20 Million Russians Reside in the CIS

About 20 million ethnic Russians inhabit the territory of the Commonwealth of Independent States, or the CIS, Konstantin Zatulin, Director of the Institute of CIS Countries and Director of the Center of Humanitarian and Business Cooperation with Compatriots Abroad /the Moscow House of Compatriots/ told a Wednesday press conference in Moscow.

According to his words, about 2 million Russians reside in Belarus, more than 7 million in Ukraine /including 1 million in the Crimea/, and 1.5 million in Uzbekistan.

The number of Russians inhabiting Latvia and Estonia amounts to one-third of their population; Russians constitute 15%-17% of the population of Lithuania.

Zatulin also said the Russian diaspora in Kazakhstan was sharply diminishing.

Besides, according to his account, about 10 million ethnic Russians live in non-CIS countries