| Area Total | 17,098,242 sq km |
| Climate | ranges from steppes in the south through humid continental in much of European Russia; subarctic in Siberia to tundra climate in the polar north; winters vary from cool along Black Sea coast to frigid in Siberia; summers vary from warm in the steppes to cool along Arctic coast |
| Natural Resources | wide natural resource base including major deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, and many strategic minerals, bauxite, reserves of rare earth elements, timber |
| Imports | China 21.2%, Germany 10.7%, US 5.6%, Belarus 5%, Italy 4.5%, France 4.2% (2017) – machinery, vehicles, pharmaceutical products, plastic, semi-finished metal products, meat, fruits and nuts, optical and medical instruments, iron, steel |
| Government | semi-presidential federation |
| Capital | Moscow |
| Population | 142.1 million (July 2018 est.) |
| Ethnicity | Russian 77.7%, Tatar 3.7%, Ukrainian 1.4%, Bashkir 1.1%, Chuvash 1%, Chechen 1%, other 10.2%, unspecified 3.9% (2010 est.) |
| Language | Russian (official) 85.7%, Tatar 3.2%, Chechen 1%, other 10.1% (2010 est.) |
| Exports | China 10.9%, Netherlands 10%, Germany 7.1%, Belarus 5.1%, Turkey 4.9% (2017) – petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, metals, wood and wood products, chemicals, and a wide variety of civilian and military manufactures |
News about Russia
- Russian general shot in suspected assassination attempt – officials
by RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on February 6, 2026Vladimir Alekseev, a senior GRU officer, has been shot outside his residence in Moscow, officials have said Read Full Article at RT.com
- Ukrainians are freezing inside their homes as Russia’s winter strikes intensify. Here is how you can help.
by Meduza.io on February 5, 2026By midday on February 4, roughly 1,100 apartment buildings in Kyiv remained without heating, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Nationwide rolling blackouts are now in effect, with emergency power cuts hitting specific areas.
- OSCE officials arrive in Moscow for ‘dialogue’ on Ukraine
by RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on February 5, 2026The OSCE officials have arrived in Moscow for talks with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Read Full Article at RT.com
- U.S.-led talks end with first Ukraine-Russia prisoner swap in months as state media signals new demands from Moscowby Meduza.io on February 5, 2026
A second day of trilateral talks aimed at ending Russia’s war against Ukraine concluded in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. The meeting, which involved representatives from Washington, Moscow, and Kyiv, marked the latest round of discussions in the Trump administration’s year-long push to broker a lasting truce.
- Zelensky says 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died in the full-scale war with Russia. Open-source data suggests a higher toll.by Meduza.io on February 5, 2026
At least 55,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed in Russia’s full-scale war, with many more considered missing, President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed on Wednesday.
- He played Putin and broke NATO in three days. Alexander Gabuev, the scholar behind an alarming wargame, tells Meduza how he did it.by Meduza.io on February 5, 2026
Last December, the newspaper Die Welt partnered with military researchers at Helmut Schmidt University to simulate a Russian invasion of NATO. The exercise involved 16 participants, including security experts and former senior German and NATO officials. From the European perspective, the outcome was alarming: Russian troops moved unchallenged through […]
- Freed Russians return from Ukraine after prisoner exchange (VIDEOS)
by RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on February 5, 2026Russia has received dozens of troops and three civilians as part of a US-facilitated prisoner exchange with Ukraine Read Full Article at RT.com
- Why Trump administration takes ‘Russophobic steps’
by RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on February 5, 2026The Trump administration must balance appeasing its European allies and Russophobes at home while pursuing its economic interests Read Full Article at RT.com
- Deported in hours, a 25-year-old Crimean now faces life in a Russian prison. Rights experts warn his arrest reveals a chilling new extradition shortcut from Kazakhstan.by Meduza.io on February 5, 2026
Last week, Kazakhstan deported a dual Ukrainian-Russian citizen to Russia, where he was immediately arrested on treason charges. The 25-year-old IT specialist, Oleksandr Kachkurkin, moved from Crimea to Kazakhstan following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. He was initially detained on misdemeanor charges that human rights experts say were […]
- Ukraine strikes infrastructure at Russia’s Oreshnik launch site, military saysby Meduza.io on February 5, 2026
Ukraine’s General Staff said on Thursday that its forces conducted a series of “successful” strikes in January against the Kapustin Yar test range, a launch site for ballistic missiles located in Russia’s southern Astrakhan region.
- Russia ready to collaborate with US – Lavrov
by RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on February 5, 2026Russia is ready to cooperate with the US, but Washington is stalling on Ukraine and sanctions, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Read Full Article at RT.com
- WATCH IN FULL: Sergey Lavrov’s exclusive interview with RT
by RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on February 5, 2026Sergey Lavrov has addressed the Epstein files, the Ukraine settlement, and ties with the US in an exclusive interview with RT Read Full Article at RT.com
- Russia launches criminal case against Meduza special correspondent Andrey Pertsevby Meduza.io on February 5, 2026
Russian authorities have opened a criminal case against Meduza special correspondent Andrey Pertsev on charges of participating in the activities of a designated “undesirable” organization.
- Idea of strategically defeating Russia an ‘illusion’ – Lavrov to RT
by RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on February 5, 2026Western leaders have changed their tune on Russia, realizing that defeating it on the battlefield is an “illusion,” Sergey Lavrov has said Read Full Article at RT.com
- Russia doubts ‘bright future’ for US economic ties – Lavrov
by RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on February 5, 2026The actions of the Americans contradict their claims that they are willing to do business with Russia, FM Sergey Lavrov has told RT Read Full Article at RT.com
- Russian aviation and drone expo highlights proactive import substitution – organizer (VIDEO)
by RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on February 5, 2026Russia’s NAIS-2026 aviation and drone expo features more than 200 companies focused on proactive import substitution Read Full Article at RT.com
- Russia and Ukraine exchange dozens of POWs
by RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on February 5, 2026Russia and Ukraine have conducted their latest prisoner exchange, the Russian Defense Ministry has announced Read Full Article at RT.com
- Dozens of Ukrainian MPs seeking to quit – lawmaker
by RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on February 5, 2026Dozens of Ukrainian lawmakers want to step down from parliament, Verkhovna Rada MP Maryana Bezuglaya has said Read Full Article at RT.com
- Trump envoy hails ‘detailed and productive’ US-Russia-Ukraine talks
by RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on February 5, 2026Envoy Steve Witkoff called the latest trilateral US-Russia-Ukraine talks productive and announced a prisoner exchange Read Full Article at RT.com
- Zelensky interview exposes contradiction on Ukraine war dead tally
by RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on February 5, 2026Kiev fails to recognize soldiers repatriated by Russia as killed in action, its latest tally suggests Read Full Article at RT.com
- European warmongers seeking to derail Ukraine peace talks – Putin envoy
by RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on February 5, 2026European attempts to interfere in Ukraine peace talks show diplomacy is making progress, Kirill Dmitriev has said Read Full Article at RT.com
- Iran escalation could blow up entire Middle East – Lavrov
by RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on February 5, 2026Tensions between the US and Iran pose a threat to the entire Middle East, which Russia seeks to deflate, Sergey Lavrov has said Read Full Article at RT.com
- Russia hosts civil aviation and drone expo (VIDEO)
by RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on February 5, 2026A civil aviation and drone expo has opened outside Moscow Read Full Article at RT.com
- Russia’s new law protects the Red Cross name, but enforcing it in occupied Ukraine would expose the very ties Moscow deniesby Meduza.io on February 5, 2026
The Russian Red Cross (RRC) has long denied allegations of operating in occupied Ukraine, despite mounting evidence to the contrary. In a 2024 investigation, Meduza and its partners in the Kremlin Leaks project revealed how the RRC had been working beyond Russia’s borders, in clear violation of the Red Cross movement’s rules. Our follow-up […]
- The last nuclear guardrail falls this week, and the U.S. and Russia have chosen to fly blindby Meduza.io on February 4, 2026
The dangerous drift toward a new arms race between Russia and the United States crosses another major threshold tomorrow, February 5, with the expiration of New START — the last treaty limiting the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals. Vladimir Putin has proposed a year-long extension to the agreement’s terms, but Donald Trump has stonewalled, […]
- Western troop plans for Ukraine are ‘dead’ – Russian envoy to UK
by RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on February 4, 2026Russia’s envoy to the UK has said sending Western soldiers to Ukraine would be unacceptable Read Full Article at RT.com
- Peace won’t save Ukraine: What comes after the war may be worse
by RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on February 4, 2026History suggests the country’s physically and mentally decimated population is in for years of prolonged social strife Read Full Article at RT.com
- New START treaty ending – Moscow
by RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on February 4, 2026Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has commented on the upcoming lapse of the NEW Start nuclear arms control treaty Read Full Article at RT.com
- Zelensky thinks about nothing except his own ‘survival’ – Lavrov to RT
by RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on February 4, 2026Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky is prioritizing his own survival and is not interested in peace, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said Read Full Article at RT.com
- Almost half of Ukrainians want government out after war ends – poll
by RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on February 4, 2026Over 40% of Ukrainians believe the government is corrupt and support for Vladimir Zelensky may be lower than it seems, a poll has said Read Full Article at RT.com
