Russians are citizens of Russia; another sense of the term is less inclusive and is restricted to ethnic Russians living anywhere. Insofar as there is a Russian national character - that is, the following is of course by no means a scientific description with no exceptions - Russians are characterized by warmth, sincerity, high intelligence, pride, and poor self-esteem. Authors such as Leo Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky have made the Russian national character highly recognizable, if only in literature.

See also: Russian language


The Russians are one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China.

There are approximately 10,000 Russian Chinese living mostly in northern Xinjiang, and also in Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang.