Population-
142,355,415
Languages Spoken-
Russian (85.7%), Tatar (3.2%), Ukrainian (1.4%), Bashkir (1.1%), Chuvash (1%), Chechen (1%), Other (10.2%), Unspecified (3.9%)
Religions-
Russian Orthodox (15-20%), Muslim (10-15%), Other Christian (2%)
(Russia has a large amount of non-practicing believers and non-believers due to Soviet Rule)
History-
Russia has grown from Mongol rule to the Romanov dynasty, which dominated the country until a revolution in 1905. The imperial household was overthrown in 1917, following World War I, and Vladimir Lenin rose to power forming the USSR, a communist state. The USSR was a key U.S. ally in World War II, and communism ruled the country until December 1991, when the USSR collapsed into Russia and 14 other independent republics. Following Boris Yeltsin’s presidency, which span from 1991-99), President Vladimir Putin, former head of the KGB, took office and formed an authoritarian state. Putin remains Russia’s president and rules the country in a rather oppressive manner.
Notable News Outlets-
Rossiyskaya Gazeta (government-owned), Izvestia, Komsomolskaya Pravda, Trud, Argumenty i Fakty, Moskovskiye Novosti, Kommersant
Current Events-
The 2014 Ukrainian revolution caused Russian to annex Crimea, damaging East-West relations. The situation has intensified causing serious tension between Russia and the Western world, perhaps ushering in a second Cold War.
Russian Communities in NYC-
Brighton Beach, Sheepshead Bay (most notably)
Memo Sources-
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rs.html
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17839881
Contacts-
Irina Groushevaia (NYC-based, Moscow-born)
Kirill Bondar (Moscow)
Anastasia Stetsenko (Moscow)
Stephan Groushevoi (Moscow)
Elena Chadaeva (Prague-based, Moscow-born)
Anastasia Krapp (NY-based, Moscow-born)
Yulia Zakharchenko (Montreal-based, Moscow-born)