country profile of russia in english

8/20/2019 Country Profile of RUSSIA in English

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Info4Migrants

RUSSIACountry prole

Project number: UK/13/LLP-LdV/TOI-615



17,098,242 km2

143,8 mlnPOPULATION

GDP per capita

CURRENCY

$18,403

Languages RUSSIAN and 27 other

recognized languages

Russian rouble

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COUNTRY BACKGROUND

Russia, also ocially known as the Russian Federaon, is a feder-al semi-presidenal republic. Russia is the largest country in the

world, covering more than one-eighth of the Earth’s inhabited

land area. Russia is also the world’s ninth most populous naon

with 143 million people as of 2012. The naon’s history be-

gan with that of the East Slavs, who emerged as a recognizable

group in Europe between the 3rd and 8th centuries AD. In 988,

the country adopted Orthodox Chrisanity from the Byzanne

Empire, beginning the synthesis of Byzanne and Slavic cultures

that dened Russian culture for the next millennium. The Rus-sian Soviet Federave Socialist Republic became the largest and

leading constuent of the Soviet Union, which played a decisive

role in the Allied victory in World War II. The Soviet era saw

some of the most signicant technological achievements of the

20th century, including the world’s rst human-made satellite,

and the rst man in space. Following the dissoluon of the So-

viet Union in 1991, the Russian SFSR reconstuted itself as the

Russian Federaon and is recognized as the connuing legal

personality of the Union state. Russia’s extensive mineral andenergy resources, the largest reserves in the world, have made it

one of the largest producers of oil and natural gas globally.

Naonal Flag

Coat of arms

Russian FederaonMoscow Russian Federaon



RUSSIA FACTS

LanguageRussia’s ocial language is Russian and it is most commonly

spoken in business, government, and educaon. Ethnic Rus-

sians speak their nave tongue almost exclusively. There are

27 other ‘co-ocial’ languages in various oblasts or regions.

At the me of the 1989 census only 4.1% of ethnic Russians

in the Soviet Union could speak one of the naon’s other

languages, while people belonging to most other ethnicgroups were bilingual.More than 100 languages are spoken

in Russia. Some of the ethnic republics have declared ocial

regional languages, but millions of non-Russians have adopt-

ed Russian as their mother tongue. While the Soviet govern-

ment’s educaonal policies ensured widespread use of the

Russian language, it also assisted many smaller ethnic groups

in developing their own alphabets and vocabularies.

Climate and weatherRussia is a huge country and the climate ranges from tem-

perate to Arcc connental. The weather has a signicant

inuence on the naonal psyche. Russians manage their

lives in response to the extremes of summer, which can be

oppressively hot, and long cold winters, which encourage

long periods of enforced idleness and deep self-reecon.

The latude inuences the weather in winter, which varies

from short, cold spells along the Black Sea to months of

snow and ice on the ground in Siberia. Much of the far north

is tundra, with sub-arcc temperatures year-round. Sum-

mer condions vary from warm and humid on the steppes

to cool along the Arcc coast. Much of Russia is covered

by snow six months of the year, and the weather is usually

harsh and unpredictable. The average winter temperature in

Yakutsk, Siberia is a chilling -43C. These bier winters aect

every aspect of life, from transport to healthcare. There is noyear-round growing season anywhere in Russia, which is why

so much pickled and smoked food is eaten.

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RUSSIA FACTS

NegoaonsRussians see negoaons as win-lose. They do not be-

lieve in win-win scenarios. They negoate as they play

chess, planning several moves ahead. You should think of

the consequences of each move before making it. They

maintain discipline in the meeng and speak with one

voice. If your team has several ‘voices’, the Russians will

become confused about who has real authority. They

will usually ask the other side to speak rst, so they may

reect on the posion given.

TracTrac jams are frequent and prolonged, parcularly in

winter. In Russia it is said that ‘every car is a taxi’. Rus-

sians are frequently seen on the sidewalks stopping cars

and negoang lis. If you know the city well, this prac-ce is a very-cost eecve way of travelling, however, as

a foreign visitor you should not aempt this if you do not

speak basic Russian, or are not accompanied by a Rus-

sian.

At the tableRussians love conversaon around a table, and are fond

of soul-searching. Within minutes, a conversaon can

turn to the meaning of life and philosophy. They like

praising especially Russian advances of technology, but

also their considerable arsc achievements. They pre-

fer to drink sing down and take their me, to make

frequent toasts and short speeches. They are sensive

about war talk, considering most Russian wars as defen-

sive ones against aggressive neighbours. They love chil-

dren; exchange of photographs of children is an excellent

way to build bridges.

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1-5 January:

New Year’s HolidaysIn addion to New Year’s Day

on 1 January, 2–5 January are

public holidays as well.

7 January: Christmas Day

Christmas in Russia is a pub-

lic holiday according to the

Julian calendar used by the

Russian Orthodox Church.The public holiday was re-es-

tablished in 1991, following

the decades of suppression of

religion and state atheism of

the Soviet Union. Christmas

on 25 December is celebrated

in Russia by the Roman Cath-

olic and various Protestant

churches, but it is not a public

holiday.

23 February: Defender of the

Fatherland Day

It is a day of the Armed Forc-

es of the Russian Federaon.

8 March:

Internaonal Women’s Day

On the eve of World War I

campaigning for peace, Rus-

sian women observed their

rst Internaonal Women’sDay on the last Sunday in

February 1913. In 1913 Inter-

naonal Women’s Day was

transferred to 8 March and

this day has remained the

global date for Internaonal

Women’s Day ever since.

1 May:Spring and Labour Day

In the former Soviet Union, 1

May was Internaonal Work-

ers’ Day, celebrated with

huge parades in big cies.

Though the celebraons are

low-key nowadays, several

groups march on that day to

protest grievances the work-

ers have.

9 May: Victory Day

Commemorates the day

Russia celebrates the victory

over Nazi Germany, while re-

membering those who died in

order to achieve it and paying

tribute to survivors and vet-

erans. A big military parade,

hosted by the President of

the Russian Federaon, is an-

nually organized in Moscowon the Red Square. Similar

parades are organized in all

major Russian cies.

June 12: Russia Day

On this day, in 1990, Russian

parliament formally declared

Russian sovereignty from the

USSR.

4 November: Unity Day

First celebrated on 4 No-

vember, 2005, this day

commemorates the popular

uprising led by Kuzma Minin

and Dmitry Pozharsky, eject-

ing the Polish invaders from

Moscow in November 1612,

and more generally the end

of the Time of Troubles and

foreign intervenon in Russia.

Most observers view this as

an aempted replacement to

counter Communist demon-

straons on the holiday of 7

November, which marked the

anniversary of the October

Revoluon.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS



RUSSIA FACTS

Business lunch and dinner

If your Russian contacts invite you out to a restaurant, expect lavish treatment. Din-

ner is more likely than lunch. Spouses are generally not included on these occasions,

although they are oen invited to gatherings in homes. The centre seats at a table

tend to be re- served for the most senior ocials, while you should be seated oppo-site your Russian counterparts. When it comes to the meal itself, begin eang only

aer somebody gives a toast, even if there is no alcohol on the table (unlikely). Toast-

ing is a very important part of dining. There are internaonal restaurants all over

Moscow and St Petersburg, although your hosts may choose a Russian restaurant in

which to entertain. Cured herring, caviar and smoked salmon on blinis will help soak

up the vodka at the beginning of the meal.

Otherwise, Russian cuisine relies heavily on cabbage, potato and beetroot; borscht(beetroot soup) is probably the best-known dish. Milk, cream and cheese are also

big, as are rye our, dried peas and beans. Fish and sausages are oen dried or

smoked. Main courses are generally hearty and heavy, with potato dumplings oen

accompanying meat dishes. Pelmeni are Siberian dumplings, made with potato and

stued with spiced pork. Golubtsy are cabbage leaves stued with chopped pork and

vegetables. Perepeulka are quail, and are oen pan-fried and then baked with mush-

rooms, spices and stock.

Drinking

The most important thing to bear in mind is that Russia has a serious drinking cul-

ture. Refusing to drink is unacceptable unless you have a plausible excuse – health

or religious reasons are usually the least quesoned. Smiling and at least pretend-

ing to drink for the frequent toasts shows your respect for those around you.




IMPORTANT TIPS

You Need to Know What

«Тапочки» Is

Тапочки are a pair of slippers. One slip-

per is один тапочек [TA-pa-cheyk], два

тапочка [DVA TA-pach-ka] two slippers,

and slippers are тапочки [TA-pach-kee].

Why do you need to know this? Because

when you are invited to a Russian home

(which is usually a ny apartment with

freshly swept and cleaned oors cov-

ered with rugs and runner rugs) you will

be expected to take your shoes o and

might be oered a pair of тапочки.

Of course, you can bring your own pair

of тапочки with you. If you are invit-

ed for a celebraon or a dinner party

at someone’s home, you might noce

women wearing fancy high heeled

shoes that they brought with them, but

it’s highly unlikely that you see anyone

wearing their dirty boots inside.

Especially for Women

Women are inially regarded with scep-

cism and may have to prove them-

selves. Before you visit, have a mutually

respected colleague send a leer intro-

ducing you. Your business cards should

clearly state your tle and academic de-

gree. If you establish your posion and

ability immediately, you will encounter

far fewer problems.

Be feminine. Allow men to open doors,

light cigarees, etc. Even if you think

such customs are old-fashioned or silly,

respect the cultural background of your

Russian colleagues.

Foreign businesswomen can use their

femininity to their advantage. For fear

of not appearing a gentleman, many

Russian businessmen may allow foreign

businesswomen to get away with some

things (requests for meengs, favors,etc.) that foreign businessmen aren’t

allowed.

A woman can invite a Russian business-

man to lunch and pay the bill, although

it might be interpreted by some men as

an invitaon to irt.




Dining and EntertainmentWhen dining in a restaurant, arrive on

me. Russians are great hosts and love

entertaining guests in their homes. They

will oen put more food on the table

than can be eaten to indicate there is

an abundance of food (whether there isor not). Guests who leave food on their

plates honor their host. It means they

have eaten well.

If you’re invited for dinner, don’t make

other plans for later in the evening. You

are expected to spend me socializing

aer the meal. An invitaon to a Russian

dacha (country home) is a great hon-or. Do not turn down oers of food or

drink. Given Russian hospitality, this can

be dicult, but to decline such oers is

considered rude.

At formal funcons, guests do not usual-

ly start eang unl the host has begun.

At such funcons, no one should leave

unl the guest of honor has le. If you

are the guest of honor, do not stay too

late.

Know your limits when drinking alcohol

in Russia. Drinking is oen an all-or-

nothing aair – moderaon is not un-

derstood.

Toasts, which are somemes lengthy

and occasionally humorous, are com-

mon. The host starts and the guests

reply. Do not drink unl the rst toast

has been oered.Aer a toast, most

Russians like to clink their glasses to-

gether. Do not do so if you are drinking

something non-alcoholic.

DressA “serious” businessperson is expected

to look formal and conservave. Wear-

ing very light or bright colors might

make you appear lazy or unreliable to a

Russian.

Men should wear suits and es. Women

should wear suits and dresses or pant-

suits.

GisA small business gi is always appropri-

ate, but its value should correspond to

the rank of the Russian businessperson

with whom you are meeng.

As a general rule, do not give items that

are now easily obtainable in Russia.

Bring a gi for the hostess when visit-

ing a Russian home. A small gi for a

Russian child is always appropriate (and

appreciated).

IMPORTANT TIPS




Russia has had a long history of totalitarianism, which has resulted in a rather fatalisc

approach to living. The desire to work individually under personal iniave was sup-

pressed by the Czarist and Communist states. With the advent of perestroika (restructur -

ing), the Soviet/Communist value system has been scrapped, but the pace of reform has

been slow and many are nding it very dicult to adapt to the Western values of individ -

ualism and prot maximizaon. Older Russians are generally quite pessimisc and don’t

have much faith in a beer life in the future. Younger urban Russians have adopted a

more Western outlook on life.

PEOPLE IN RUSSIA

Meeng and GreengInial greengs may come across as cool.

Do not expect friendly smiles.

A handshake is always appropriate (but

not obligatory) when greeng or leaving,

regardless of the relaonship. Remove

your gloves before shaking hands. Don’t

shake hands over a threshold (Russian folk

belief holds that this acon will lead to an

argument).

Body LanguageRussians are a very tacle people, and

public physical contact is common. Hugs,

backslapping, kisses on the cheeks and

other expansive gestures are common

among friends or acquaintances and be-

tween members of the same sex. Russians

stand close when talking.



DO’S

Bring a Lile Gi with YouWhether it’s a souvenir, a bole of wine

or a box of chocolates, a lile something

is always beer than nothing. Russians

are very hospitable and thoughul. Your

Russian friends will most likely spend quite

a few doubloons on preparing a meal and

trying to make their guests happy. Oen we

buy expensive yummy things for our guests

that we don’t usually buy for ourselves. Ifyou are vising a lady, owers and a box

of chocolates would work wonders! A lile

p: always give an odd number of owers,

an even number of owers is only given at

funerals.

Ouit Is Important

Russians like dressing up, whether it’s forschool, work or just a walk in a park. Oen

at University you will see guys and girls

wearing casual business are: shirts and

slacks or even suits. Also, it’s a Russian

tradion to dress up for a test and bring a

gi or owers to the teacher. You will no-

ce that Russian women dress up for any

occasion, we like looking prey, this is why

it takes us as long as it does to get ready. Ap: if you are going out with your Russian

friends, make sure to check the dress code

with them, just in case if you are going to a

fancy restaurant.

Be Prepared to Be Fed Big Time!

Love food? Very good! Russians love to

feed. We love cooking and baking for ourguests. If celebrated at home, birthday

celebraon preparaon may take all day,

which is very exhausng on one hand, butalso very sasfying. We love making our

guests happy, and we want for them to be

well-fed and have a great me. So, don’t be

surprised if you are oered food le-overs

when you are leaving. A good example

would be cake leovers aer a birthday

party. Just say “спасибо большое” and

enjoy!

Be Hospitable

Russians are usually very friendly and

hospitable, they enjoy having guests over

and they enjoy being guests. This means

that you always need to be prepared to

have guests over, just in case your Russian

friends decide to pop by unexpectedly.

Some of Russian favourite treats wouldbe sweets, biscuits, or maybe something

baked, like a pie or a cake and tea. Don’t

worry about baking cakes every day (unless

you really enjoy it, of course!), just make

sure to have some chocolates, biscuits or

Russian gingerbread that you can get at a

local supermarket.

Always use polite form “Вы” with

Russians that you don’t know, es-

pecially if they are older then you

are, unless they iniate to use form

“ты” with you. By addressing some-

one by “Вы” you show that you

respect them. And on the contrary,

addressing strangers by “ты” may

come across as very impolite and

oensive, even if you didn’t mean it.




DON’TS

Don’t Allow Women to Carry Heavy Items

If you have been shopping with a lady, don’t al-

low her to carry a heavy shopping bag, do oer

to help, especially if she has to go up the stairs

all the way to the 9th oor because the li is

broken (which, you will noce, happens rather

oen…). Allowing a woman to carry heavy items

without oering to help is considered rude andimpolite. Yes, we believe that men are stronger

and they should be taking care of women.

Don’t Be Surprised if Your Friends Think Youare Rich

If you are vising Russia, your Russian friends

may think of you as a rich person, just because

you come from another country. This is especial-ly true about Russians who have never travelled

abroad, or never talked to a foreigner before. It

is generally believed that foreigners are wealth-

ier than Russians and it is very easy for them to

aord to buy expensive things such as cars and

houses.

Some Russians sll believe what they see on the

TV shows and movies (especially older genera-

ons). Of course, soap operas and TV shows are

far from reality, so please don’t be surprised if

your friends will think you are rich. Oen your

Russian friends will not know that you have a car

loan, a mortgage and are juggling several credit

cards to pay your bills.

Don’t Expect for People to

Smile Back at You

Russians love a good laugh,

but don’t expect us to smile

at a stranger. If you smile at

a passer-by in the street andshe doesn’t smile back at you,

please don’t take it person-

ally, and don’t think of her

as being rude and cold. The

truth is that it’s not generally

accepted to smile or talk to

strangers in Russia, especially

in big cies.

Even if Russians don’t smile

that much, even on photos,

they do form very strong

bonds and close friendships.

Once they get to know you a

lile beer, they will certainly

smile more in your company.




CORPORATE CULTURE

Corporate Culture

Russians appreciate punctuality. Businessmeengs generally begin on me. Business

cards are handed out liberally in Russia and

are always exchanged at business meengs.

The ceremony of presenng and receiving

business cards is important. Don’t treat it

lightly.

Representaves of the Russian company or

government body are usually seated on oneside of a table at meengs with guests on

the other side.

Your company should be represented by a

specialized team of experts. Presentaons

should be thoroughly prepared, detailed,

factual and short on “salesmanship.”

Russians usually negoate technical issuesvery competently, directly and clearly but,

being newcomers to capitalism, oen do not

fully understand Western business praccesand objecves. You may have to explain the

reasoning behind some of your demands.

Russians nd it dicult to admit mistakes,

especially publicly. They also nd it dicult

to risk oending someone by making re-

quests or asserons.

Trying to do business in Russia over the tele-

phone is generally ineecve. The Russiantelecommunicaons system is inadequate,

but improving quickly. The telex is widely

used.

Personal relaonships play a crucial role in

Russian business.

Business negoaons in Russia are lengthy

and may test your paence. Plan to be in forthe long haul. No agreement is nal unl a

contract has been signed.

Under Communism there were

no incenves for bureaucrats

to perform well or to even be

pleasant toward clients; this

meant that the usual answer

to any queson was “No.” This

pracce is sll found in Russian

society today, but “No” is usu-

ally not the nal word on an

issue. You have to bargain and

be persistent to get what you

want.



TIME MANAGEMENT

Under Communism, it was almost impossible to re employees for tardiness. Many Rus-

sians arrived to work late, le early, or took overlong lunch breaks (during which they

stood in line). Aer 70 years of this, it will take a while to change atudes. Now, Westernatudes toward punctuality and prompt customer service are taught to Russian employ-

ees of foreign-owned companies. Most managers nd younger Russians to be recepve. To

the older generaon, though, me is not linear and there is not much regard for keeping to

schedules. The associaon between me and money is loose. Time is wisdom, not money.

Paence is a virtue, punctuality less so.

There is oen an atude that one should work to live and not vice versa. Apart from the

new business-orientated class, Russians tend to take a laid-back atude to geng things

done. Business appointments may begin one or even two hours late.

Foreigners oen have a hard me understanding Russians when they say “We will try to

nish the work on me” or “Perhaps it will work”. Actually, Russians are merely suggesng

possible outcomes that may or may not turn out to be posive. Essenally, they mean a

Russian (and a businessperson as well) is ready to operate in connually changing condi-

ons.

When me can be saved, but it costs more money, the Russian will opt for the lower cost

- even though it may take considerably more me. Money is a much more precious com-

modity than me. This carries into their business behaviour as well.



WHEN IN RUSSIA...

1. Take O Your ShoesWhen entering a Russian home, it is abso-

lutely imperave to immediately remove

your shoes. The host will probably provide

some tapochki or slippers to wear. Streets

in Russia, especially in the big cies, tend

to be very dirty. For instance, if you walk

around Moscow in ip ops, don’t be

surprised if your feet turn black by the end

of the day. Therefore, always remove yourshoes. It stops the spread of dirt, snow,

ice, and sand in the winter me.

2. Bring a Gi

When vising someone’s home in Rus-

sia, it is important not to show up emp-

ty-handed. The host has likely prepared

a sumptuous meal and spent money to keep you comfortable at their home. As such, it is

polite to bring the host a gi. You don’t have to bring a gi for everyone, just the hosts. Ifthe host is a woman, owers, chocolate, or wine is much appreciated. If the host is a man,

bring some beer if he drinks or ask beforehand what he would like you to add to the party.

But if you are absolutely clueless about what to bring, fancy chocolate will please everyone.

3. Do Not Give Flowers in Even Numbers

This rule cannot be underesmated. When buying owers in Russia, DO NOT buy them in

even numbers. Usually, the orist will say something if an even number of owers is acci -

dentally chosen but it is up to you to avoid this faux pas. Giving owers in even numbers is

very rude because they are only used at funerals. Addionally, some see yellow owers asfuneral owers so to be safe, don’t give these either.

Russia is a country that is very new and innovave in many ways. However,

it is also a country that is steeped in tradion and superson. Even the most

dedicated former communist can sll be ruled by these old tradions that

dictate how one should behave in a Russian home or in public. Because so

many of these rules may be unknown to foreigners or might cause some con-

fusion, here is a list of 10 ways to not oend people in Russia.



WHEN IN RUSSIA...

Russia is a very new and innovave country in many ways. However, it is also a country that

is steeped in tradion and superson. Even the most dedicated former communist can

sll be ruled by these old tradions that dictate how one should behave in a Russian home

or in public. Because so many of these rules may be unknown to foreigners or might cause

some confusion, here is a list of 10 ways to not oend people in Russia.

4. Keep Your Cup Half-Full if You’re Not Ready for More Alcohol

This rule isn’t so much about politeness but is a good rule to keep in mind when drinking

with Russians. If you’re not a big drinker, be careful with how much they oer to drink. Ifthey see an empty cup, they will automacally rell it to be polite. However, if you feel that

you’re reaching your limit, keep your cup half full. Addionally, if you don’t drink, the best

way to fend o unwanted drinks is to say that a doctor said you aren’t allowed to drink.

Works every me.

5. Never Argue with Babushki

The Russian babushki, or grandmothers, are not to be meddled with. Though they are

among the weakest members of society nancially, they command a lot of respect and

power. No maer what they tell you to do, just smile, nod, and do it their way. There’s ab-solutely no point in arguing with them. You will not win. Addionally, be sure to give them

a seat on the metro, tram, or marshrutka bus.

They might start yelling at you if you don’t;

this applies to young men in parcular.

6. If Staying the Night, Bring Some

Home Clothes

Usually when people get home, they

immediately change into their “home

clothes,” usually a t-shirt and pyjama

pants. This is to reduce the amount

of dirt and germs that enter their

apartments. Most people in Russia do

not own their own cars and must rely

on public transportaon, which is not

always the cleanest. Therefore, when living

as a foreign exchange student with a Russian

host family or just staying as an overnight house

guest, bring some old sweats or something comfortable

to change into.


17/18


18/18

Veronica Gelfgren

Yulia Bazyukina

Marja-Liisa Helenius

Research

Research, layout

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country profile of russia in english

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