Russian, ...a language to get in touch with the wonders of a culture with its very own nuances. A vast territory, a history of empires, a country of countless resources, a fascinating literature and a world of unforgettable art become accessible through the study of this language, a language that is widely spoken by the habitants of such a singular land. 

Russian Today

Russian is the official language of Russia. Nowadays it is divided into three main dialects: the Nordic group (from Saint Petersburg to Siberia), the Southern group (most of Central and Southern Russia) and the central group (the area between the two groups above). These last two groups are characterized by the fusion of certain vowels. Modern literature is based on the Moscow dialect, which uses the consonant system from the North and the vocalic system from the South at the same time. 

Today Russian is the native language of about 170 million people in the world living mainly in the Russian Federation and in many former Soviet Republics, nowadays independent or autonomous. In Russia, it is the official language of the government and administration, but it is also used at length in business and education. It is the only language spoken by the Russian ethnic group, while all the other non-Russian people, in Russia and in all the other countries of the former Soviet Union, are bilingual. They speak fluidly their own native language and Russian. Even some other groups from the former Soviet Union, who don't belong to the Russian ethnic group, have Russian as their native language. It is estimated that up to 12% of the Ukrainian population and 20% of the Belarus population speaks Russian. Out of Russia, the language is used by Russian immigrants who settled in other countries during the XX Century and it is also one of the five official languages of the United Nations.

History of Russian Language