Foreigners may believe that Russia is known for its cold climate, vodka, bears, or even the recent drug cheating scandal that saw athletes banned from Rio Olympics. Communism and authoritative politics may also come to mind.
But how many positive facts you can think of? Russia is certainly famous for beautiful women. Anna Kournikova, Natalia Vodianova and Irina Shayk are some of the familiar faces that managed to concur the popular scene. (You probably won’t believe that in Russia they may not even be considered supremely beautiful, just average.)
What Russians believe their country is known for
But if you ask Russians themselves what their country is famous for, the answers will be quite different. Here are the top 10 things that locals are proud of.
1. Russia was the first to send a man into the outer space.
Yuri Gagarin was a good looking guy who was the first human to loop around the Earth in a spaceship on 12 April 1961. Technically, it was still the USSR at the time. The space exploration program was the collective effort of its 15 republics and not only Russia. It was also the Soviet Union that launched the very first satellite Sputnik 1 on 4 October 1957. But these last century achievements are the major facts that the modern generation of Russian citizens are tremendously proud of.
By the way, the main Soviet cosmodrome was in Kazakhstan (Baikonur). This is where the first space flight with Gagarin took off.
Russians are proud that their country was the first to send a man to the outer space.
2. Russia won the World War II and saved the humanity from fascist Germany.
This fact probably is surprising for you. You may not even be aware that Soviet Union was a part of the coalition (together with the United Kingdom and the USA) that fought against the Nazis. But every small kid in Russia knows the history of how the USSR was heroically fighting fascists since 1941 till 1945, having lost 40 million people in the course. (For comparison, Germany lost 10 million.) Russians believe that it is their giant efforts in 1941-43 that bled Hitler’s aggression and paved the way for allies to win in 1945.
The efforts of the USA and UK in defeating Hitler are considered by Russian historians miniscule in comparison with what the Soviet Union endured. Yes, Russia’s citizens are aware that Churchill and Roosevelt met with Stalin in Teheran in November 1943 to discuss opening of the second front. But the USSR was fighting ground battles on its territory since June 1941 while the USA and UK never had any occupants on their land. Americans and Britons only sent troops to Europe for ground operations in July 1944, and Berlin fell in May 1945—less than a year later. Soviets were struggling against Nazis alone for 3 years before the second front came in play. Hitler’s army approached Moscow but was pushed back all the way to the German territory with heroic efforts by USSR troops. You may see some logic in why Russians feel strongly about their country’s prevalent role in defeating Hitler.
Oddly enough, none of the other republics that were part of the Soviet Union claim victory over Nazis, although all of them had as much input and suffered just as greatly as Russia did. But in these former Soviet Union republics it’s more about remembering fallen soldiers rather than fanfares of “victors”. For Russians USSR’s prevailing over fascist Germany 70 years ago is a top fact to boast about.
By the way, Stalin himself was Georgian and not Russian. Joseph Stalin was born 21 December 1879 in Gori, Georgia (country Georgia on the intersection of Europe and Asia on the Black Sea, not an American state). All his life he spoke Russian with а huge accent.
Every year Russians celebrate Victory Day on 9 May, commemorating capitulation of fascist Germany in the World War II. Kids give flowers to war veterans on this day.
3. It is the largest country in the world.
Russia covers 1/8 of the planet’s land area. Its area of 17 million square km (or 6.5 million square miles) is nearly double the size of the second largest country, Canada. The USA is in the third place. The territory of Russia lies both in Europe and Asia, making it transcontinental. With such a giant land area, Russia has diverse climate zones from subtropics to permanent frosting.
The country, however, is not known for its beautiful landscapes or magnificent cities. Which is a pity, as there is really a lot to explore and look at.
Russia covers roughly 1/8 of planet’s land area. It is the largest country on Earth. (Click to enlarge.)
4. Russians are proud of their country being revered in the world politics.
Yes, citizens of the world’s largest country are proud of their heritage, history, and global influence on the political scene. Like people of any nation Russians may complain about the way their state administration operates but they will still defend it furiously if you were to talk about it unfavourably. Today’s young generation is highly patriotic.
The territory of the country lies both in Europe and Asia, making it transcontinental.
5. It has the most beautiful women.
This is not even questioned locally but presumed to be the common knowledge, like the force of gravity. Why else all these foreign men would be seeking Russian wives?
The postulate that their country has the most beautiful women is accepted by locals as a given.
6. Russian language is one of the most difficult to learn.
You’d think it could be seen as a downside but no, it’s a matter of national pride. Since the language is so hard to learn, it’s more unique to speak Russian. It’s a sign of intelligence in a way to be able to manage all the intricacies of the local dialect.
7. Russians have the kindest and deepest souls.
Think of it as “the mysterious Russian soul.” In fact, in Russia acting irrationally based on one’s feelings rather than trying to manage logical outcomes is seen as a virtue. Being cold-hearted about reaching your goals, on the other hand, is the sign of not having a kind and deep soul. So, natives are used to following their emotional attachments rather than a rational plan to move forward. That’s why leaving their country for love is not seen as anything special. If you cannot find love at home, quite naturally, you’d go anywhere to find your One-and-only.
8. Strong family values that are more important than anything else.
Foreigners notice it immediately when visiting Russia, how family oriented are women and girls. For females, their husband and kids are the centre of the Universe. For unmarried women finding a partner and “creating a family” is their #1 priority in life. Guys also feel highly protective of their girlfriends and wives. Men are happy to be family providers and protectors. Unfortunately, because there are only 86 men for 100 women in Russia, finding a partner for life becomes a quandary for women.
For females, their husband and kids are the centre of the Universe.
9. Russia is the country with the most readers.
While the whole world watches TV and online videos, in Russia women and men still read a lot. Not only that, they comment a lot on the subjects they feel passionate about. In total, posts on the Russian blog of Elenasmodels.com attracted 10 times more comments than on its English version. But even on English pages, plenty of comments are from Russian readers.
Russians are proud of their broad spectrum education and encyclopaedic knowledge. They also believe they are the highest educated nation in the world. In 2012 OECD gave the first rating by the number of people with degrees to Russia (54%) after Canada (51%) and Israel (46%). The USA was in the fourth position with 42%.
10. The coldest place on Earth is in Siberia.
Again, you’d think that having such a harsh climate would not be a matter of a national pride—but it is. While residents of Australia, California, or Florida cannot even imagine living for half a year in subzero temperatures, Russians manage to enjoy life in places where getting outside in winter is an everyday challenge. Locals are proud of being tough. They even swim in the icy water in winter (they have to first make a hole in the thick ice to jump in a lake), which is not only for some crazy fitness fanatics but plenty of people might have done it once or twice just for fun.
Towns of Verkhoyansk and Oymyakon in Yakutia, Siberia, are competing for the title of the coldest inhabited place on Earth. It is so cold there in winter that boiling water freezes in the air if thrown from a kettle. The record low temperature in winter is -68˚C or -90˚F. In summer, however, it’s very hot (+37˚C/+99˚F). Russians are proud to be able to survive conditions that most foreigners consider unliveable.
Towns of Verkhoyansk and Oymyakon in Yakutia, Siberia, are competing for the title of the coldest inhabited place on Earth. (Click to enlarge.)
Read also:
- 58 Russian superstitions about love and life
- Russian wedding traditions, customs. Average cost of a wedding in Russia
- Russian dating rules: Do Russian men still pay for dates?
- 10 places to see in St. Petersburg, Russia
I like this blog. In fact, it is very informative. However, I may partially disagree on the language issue. The Russian language is not difficult than any other language; is just that Russia is not open to the World. People that live in Russia as foreigners speak the language fluently, just like what happens if one lives elsewhere. With the talents Russia has, if it is opened to the world, the country would have achieved more. For example, if one observes China very well, he or she will notice that China does not like the West, but the country’s leaders… Read more »
I know Russians are also deeply proud of Tolstoy and Pushkin, and I cannot imagine classical music without Tchaikovsky. And what would chemistry be without Mendeleev’s periodical chart of the elements? Shouldn’t Russians be proud of him, too?? And if you can remember last time you heard of someone actually beating a supercomputer at chess, it was probably by a guy named Gary Kasparov (Not sure if he was Azerbajaini or Russian though). Although Russians did not invent the game of chess, they did give us another great game of strategy called Tetris. Too bad that so many Russians tested… Read more »
You are very sweet and knowledgeable, Terrance. A real compliment goes to you from a proud Russian girl who came from Siberia to live a humble life in USA.
Russia is the biggest country in the world. But once abroad (it was in the US), I was shocked to learn that some foreigners do not even know where is it ?! I do not know, maybe it was due to the low level of education, which is not free, and not everyone can afford it.
Irina, thank you for your comment. During the 1980’s, it was quite common for American high school students to receive elective coursework in Russian language, history, and literature for free, but now such courses are costly, and only available at the university level. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the political interest to educate students about Russian culture and language was no longer in effect. Now, after generating $1.2 trillion in student loan debts, it wouldn’t surprise me that a college student would not know the location of the largest country on Earth.
I agree with the statement about Russian language! Now i am teaching English-speaking pupils Russian, and it is so difficult! Especially affixes, accents and vocabulary! It is a pity that usually foreigners know our slang and swear words 🙁
And in Russia you can be bought up on charges for profanity.
As to russian language, I can add that it called one of the most difficult languages in the world for a reason. It is very rich as well as the russian culture. Lots of different nations live in there, and all of them have contributed to the history, culture and the way of life.
Let me say, that I’m not agree at all. When you ask any foreigner about Russia, he says just Moskow, Matreshka, vodka, women. So, no one will ever tell about strong Russian families. Yeah, right, cold and snow, but families? Not sure. But still, it’s a great country and a great place to visit.
With practice, and some good schooling, Russian is not any harder than most foreign languages. BUT you have to work. Conjugation of verbs is, well, difficult. Being in Russia, around the language is a definite advantage. Where in western Texas are you going to find someone speaking Russian? On the Great Patriotic War, yes. If Hitler had not attacked Russia, the outcome of the war probably would have been a lot different. The Russian people suffered horribly and Americans owe them the greatest respect for their sacrifices. And, if the Soviet Union had not been so closed to foreign technology,… Read more »
While I can appreciate that Russia was an ally to defeat Hitler- it’s hard to respect the Russian soldiers who raped every female civilian they could find. That is inexcusable and nothing to be proud of.
Actually, I highly doubt most of this. Firstly, I think it is ridiculous to be proud of winning a war. It is much more important to accept your mistakes and not to make them again. When I see people in the street on May 9 it makes me so sad that people only see it as some sort of an illusory reason to be proud, but proud of what? It is not a proud day, it should be a day of remembrance, but, sadly, many people in Russia only look forward to this day in order to have another reason… Read more »
Sorry but Russians (not all) are proud of defeating a man who wanted to kill half the population because his ‘dream race’ was people with blue eyes and blonde hair that were not any other religion apart from Catholic.
Hitler was Catholic!!!!! Nazism wanted to transform the subjective consciousness of the German people—their attitudes, values and mentalities—into a single-minded, obedient “national community”. The Nazis believed they would therefore have to replace class, religious and regional allegiances. Under the Gleichschaltung (Nazification) process, Hitler attempted to create a unified Protestant Reich Church from Germany’s 28 existing Protestant churches. The plan failed, and was resisted by the Confessing Church. Persecution of the Catholic Church in Germany followed the Nazi takeover. Hitler moved quickly to eliminate Political Catholicism. Amid harassment of the Church, the Reich concordat treaty with the Vatican was signed in… Read more »
As a Russian woman I can say that this is the top 10 things the Russian people are proud of! I have met a teacher from America and she agreed that Russian’s a difficult language to learn. And the Russian winter is the most beautiful and also cold winter in the world for me.
I’m Russian too and I agree, these are the first things that came into my head.
I am Russian. I am very proud of my country! It is known for its rich traditions and customs, wonderful nature, beautiful women, strong families … Many people in our country are very kind and hospitable. It`s a pity, that foreigners know so little about our country!
Russia is full of nonsenses
Russia is a great country and I agree under each point. I associate this country with the proverb Never judge a book by its cover. I think that most foreigners come to Russia with little knowledge and lots of stereotypes. But once they visit and see the richness of the culture and the hospitality of Russians, they will love it forever.
that is so true of everything I just read I was born in Russia I am from Moskva adopted at age 10. what a great
Proud to be Russian…
if Russians are so proud to be that, why are they all trying to get out and what I really despise is that they run to the United States, enjoy all of its advantages yet continue to complain about how awful the United States is and how great Russia is. Then stay in Russia please, if it’s so great.
Michael, this is so true! Annoys me as hell as well when Russians who moved to Australia complain like crazy about things that are “wrong”. I also feel sometimes like telling them to go back.
But it’s just a national feature, to complain. Russians as a nation love to complain and brag. Annoying, I know. But they have many good character features such as mental toughness to hardship, being direct and straightforward, helpfulness to friends and family, communal spirit and many others.
Unfortunately my perfect, with no accent Russian is fading away as I in have not talked in it nearly 25 years now. Otherwise I can say that I had a privilege to read Dostoyevskiy, Tolstoy, Nekrasov, Nabokov, Checkov nad many other classics in original.
P.S.
Russians have the most chess grandmasters. Chess is a huge in Russia, worth a mention.
Not really. Chess was huge 40 years ago, before the end of the USSR.
I love Russia for its people and Hardbass music.