Russians - Terminology

Terminology

There are two Russian words which are commonly translated into English as "Russians": "русские" (russkiye), which means "ethnic Russians" and "россияне" (rossiyane), which means "citizens of Russia". The first word refers to all ethnic Russians, indifferently of what country they live in (Russia, Ukraine, Latvia etc.), and does not include members of Russia's ethnic minorities. The second word refers to all people holding citizenship of Russia, indifferently of their ethnicity, and does not include ethnic Russians living outside of Russia. English translations do not always distinguish these two words.

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