Armenians in Russia or Russian Armenians are one of the country's largest ethnic minorities and the largest

Armenian diaspora The Armenian diaspora refers to the communities of Armenians outside Armenia and other locations where Armenians are considered an indigenous population. Since antiquity, Armenians have established communities in many regions throughout the world. ...

community outside Armenia. The 2010 Russian census recorded 1,182,388 Armenians in the country. Various figures estimate that the ethnic Armenian population in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

is actually more than 2 million. Armenians populate various regions, including

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

Krasnodar Krai Krasnodar Krai (russian: Краснода́рский край, r=Krasnodarsky kray, p=krəsnɐˈdarskʲɪj kraj) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (a krai), located in the North Caucasus region in Southern Russia and ...

in the

North Caucasus The North Caucasus, ( ady, Темыр Къафкъас, Temır Qafqas; kbd, Ишхъэрэ Къаукъаз, İṩxhərə Qauqaz; ce, Къилбаседа Кавказ, Q̇ilbaseda Kavkaz; , os, Цӕгат Кавказ, Cægat Kavkaz, inh, ...

and as far as

Vladivostok Vladivostok ( rus, Владивосто́к, a=Владивосток.ogg, p=vɫədʲɪvɐˈstok) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai, Russia. The city is located around the Golden Horn Bay on the Sea of Japan, ...

in the East.

History

Early period

There has been an Armenian presence in

since the

Late Middle Ages The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Ren ...

, when various

artisans An artisan (from french: artisan, it, artigiano) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. These objects may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative art, ...

merchants A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as industry ...

and traders ventured west to the

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a p ...

and the northern

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historica ...

in order to set up trade ties and conduct commerce.

Russian Empire

The relationship between Armenians and Russian imperial authorities was complex, shaped as often by parallel interests as competing objectives. Large Armenian communities resided both in the Caucasus and in Russian cities well before the modern era. After the destruction of the last remaining independent Armenian states in the Middle Ages, the nobility disintegrated, leaving Armenian society composed of a mass of peasants plus a middle class who were either craftsmen or merchants. Such Armenians were to be found in most towns of Transcaucasia; indeed, at the beginning of the 19th century they formed the majority of the population in cities such as

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million pe ...

. Armenian merchants conducted their trade across the world and many had set up base within Russia. In 1778,

Catherine the Great , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anha ...

invited Armenian merchants from the

to Russia and they established a settlement at Nor Nakhichevan near

Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don ( rus, Ростов-на-Дону, r=Rostov-na-Donu, p=rɐˈstof nə dɐˈnu) is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the Eas ...

. The Russian ruling classes welcomed the Armenians' entrepreneurial skills as a boost to the economy, but they also regarded them with some suspicion. The image of the Armenian as a "wily merchant" was already widespread. Russian nobles derived their income from their estates worked by serfs and, with their aristocratic distaste for engaging in business, they had little understanding or sympathy for the way of life of mercantile Armenians. Nevertheless, middle-class Armenians prospered under Russian rule and they were the first to seize the new opportunities and transform themselves into a prosperous

bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. Th ...

when

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, private ...

and

industrialisation Industrialisation ( alternatively spelled industrialization) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society. This involves an extensive re-organisation of an econo ...

came to Transcaucasia in the later half of the 19th century. The Armenians more easily adapted to the new economic circumstances than their neighbours in Transcaucasia, the Georgians and the

Azeris Azerbaijanis (; az, Azərbaycanlılar, ), Azeris ( az, Azərilər, ), or Azerbaijani Turks ( az, Azərbaycan Türkləri, ) are a Turkic people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan. They are the second-most nume ...

. They became the most powerful element in the municipal life of Tbilisi, the heart of the tsarist administration of the Caucasus as well as its economic center. Armenian entrepreneurs were quick to engage the oil boom which began in Transcaucasia in the 1870s, making investments in the oil fields in

Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world an ...

in Azerbaijan and the refineries of

Batumi Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ) is the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), second largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast of the Black Sea in Georgia's ...

on the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...

coast. All this meant that the tensions between Armenians, Georgians and Azeris in Russian Transcaucasia were not simply ethnic or religious in nature but also were shaped by social and economic considerations. Nevertheless, despite the stereotype of the typical Armenian as a successful businessman, at the end of the 19th century 80 percent of Russian Armenians were still peasants working the land.

Present Day

According to the Union of Russian Armenians, there are 2.5 million Armenians living in Russia today. According to the same source, about 850,000 are immigrants from Armenia, 350,000 from Azerbaijan and 250,000 from Georgia, including 100,000 from Abkhazia and 180,000 from Central Asia, mostly Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. The Russian government is encouraging Armenians to immigrate and settle in Russia and is providing financial and settlement incentives. Armenians in Russia have one of the highest rates of educational attainment. According to the 2002 census 21.4% of Armenians have

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after compl ...

, 31.8% have "middle special" education (i.e.

vocational education Vocational education is education that prepares people to work as a technician or to take up employment in a skilled craft or trade as a tradesperson or artisan. Vocational Education can also be seen as that type of education given to an i ...

), and 46.1% have secondary education.

Distribution

Moscow

The 2010 Russian census put the number of Moscow Armenians at 106,466. Another 63,306 Armenians lived in

Moscow region Moscow Oblast ( rus, Моско́вская о́бласть, r=Moskovskaya oblast', p=mɐˈskofskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ), or Podmoskovye ( rus, Подмоско́вье, p=pədmɐˈskovʲjə, literally " under Moscow"), is a federal subject of Ru ...

at the time. There are various estimates on the number of Armenians in Moscow: 400,000, 600,000, 1,000,000.Armenian population in the world
Moscow is often regarded as the largest Armenian community outside Armenia.

Saint Petersburg

In 1708 the first Armenians came to St. Petersburg, and in 1710 in the city already existed "Armenian offices". In 1730, under the leadership of the priest Ivan Sheristanova organized the first parish of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Throughout the 20th century Armenian population of St. Petersburg has been steadily increasing. The number of Armenians in St. Petersburg increased from 1,759 in 1926 to 19,164 in 2002. According to Soviet 1989 census 47% Armenians speak Armenian as native language, 52% speak Russian as native language. At the same time almost all fluent in Russian language. About half of the Armenians have higher education and, consequently, higher social status. According to the head of Saint Petersburg's Armenian community Karen Mkrtchyan, currently about 100,000 Armenians are living in the region of Saint Petersburg. There are 2 Armenian churches, a Sunday school, "Havatamk" Armenian monthly and a printing house.

Krasnodar

The Krasnodar Krai is one of the biggest communities of the

. According to the Russian 2002 census, there were 274,566 Armenians. 211,397 of them spoke Armenian as their native language and 6,948 had

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''O ...

n citizenship. According to estimates some 500,000, 700,000 or 1,000,000 Armenians resided in Krasnodar. They are chiefly concentrated in

Greater Sochi Sochi ( rus, Со́чи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg) is the largest resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi River, along the Black Sea in Southern Russia, with a population of 466,078 residents, up to 600,000 residents in ...

(80,045–125,000) the city of

Krasnodar Krasnodar (; rus, Краснода́р, p=krəsnɐˈdar; ady, Краснодар), formerly Yekaterinodar (until 1920), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The city stands on the Kuban River in southe ...

(28,022–70,000), the city of Armavir (18,262–50,000)

Tuapse Tuapse (russian: Туапсе́; ady, Тӏуапсэ ) is a town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated on the northeast shore of the Black Sea, south of Gelendzhik and north of Sochi. Population: Tuapse is a sea port and the northern center of ...

(18,194),

Novorossiysk Novorossiysk ( rus, Новоросси́йск, p=nəvərɐˈsʲijsk; ady, ЦIэмэз, translit=Chəməz, p=t͡sʼɜmɜz) is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is one of the largest ports on the Black Sea. It is one of the few cities hono ...

(12,092–40,000) Apsheron (10,659), and

Anapa Anapa (russian: Ана́па, ) is a town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located on the northern coast of the Black Sea near the Sea of Azov. Population: History The area around Anapa was settled in antiquity. It was originally a major seaport ...

(8,201).

Rostov-on-Don

Historically, the Don region was home to the largest Armenian community on the territory of the modern Russian Federation. Armenians were resettled from Crimean Khanate in 1779 by orders of

and founded several settlements around the territory of modern

. The largest of them, Nakhichevan-on-Don, was merged into the Rostov city in 1928. Armenians still constitute the majority (60%) of population in

Myasnikovsky District Myasnikovsky District (russian: Мяснико́вский райо́н) is an administrativeLaw #340-ZS and municipalLaw #182-ZS district (raion), one of the forty-three in Rostov Oblast, Russia. It is located in the west of the oblast. The area ...

. In 2010, Rostov-on-Don had the third largest Armenian population of all Russian cities (after Moscow and

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Со́чи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg) is the largest resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi River, along the Black Sea in Southern Russia, with a population of 466,078 residents, up to 600,000 residents i ...

, Krasnodar Krai).

Notable Russian Armenians

Arts and entertainment

Ivan Aivazovsky Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (russian: link=no, Иван Константинович Айвазовский; 29 July 18172 May 1900) was a Russian Romantic painter who is considered one of the greatest masters of marine art. Baptized ...

(1817–1900), painter, one of the greatest masters of marine art * Yuri Kasparyan (b. 1963), former Guitarist of

Kino Kino may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasters * KINO, a radio station in Arizona, U.S. * Kino FM (98.0 FM – Moscow), a Russian music radio station * KinoTV, now Ruutu+ Leffat ja Sarjat, a Finnish TV channel Fictional entiti ...

Irina Allegrova Irina Aleksandrovna Allegrova (russian: link=no, Ирина Александровна Аллегрова; born 20 January 1952) is a Russian singer. She is a People's Artist of Russia (2010).

(b. 1952), pop singer *

Artsvik Artsvik Harutyunyan ( arm, Արծվիկ Հարությունյան ; russian: Арцвик Арутюнян; born 21 October 1984), better known as simply Artsvik, is a Russian-Armenian singer and songwriter. She represented Armenia in the Eurovi ...

(b. 1984), pop singer *

Lev Atamanov Lev Atamanov (russian: Лев Атаманов), born Levon Konstantinovich Atamanyan (russian: Левон Константинович Атаманян, hy, Լեւոն Կոնստանտինի Ատամանյան; – 12 February 1981), was a ...

(1905–1981), director of

Soyuzmultfilm Soyuzmultfilm ( rus, Союзмультфи́льм, p=səˌjʉsmʊlʲtˈfʲilʲm , ''Union Cartoon'') (also known as SMF Animation Studio in English, Formerly known as Soyuzdetmultfilm) is a Russian animation studio based in Moscow. Launched in ...

animation studio *

Arno Babajanian Arno Harutyunovich Babajanian ( hy, Առնո Բաբաջանյան; russian: Арно Арутюнович Бабаджанян; January 22, 1921 – November 11, 1983) was a Soviet and Armenian composer and pianist. He was made a People's Artist ...

(1921–1983), composer and pianist *

Armen Dzhigarkhanyan Armen Borisovich Dzhigarkhanyan (russian: Армен Борисович Джигарханян; hy, Արմեն Բորիսի Ջիգարխանյան, Armen Borisi Jigarkhanyan; ; 3 October 1935 – 14 November 2020) was a Soviet, Armenian, and Rus ...

(1935–2020), actor, appeared in more films than any other Russian actor * Karina Evn (b. 1997), singer-songwriter * Sergey Galoyan (b. 1981), music producer *

Mikhail Galustyan Nshan Sergeyevich Galustyan (russian: Ншан Сергеевич Галустян; born 25 October 1979), known professionally as Mikhail Galustyan (russian: link=no, Михаил Галустян), is a Russian showman, comedian, screenwriter, ...

(b. 1979), comedian and showman *

Armen Grigoryan Armen Grigoryan (russian: Армен Григорян, hy, Արմեն Գրիգորյան) is a singer/songwriter, artist, and the front man (and main songwriter) of " Krematorij" (''Crematorium'') Russian rock-band. Biography Armen Grigoryan wa ...

(b. 1960), singer songwriter * Luara Hayrapetyan (b. 1997), singer-songwriter *

Artur Janibekyan Artur Janibekyan ( hy, Արթուր Օթարիի Ջանիբեկյան, russian: Артур Отариевич Джанибекян) is founder of Comedy Club Production, television producer, media manager. Member of the International Academy of T ...

(b. 1976), co-producer of ''

Comedy Club A comedy club is a venue—typically a nightclub, bar, hotel, casino, or restaurant—where people watch or listen to performances, including stand-up comedians, improvisational comedians, impersonators, impressionists, magicians, ventriloquist ...

'' *

Karen Kavaleryan Karen Kavaleryan ( hy, Կարեն Կավալերյան; russian: Каре́н Кавалеря́н; born June 5, 1961 in Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union) is a Russian-Armenian lyricist. He currently holds the record (with Sharon Vaughn and Ra ...

(b. 1961), lyricist of Eurovision songs *

Edmond Keosayan Edmond Gareginovich Keosayan ( hy, Էդմոնդ Քյոսայան; russian: Эдмонд Гарегинович Кеосаян; 9 October 1936 – 21 April 1994) was an Armenian Soviet film director and musician. * 1952-54 - worked in Yerevan watc ...

(1936–1994), film director *

Tigran Keosayan Tigran Edmondovich Keosayan ( hy, Տիգրան էդմոնդի Քեոսայան, russian: Тигран Эдмондович Кеосаян; born January 4, 1966) is a Russian film director, actor and television presenter of Armenian origin. He is ...

(b. 1966), film director, actor and writer *

Aram Khachaturian Aram Ilyich Khachaturian (; rus, Арам Ильич Хачатурян, , ɐˈram ɨˈlʲjitɕ xətɕɪtʊˈrʲan, Ru-Aram Ilyich Khachaturian.ogg; hy, Արամ Խաչատրյան, ''Aram Xačʿatryan''; 1 May 1978) was a Soviet and Armenia ...

(1903–1978), classical composer, one of the titans of Soviet classical music *

Dmitry Kharatyan Dmitry Vadimovich Kharatyan (born 21 January 1960) is a Soviet and Russian actor of Armenian descent, People's Artist of Russia. Was born in Olmaliq, Uzbek SSR on 21 January 1960. His debut as an actor came in Vladimir Menshov's ''Practical Jok ...

(b. 1960), actor * Philipp Kirkorov (b. 1967), singer, king of

Russian pop Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and pe ...

* Arshak Makichyan, violinist and activist who is called the Russian

Greta Thunberg Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg (; born 3 January 2003) is a Swedish environmental activist who is known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action for climate change mitigation. Thunberg's activism began when she persuaded ...

Garik Martirosyan Garik Yurievich Martirosyan (russian: Гарик Юрьевич Мартиросян, hy, Գարիկ Մարտիրոսյան; born February 13, 1974) is a Russian entertainer, comedian, TV host, actor and singer of Armenian origin. He is the co- ...

(b. 1974), comedian, co-producer of ''

'' *

Frunzik Mkrtchyan Mher Musheghi Mkrtchyan ( hy, Մհեր Մուշեղի Մկրտչյան; 4 July 1930 – 29 December 1993), better known by the name Frunzik ( hy, Ֆրունզիկ; russian: Фрунзик), was an Armenian stage and film actor. Mkrtchyan is wide ...

(1930–1993), actor *

Stas Namin Stas Namin is a Russian rock musician, known as the leader of the popular Soviet music group, Tsvety (russian: link=no, Цветы, lit=The Flowers). He is also a composer, actor, record producer, and director, and lends his name to the thea ...

(b. 1951), rock singer *, pianist and conductor *

Sergei Parajanov Sergei Parajanov, ka, სერგო ფარაჯანოვი, uk, Сергій Параджанов (January 9, 1924 – July 20, 1990) was an Armenian filmmaker. Parajanov is regarded by film critics, film historians and filmmakers t ...

(1924–1990), film director, significantly contributed to

Soviet cinema The cinema of the Soviet Union includes films produced by the constituent republics of the Soviet Union reflecting elements of their pre-Soviet culture, language and history, albeit they were all regulated by the central government in Moscow. M ...

Yevgeny Petrosyan Yevgeny Vaganovich Petrosyan (russian: Евге́ний Вага́нович Петрося́н, hy, Եվգենի Վահանի Պետրոսյան (Պետրոսյանց); born 16 September 1945) is a Soviet/Russian comedian of Armenian and Jewish ...

(b. 1945), comedian * Eva Rivas (b. 1987), pop singer, represented Armenia in Eurovision 2010 *

Avraam Russo Avraam Russo (russian: Авраам Руссо, hy, Աբրահամ Ռուսսո, ar, أفرام روسو); born as Abraham Zhanovich Ipjian (russian: Абрахам Жанович Ипджян; born July 21, 1969) is a Syrian-born Russian po ...

(b. 1969), pop singer * Igor Sarukhanov (b. 1956), rock singer *

Martiros Saryan Martiros Saryan ( hy, Մարտիրոս Սարյան; russian: Мартиро́с Сарья́н; – 5 May 1972) was a Soviet Armenian painter, the founder of a modern Armenian national school of painting. Biography He was born into an Armenia ...

(1880–1972), painter *

Karen Shakhnazarov Karen Georgievich Shakhnazarov, PAR (russian: Каре́н Гео́ргиевич Шахназа́ров; born 8 July 1952) is a Soviet and Russian filmmaker, producer and screenwriter. He became the Director General of Mosfilm studios in 1998. ...

(b. 1952), filmmaker, producer, director of

Mosfilm Mosfilm (russian: Мосфильм, ''Mosfil’m'' ) is a film studio which is among the largest and oldest in the Russian Federation and in Europe. Founded in 1924 in the USSR as a production unit of that nation's film monopoly, its output inclu ...

since 1998 *

Mikael Tariverdiev Mikael Leonovich Tariverdiev (russian: Микаэл Леонович Таривердиев, hy, Միքայել Թարիվերդիև; 15 August 1931 – 25 July 1996) was a prominent Soviet composer of Armenian descent. He headed the Composers' ...

(1931–1996), composer *

Akim Tamiroff Akim Mikhailovich Tamiroff, russian: Аким Михайлович Тамиров (born Hovakim Tamiryants; October 29, 1899 – September 17, 1972) was an Armenian-American actor of film, stage, and television. One of the premier character ac ...

(1899–1972), actor *

Agrippina Vaganova Agrippina Yakovlevna Vaganova (russian: Агриппина Яковлевна Ваганова; 26 June 1879 – 5 November 1951) was a Soviet and Russian ballet teacher who developed the Vaganova method – the technique which derived from the t ...

(1879–1951), ballet teacher *

Yevgeny Vakhtangov Yevgeny Bagrationovich Vakhtangov (also spelled Evgeny or Eugene; russian: Евге́ний Багратио́нович Вахта́нгов; 13 February 1883 – 29 May 1922) was a Russian-Armenian actor and theatre director who founded the ...

(1883–1922), actor and theatre director * Lousine Gevorkyan (b. 1982), rock singer

Politics and military

* Sergey Aganov (1917–1996), Marshal of Engineer Troops * Sergei Avakyants (b. 1957), admiral, commander of the Pacific Fleet * Hamazasp Babadzhanian (1906–1977), Chief Marshal of the Armoured Forces, Soviet Tank Forces * (b. 1967), politician, journalist, TV presenter *

Ivan Bagramyan Ivan Khristoforovich Bagramyan,; russian: Ива́н Христофо́рович Баграмя́н, link=no also known as Hovhannes Khachaturi Baghramyan; russian: Оване́с Хачату́рович Баграмя́н, link=no ( – 2 ...

(1897–1982), Marshal of the Soviet Union *

Vasili Bebutov , native_name_lang = , image = Bebutov.jpg , image_size = , alt = , caption = Portrait by Stepanos Nersissian , birth_date = , death_date = , birth_place = , death_place = , placeofburial = ...

(1791–1858), Adjutant General of the H.I.M. Retinue, General of the Infantry * Aleksandr Chupriyan (b. 1958), political military commander, interim Minister of Emergency Situations * Ivan Isakov (1894–1967), Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union, Soviet Navy * Sergei Khudyakov (1902–1950), Marshal of Aviation,

Soviet Air Force The Soviet Air Forces ( rus, Военно-воздушные силы, r=Voyenno-vozdushnyye sily, VVS; literally "Military Air Forces") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces ...

* Sergey Kurginyan (b. 1949), political scientist * Ivan Lazarev (1820–1879), lieutenant general of the Imperial Russian Army *

Sergey Lavrov Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov (russian: Сергей Викторович Лавров, ; born 21 March 1950) is a Russian diplomat and politician who has served as the Foreign Minister of Russia since 2004. Lavrov served as the Permanent Represe ...

(b. 1950),

Foreign Minister of Russia The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation is a high-ranking Russian government official who heads the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. The foreign minister is one of the five so-called 'presidential' minist ...

since 2004 * Mikhail Loris-Melikov (1825–1888), General of the Cavalry, Minister of Interior of Russia in 1880–1881 *

Valerian Madatov Prince Valerian Grigoryevich Madatov (, , Rostom Madatyan) (1782 – September 4, 1829) was a Russian-Armenian prince and a lieutenant-general of the Russian Empire. Sarkisyan, G. ''«Մադաթով»'' (Madatov). ''Armenian Soviet Encyclopedi ...

(1782–1829), prince, a lieutenant-general of the Russian Empire *

Anastas Mikoyan Anastas Ivanovich Mikoyan (; russian: Анаста́с Ива́нович Микоя́н; hy, Անաստաս Հովհաննեսի Միկոյան; 25 November 1895 – 21 October 1978) was an Armenian Communist revolutionary, Old Bolshevik an ...

(1895–1978), Soviet statesman and diplomat, First Deputy

Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union The Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union was the head of the government of the Soviet Union during the existence of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union from 1946 to 1991. Powers The appointment of the Chairman of the ...

(second highest figure in the Soviet Union) from 1955 to 1964 *

Gaik Ovakimian Haik Badalovich Ovakimian (Hayk Hovakimyan), Major General, USSR (11 August 1898, in Nakhchivan – 13 March 1967, in Moscow), better known as "the puppetmaster" in intelligence circles, was a leading Soviet NKVD spy in the United States. Of A ...

(1898–1967), leading Soviet

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (russian: Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел, Naródnyy komissariát vnútrennikh del, ), abbreviated NKVD ( ), was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union. ...

spy in the United States * Movses Silikyan (1862–1937), Major General in the Russian Imperial Army * Nelson Stepanyan (1913–1944), dive bomber pilot during WWII, two times hero of USSR *

Gevork Vartanian Gevork Andreevich Vartanian ( hy, Գևորգ Վարդանյան, russian: Гево́рк Андре́евич Вартаня́н; 17 February 1924 – 10 January 2012) was a Soviet intelligence officer. He was primarily responsible, together w ...

(1924–2012), legendary Soviet spy * Saak Karapetyan (1960–2018), Russian deputy

attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

Scientists

* Evgeny Abramyan (1930–2014), physicist, one of the founders of several research directions in the Soviet and Russian nuclear technology * Hovannes Adamian (1879–1932), engineer, one of the founders of

color television Color television or Colour television is a television transmission technology that includes color information for the picture, so the video image can be displayed in color on the television set. It improves on the monochrome or black-and-white t ...

Sergei Adian Sergei Ivanovich Adian, also Adyan ( hy, Սերգեյ Իվանովիչ Ադյան; russian: Серге́й Ива́нович Адя́н; 1 January 1931 – 5 May 2020), 4381, and hence for all multiples of those odd integers as well. The solutio ...

(1931–2020), one of the most prominent Soviet mathematicians * Tateos Agekian (1913–2006), astrophysicist, a pioneer of stellar dynamics * Sos Alikhanian (1906–1985), geneticist, one of the founders of molecular genetics in the USSR, founder of the State Research Institute of Genetics (GosNIIgenetika) *

Abram Alikhanov Abram Isaakovich Alikhanov (; russian: Абрам Исаакович Алиханов, born Alikhanian; 8 December 1970) was a Soviet Armenian experimental physicist who specialized in particle and nuclear physics. He was one of the Soviet Uni ...

(1904–1970), nuclear physicist, one of the founders of nuclear physics in USSR, founder of

Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics The Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics (ITEP; Russian Институт теоретической и экспериментальной физики) is a multi-disciplinary research center located in Moscow, Russia. ITEP carries o ...

(ITEP) * Victor Ambartsumian (1908–1996), astrophysicist, one of the founders of theoretical astrophysics * Gurgen Askaryan (1928–1997), physicist, inventor of light self focusing *

Boris Babayan Boris Artashesovich Babayan (russian: Борис Арташеcович Бабаян; hy, Բորիս Արտաշեսի Բաբայան; born Baku, 20 December 1933) is a Soviet and Russian computer scientist of Armenian descent, notable as the pion ...

(b. 1933), computer scientist, father of

supercomputing A supercomputer is a computer with a high level of performance as compared to a general-purpose computer. The performance of a supercomputer is commonly measured in floating-point operations per second ( FLOPS) instead of million instruction ...

in the former Soviet Union and Russia, founder of

Moscow Center of SPARC Technologies MCST (russian: МЦСТ, acronym for Moscow Center of SPARC Technologies) is a Russian microprocessor company that was set up in 1992. Different types of processors made by MCST were used in personal computers, servers and computing systems. MCS ...

(MCST) *

Mikhail Chailakhyan Mikhail Khristoforovich Chailakhyan ( hy, Միքայել Քրիստափորի Չայլախյան, russian: Михаи́л Христофо́рович Чайлахя́н) (1902–1991) was an Armenian-Soviet scientist A scientist is a perso ...

(1902–1991), founder of hormonal theory of plant development *

Artur Chilingarov Artur Nikolayevich Chilingarov (russian: Артур Николаевич Чилингаров; born 25 September 1939) is an Armenian-Russian polar explorer. He is a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, he was awarded the t ...

(b. 1939), polar explorer, member of the State Duma from 1993 to 2011 * (1903–1965), major general of engineering, head of the

KB-1 JSC NPO Almaz named after A.A. Raspletin (russian: link=no, ГСКБ Концерна ПВО "Алмаз-Антей", former SB-1, 1947–50; KB-1, 1950–66; MKB Strela, 1966–71; TsKB Almaz, 1971–88; NPO Almaz, 1988–2008; GSKB Almaz-Ante ...

which created the first anti-aircraft missile defense system

S-25 Berkut The S-25 ''Berkut'' (russian: С-25 «Беркут»; "Berkut" means golden eagle in English) is a surface-to-air guided missile, the first operational SAM system in the Soviet Union. In the early 1950s it was tested at Kapustin Yar. It was depl ...

* Bagrat Ioannisiani (1911–1985), designer of the

BTA-6 The BTA-6 (russian: Большой Телескоп Альт-азимутальный, translit=Bolshoi Teleskop Alt-azimutalnyi, translation=Large Altazimuth Telescope) is a aperture optical telescope at the Special Astrophysical Observatory lo ...

, one of the largest telescopes in the world * Andronik Iosifyan (1905–1993), aerospace engineer, chief electrician of Soviet missiles and spacecraft, including the

R-7 Semyorka The R-7 Semyorka (russian: link=no, Р-7 Семёрка), officially the GRAU index 8K71, was a Soviet missile developed during the Cold War, and the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile. The R-7 made 28 launches between 1957 and 1 ...

and the

Soyuz spacecraft Soyuz () is a series of spacecraft which has been in service since the 1960s, having made more than 140 flights. It was designed for the Soviet space program by the Korolev Design Bureau (now Energia). The Soyuz succeeded the Voskhod spacecr ...

* Alexander Kemurdzhian (1921–2003), aerospace engineer, designer of the first space exploration rovers for moon and mars * Leonid Khachiyan (1952–2005), mathematician and computer scientist, known for ellipsoid algorithm * Tigran Khudaverdyan (b. 1981), computer scientist, deputy CEO of

Yandex Yandex LLC (russian: link=no, Яндекс, p=ˈjandəks) is a Russian multinational technology company providing Internet-related products and services, including an Internet search engine, information services, e-commerce, transportation, map ...

Artem Mikoyan Artem (Artyom) Ivanovich Mikoyan (russian: Артём Ива́нович Микоя́н; hy, Արտյոմ (Անուշավան) Հովհաննեսի Միկոյան, translit=''Artyom (Anushavan) Hovhannesi Mikoyan''; – 9 December 1970) was a ...

(1905–1970), aerospace engineer, designed many of the famous MiG

jet aircraft A jet aircraft (or simply jet) is an aircraft (nearly always a fixed-wing aircraft) propelled by jet engines. Whereas the engines in propeller-powered aircraft generally achieve their maximum efficiency at much lower speeds and altitudes, jet ...

, founder of Mikoyan Design Bureau *

Semyon Kirlian Semyon Davidovich Kirlian (; russian: Семён Давидович Кирлиан; hy, Սիմոն Կիրլյան; 20 February 1898 – 4 April 1978) was a Soviet inventor and researcher of Armenian descent, who along with his wife Valentina ...

(1898–1978), founder of Kirlian photography; discovered that living matter is emitting energy fields * Ivan Knunyants (1906–1990), chemist, a major developer of the Soviet chemical weapons program * Samvel Kocharyants (1909–1993), nuclear scientist, developer of

nuclear warhead A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bom ...

s for ballistic missiles * Sergey Mergelyan (1928–2008), mathematician, made major contributions to the Approximation Theory * Yuri Oganessian (b. 1933), nuclear physicist in the

Joint Institute for Nuclear Research The Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR, russian: Объединённый институт ядерных исследований, ОИЯИ), in Dubna, Moscow Oblast (110 km north of Moscow), Russia, is an international research c ...

(JINR), the world's leading researcher in superheavy elements *

Leon Orbeli Leon Abgarovich Orbeli ( hy, Լևոն Աբգարի Օրբելի, Levon Abgari Orbeli; russian: Леон Абгарович Орбели, Levon Abgarovich Orbeli; – 9 December 1958) was an Armenian physiologist active in the Russian SFSR ...

(1882–1958), founder of evolutionary physiology * Yuri Osipyan (1931–2008), physicist who worked in the field of solid state physics *

Mikhail Pogosyan Mikhail Aslanovich Pogosyan (russian: Михаил Асланович Погосян; born 18 April 1956 in Moscow, Russia) is a Russian aerospace engineer. He is the former general director of Sukhoi and the United Aircraft Corporation and the ...

(b. 1956), aerospace engineer, general director of

Sukhoi The JSC Sukhoi Company (russian: ПАО «Компания „Сухой“», ) is a Russian aircraft manufacturer (formerly Soviet), headquartered in Begovoy District, Northern Administrative Okrug, Moscow, that designs both civilian and mili ...

and the

United Aircraft Corporation , former_name = OJSC United Aircraft Corporation (2006–2015) , type = Public, PJSC , traded_as = , industry = Aerospace, defense , predecessor = Ilyushin, Irkut, Mikoyan, Sukhoi, Tupolev, Yakovlev , founded = , founder = Vladimir P ...

(UAC) * (1944–2010), theoretical physicist, director of

JINR The Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR, russian: Объединённый институт ядерных исследований, ОИЯИ), in Dubna, Moscow Oblast (110 km north of Moscow), Russia, is an international research c ...

from 2006–2010 *

Norair Sisakian Norair Martirosovich Sisakian (Sissakian) ( hy, Նորայր Մարտիրոսի Սիսակյան; russian: Норайр Мартиросович Сисакян, 12 January 1907 – 12 March 1966) was a Soviet Armenian biochemist, academic, one of ...

(1907–1966), biochemist, a founder of space biology; pioneer in biochemistry of sub-cell structures and technical biochemistry *

Karen Ter-Martirosian Karen Avetovich Ter-Martirosyan (russian: Карен Аветикович Тер-Мартиросян; 28 September 1922 – 19 November 2005) was a Soviet and Russian theoretical physicist of Armenian descent. He is known for his contributions to ...

(1922–2005), theoretical physicist, known for his contributions to quantum mechanics and quantum field theory, founder of the Elementary Particle Physics chair of the MIPT

Sports

Artur Dalaloyan Artur Grachyevich Dalaloyan (Russian: Артур Грачьевич Далалоян) born 26 April 1996 is a Russian artistic gymnast who represented ROC at the 2020 Summer Olympics. He was part of the teams who won gold at the 2020 Olympic G ...

(b. 1996), artistic gymnast, 2018 World All-Around Champion *

Artur Danielian Artur Ashotovich Danielian (russian: Артур Ашотович Даниелян, born 17 December 2003) is a Russian figure skater. He is the 2020 European silver medalist, the 2020 Russian national silver medalist, and the 2018 World Jun ...

(b. 2003), 2018 World Junior silver medalist, men's singles figure skater * Yana Egorian (b. 1993), 2016 Olympic Champion in women's individual sabre *

Robert Emmiyan Robert Emmiyan ( hy, Ռոբերտ Էմմիյան; born 16 February 1965 in Leninakan, Armenian SSR) is a retired long jumper who represented the USSR and Armenia. He is the fourth best long jumper in history and the best long jumper not of Afri ...

(b. 1965), fourth best long jumper in history, holder of European record * Arsen Galstyan (b. 1989), judoka, 2012 Olympic champion * Margarita Gasparyan (b. 1994), singles tennis player * Karen Khachanov, (b. 1996), singles tennis player * Evgenia Medvedeva (b. 1999), 2018 Olympic silver medalist, 2 time World Champion, ladies' singles figure skater (father's side) * Grigory Mkrtychan (1925–2003), ice hockey player and coach, 1956 Olympic champion * Erast Osipyan (born 1965), footballer *

Nikita Simonyan Nikita Pavlovich Simonyan ( hy, Նիկիտա Մկրտիչ Սիմոնյան, born ''Mkrtych Pogosovich Simonyan'', 12 October 1926) is a former Soviet football striker and coach of Armenian descent. He was born in Armavir. As of 2021 he was ...

(b. 1926), football player and coach, first vice-president of the

Russian Football Union The Russian Football Union (russian: Российский Футбольный Союз, ''Rossiyskiy Futbolnyy Soyuz'' or RFS) is the official governing body of association football in the Russian Federation. With headquarters in Moscow, it org ...

(RFS) *

Seda Tutkhalyan Seda Gurgenovna Tutkhalyan (russian: Седа Гургеновна Тутхалян, hy, Սեդա Գուրգենի Թութխալյան; born 15 July 1999) is a Russian artistic gymnast. She is the 2014 Youth Olympic Games Individual All-arou ...

(b. 1999), artistic gymnast, 2016 Olympic team silver medalist * Yurik Vardanyan (1956–2018), weightlifter, set several world records * Arsen Zakharyan (b. 2003), footballer

Miscellaneous

* Ara Abrahamyan (b. 1957), businessman * (b. 1959), entrepreneur * Gabriel El-Registan (1899–1945), poet, co-author of the

Anthem of the Soviet Union The "State Anthem of the Soviet Union" was the national anthem of the Soviet Union and the regional anthem of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic from 1944 to 1991, replacing " The Internationale". Its original lyrics were writt ...

Pavel Florensky Pavel Alexandrovich Florensky (also P. A. Florenskiĭ, Florenskii, Florenskij; russian: Па́вел Алекса́ндрович Флоре́нский; hy, Պավել Ֆլորենսկի, Pavel Florenski; – December 8, 1937) was a Russian O ...

(1882–1937), orthodox theologian, philosopher, mathematician, electrical engineer, and inventor * Sergey Galitsky (b. 1967), businessman, founder and co-owner of

Magnit Magnit (Магнит, "Magnet") is one of Russia's largest food retailers. It was founded in 1994 in Krasnodar by Sergey Galitsky. As of March 2016, the company had 12,434 stores in 2,385 locations. They include 9,715 convenience stores, 225 ...

, Russia's largest retailer * Karo Halabyan (1897–1959), architect, executive secretary of Union of Soviet Architects *

Garry Kasparov Garry Kimovich Kasparov (born 13 April 1963) is a Russian chess grandmaster, former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist and commentator. His peak rating of 2851, achieved in 1999, was the highest recorded until being surpassed by ...

(b. 1963),

world chess champion The World Chess Championship is played to determine the world champion in chess. The current world champion is Magnus Carlsen of Norway, who has held the title since 2013. The first event recognized as a world championship was the 1886 matc ...

, considered by many to be the greatest chess player of all time *

Miron Merzhanov Miron Ivanovich Merzhanov, born Meran Merzhanyantz (russian: Мирон Иванович Мержанов, Меран Оганесович Мержанянц, September 23, 1895 – December 1975), was a Soviet architect of Armenian descent, notabl ...

(1895–1975), personal architect of Joseph Stalin *

Tigran Petrosian Tigran Vartanovich Petrosian (, ; 17 June 1929 – 13 August 1984) was a Soviet-Armenian chess grandmaster, and World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" due to his almost-impenetrable defensive playing style ...

(1929–1984), chess grandmaster, world chess champion from 1963 to 1969 *

Photios I of Constantinople Photios I ( el, Φώτιος, ''Phōtios''; c. 810/820 – 6 February 893), also spelled PhotiusFr. Justin Taylor, essay "Canon Law in the Age of the Fathers" (published in Jordan Hite, T.O.R., & Daniel J. Ward, O.S.B., "Readings, Cases, Materia ...

(810–893), orthodox patriarch, central figure in the

Christianization of Kievan Rus' Christianization ( or Christianisation) is to make Christian; to imbue with Christian principles; to become Christian. It can apply to the conversion of an individual, a practice, a place or a whole society. It began in the Roman Empire, conti ...

, one of the founders of the

Russian Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = ru , image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia , abbreviation = ROC , type ...

Margarita Simonyan Margarita Simonovna Simonyan (russian: link=no, Маргарита Симоновна Симоньян; born 6 April 1980) is a Russian journalist. She is the editor-in-chief of the Russian state-controlled media organisations RT (formerly R ...

(b. 1980), journalist, editor-in-chief of the television news network RT (Russia Today) * Artyom Tarasov (1950–2017), businessman, first millionaire in the USSR * (b. 1955), banker, president of Association of Russian BanksPresident ARB
/ref> *

Ruben Vardanian Ruben Karlenovich Vardanyan (, ; born May 25, 1968) is a Russian-Armenian politician who has served as the State Minister of Artsakh, an unrecognized state in the South Caucasus, since November 4, 2022. Prior to his political career, Vardanyan ...

(b. 1968), businessman, CEO of

Troika Dialog Sberbank CIB is a multinational investment banking and asset management firm headquartered in Moscow, Russia, and a subsidiary of Sberbank. It was founded in Moscow in 1991, and was formerly known as Troika Dialog. Sberbank CIB's core lines o ...

References

;Notes ;References

Bibliography

External links

Armenian Embassy in the Russian Federation

The Herald of Armenians in Petersburg

Official site of Armavir, Russia
* Armenian Cemetery in Moscow {{DEFAULTSORT:Armenians in Russia Ethnic groups in Russia Oriental Orthodoxy in Russia