Abstract
The article presents the analysis results of the Russian and Russian-speaking population dynamics at the state and regional level of the European CIS countries (Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova) and Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) in the post-Soviet period. In accordance with the population censuses in these countries, the study interval is divided into two periods: the last decade of the 20th century and first decade of 21st century. The 1990s were characterized by a significant outflow of the Russian population from the Baltic states and Moldova, and a decrease in the proportion of Russians due to a change of ethnic identity in the Republic of Belarus and Ukraine. In the first decade of the 21st century, the outflow of Russians from the Baltic states continued, it was the most significant in Latvia, the minimal in Estonia. In the Republic of Belarus due to the Russian language adoption as the second state language in 1995 there has been a significant increase in the number and proportion of the population that recognizes Russian as mother tongue. The analysis results of the dynamics of Russians’ proportion are viewed through the prism of the concept of geo-cultural space. According to this concept, the Russian population proportion can be the quantitative criterion for distinguishing the components of the Russian geoethnocultural system territorial structure, which has experienced significant “shrinking” in the post-Soviet period.
Published Version
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