Russia, or the Russian Federation as it is known officially, is the largest state of the new Commonwealth, covering a total area of over 6.5 million square miles, spanning eleven time zones, and populated by 160 million people - over 80 per cent of them ethnic Russians. Stretching from the Baltic to the Pacific and encompassing within its territory immense differences in climate, economic conditions and cultural traditions, Russia is the largest administrative area in the world.


The history of the Russian state is a remarkable one. Locked in between Europe and Asia, the accidents of history have made life in Russia very different to life in the West. Russia went its own way, and for long periods was cut off from the mainstream of European development.


The history of Russia has lasted more than a thousand years. Looking back deep into the centuries, we find examples that reveal to us the greatness and the enterprise of the Russian state, of its historical development and of the unique role which the Russians have played in the history of world civilization.


The roots of the Russian state were in the flourishing early medieval principality of Kievan Rus, which was converted to Christianity in A. D. 988 and was strongly influenced by Byzantium. Kievan Rus grew and prospered until Tartar invaders subjugated most of the Slavic lands. For three centuries time stood still for the Russians, and the Reformation and Renaissance movements, which were revolutionising life in western Europe passed them by. After the Tartar overlords were overthrown, the Russian Empire was founded by Ivan the Terrible, with Moscow as its capital. The 18th century marked the break with the medieval past. Rulers such as Peter the Great and Catherine the Great did their best to modernise Russia along Western lines. The Russian Empire existed until the 1917 Communist coup led by Vladimir Lenin. The Communists abolished private property, nationalized all industry and began more than 70 years of total domination in all aspects of life in the Soviet Union.

World War II and the German invasion almost destroyed the western portion of the Union and killed millions of people. The Russians have heroically resisted all invasions which devastated Russian lands, have rebuilt cities and villages, and revived temples and monuments of Russian culture. We are proud of our country's unique character and history. In it we have found a reflection of the basic stages of civilized development of western and eastern countries.


Russia, as well as other countries, began its history in an antiquity and has passed through historical stages from the Middle Ages to modern Times. Russia has travelled the road from an agrarian to an industrial society. The history of Russia has seen evolutionary and revolutionary ways of development that have profoundly influenced the rest of the world. It is marked by the great achievements of the Russian people in science, art, literature, economic life and in all aspects of spiritual and material culture. A great number of scientific discoveries and inventions made by Russians were in tune with the developments all over the world. The glories of the Russian culture have long been a part of the world culture. Russia has given Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov and Brodsky to world literature. Russia also enriched the world of music with Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Shostakovitch and Shnitke. The architecture ensembles of Moscow, St. Petersburg and old Russian cities are famous all over the world.


We welcome you to Russia, which is a simply fascinating place - from the imperial beauty of Moscow and St. Petersburg to the bleak romanticism of the countryside. Your visit here will help you to understand the Russian people, their culture, their way of life.


Tomorrow is beginning today. We live in difficult times, but we are sure that we will overcome our troubles. The country has embarked on a path of reform. We believe in our future and would like to be on friendly terms with other people from all over the world; we believe in human progress.


We invite all of you to visit St. Petersburg just once and we are sure that you will fall passionately in love with our country for ever, wishing strongly to come to it again and again.