Russistan

Readers of a publication called Russian Life may wonder why there is a picture of Kyrgyzstan on the magazine’s cover (and two stories about the Central Asian country inside).

The explanation is rather simple. Russian Life does not limit its coverage to stories, issues and ideas that occur solely within the geographic confines of Russia. Russia and Russian culture have a global impact, thanks to the spread of Russian literature, music, language, art, trade, you name it. And, of course, because of the spread of Russians themselves.

According to some sources, the worldwide Russian diaspora is some 20 million souls (about 16 million of that in states of the Former Soviet Union) – or about one-sixth the population of Russia proper.