Russians
, native_name_lang = ru
, image =
, caption =
, population =
, popplace =
118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 ''Winkler Prins'' estimate)
, region1 =
, pop1 ...
in
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the sout ...
are a minority ethnic group, numbering 297,913 as of 2000 census representing 4% of the population. Most ethnic Russians migrated to
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the sout ...
during the 20th century. Many settlements were founded in the north of the country. The Russian population reached its peak just before the breakup of the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
. Most ethnic Russians live in the capital city of Turkmenistan,
Ashgabat
Ashgabat or Asgabat ( tk, Aşgabat, ; fa, عشقآباد, translit='Ešqābād, formerly named Poltoratsk ( rus, Полтора́цк, p=pəltɐˈratsk) between 1919 and 1927), is the capital and the largest city of Turkmenistan. It lies ...
. Significant populations are found in other major cities. The main
religion
Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...
of Russians in Turkmenistan is
Russian Orthodoxy
Russian Orthodoxy (russian: Русское православие) is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, whose liturgy is or was traditionally conducted in Church Slavonic language. Most C ...
.
Discrimination
The Turkmen government's decision to cancel a
dual-citizenship
Multiple/dual citizenship (or multiple/dual nationality) is a legal status in which a person is concurrently regarded as a national or citizen of more than one country under the laws of those countries. Conceptually, citizenship is focused on t ...
agreement with Russia in 2003 prompted thousands of ethnic Russians to leave Turkmenistan as they lost their
property
Property is a system of rights that gives people legal control of valuable things, and also refers to the valuable things themselves. Depending on the nature of the property, an owner of property may have the right to consume, alter, share, r ...
. Many of those fleeing "in panic" reportedly feared being trapped in a state which has been widely criticised for human rights abuses and has imposed severe restrictions on foreign travel for its citizens. Those without Russian
passports
A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that contains a person's identity. A person with a passport can travel to and from foreign countries more easily and access consular assistance. A passport certifies the personal ...
may be forced to become
Turkmens
Turkmens ( tk, , , , ; historically "the Turkmen"), sometimes referred to as Turkmen Turks ( tk, , ), are a Turkic ethnic group native to Central Asia, living mainly in Turkmenistan, northern and northeastern regions of Iran and north-weste ...
, and fear that they may never be able to return to Russia.
For these who remained, estimated at around 100,000, all Soviet-time diplomas, certificates and other official documents that were issued outside the
Turkmen SSR
Turkmen, Türkmen, Turkoman, or Turkman may refer to:
Peoples Historical ethnonym
* Turkoman (ethnonym), ethnonym used for the Oghuz Turks during the Middle Ages
Ethnic groups
* Turkmen in Anatolia and the Levant (Seljuk and Ottoman-Turkish desc ...
were nullified, drastically limiting the people's access to work. At the same time, universities have been encouraged to reject applicants with non-Turkmen surnames, especially ethnic Russians. Russian television is difficult to receive in Turkmenistan, the Russian-language
radio station Mayak was taken off the air and the Russian newspapers were banned earlier.
Notable people
*
Begench Beknazarov
Begench Amandurdievich Beknazarov ( tk, Begenç Amandurdiýewiç Beknazarow; russian: Бегенч Амандурдыевич Бекназаров) was a military officer in the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan, who was sentenced to life in 2005 for ...
, half-Turkmen/
Russian Jewish
The history of the Jews in Russia and areas historically connected with it goes back at least 1,500 years. Jews in Russia have historically constituted a large religious and ethnic diaspora; the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest pop ...
military officer.
*
Oleg Kononenko
Oleg Dmitriyevich Kononenko (russian: Олег Дмитриевич Кононенко; ; born 21 June 1964 in Turkmenistan) is a Russian cosmonaut from the Turkmen SSR. He has flown to the International Space Station four times, as a flight eng ...
, Turkmen-Russian cosmonaut
*
Igor Makarov, Russian businessman
*
Muza Niyazova
Muza Alekseevna Niyazova (, ; née Melnikova; born 10 June 1938) is a Turkmen public figure who held the role of First Lady of Turkmenistan from 1991 until the death of her husband in 2006.
She is the widow of former President of Turkmenistan Sap ...
, 1st
First Lady of Turkmenistan
The First Lady of Turkmenistan () is the title attributed to the wife of the President of Turkmenistan.
First ladies of Turkmenistan
Muza Niyazova
Muza Alekseýewna Niýazowa is the widow of the first president, Saparmyrat Nyýazow, , wife of
Saparmurat Niyazov
Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov; tk, Saparmyrat Ataýewiç Nyýazow, in Cyrillic: Сапармырат Атаевич Ныязов (19 February 1940 – 21 December 2006), also known as Turkmenbashi, was a Turkmen politician who rule ...
* , former Deputy Chairman of the
Supreme Soviet of Turkmenia
The Supreme Soviet of the Turkmen SSR ( tk, Түркменистан ССР Ёкары Советы, Türkmenistan SSR Ýokary Sowety; russian: Верховный Совет Туркменской ССР, Verkhovnyy Sovet Turkmenskoy SSR) was th ...
and
Minister of Finance
A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation.
A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...
from 1995 to 1996.
* Mikhail Nyukhtikov,
Soviet Army
uk, Радянська армія
, image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg
, alt =
, caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army
, start_date ...
Colonel,
Hero of Turkmenistan
The title Hero of Turkmenistan () is a state award of Turkmenistan. It was first awarded in 1992 and was awarded for service to the implementation of domestic and foreign policy.
History
The title of Hero of Turkmenistan was established by the L ...
and
the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
.
See also
*
Demographics of Turkmenistan
The Demographics of Turkmenistan is about the demographic features of the population of Turkmenistan, including population growth, population density, ethnicity, education level, health, economic status, religious affiliations, and other as ...
*
Russia–Turkmenistan relations
References
Russian diaspora in Asia
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