the largest minority in the country, and the community forms the largest single Russian diaspora in... Russians in KazakhstanRussians in Kazakhstan Russians in Kazakhstan are a very influential socio-political group in the Central Asian republic of Kazakhstan.... Post-Soviet statesPost-Soviet states Summary The Post-Soviet states, also commonly known as former Soviet republics, are the independent nations that split off fro... UkrainophoneUkrainophone Summary A Ukrainophone is a person who speaks the Ukrainian language. ... History of Russians in LatviaHistory of Russians in Latvia Russians have been the largest ethnic minority in Latvia for over a century. ... History of Russians in EstoniaFacts About History of Russians in Estonia The beginning of continuous Russian settlement in what is now Estonia dates back to the late 17th century when several thousand Ru... History of Russians in LithuaniaHistory of Russians in Lithuania First small early East Slavic settlements in what is now Lithuania date back to late medieval ages when the first proto-Russian me... External links , a LiveJournalLiveJournal LiveJournal is a virtual community where Internet users can keep a blog, journal, or diary.... community javascript:WikipediaFooter('Russophone')