Belarusians in Russia

Belarusians in Russia
Белорусы России
Беларусы Расіі
Total population
208,046 (2021)
Languages
Russian · Belarusian
Religion
Eastern Orthodox Church (52%) · Roman Catholicism (1.3%) · Judaism
Related ethnic groups
Belarusian diaspora, Polish minority in Russia, Ukrainians in Russia, Jews in Russia

Belarusians are a major ethnic group in Russia. At the census of 2021, 208,046 Russian citizens indicated Belarusian ancestry. Major Belarusian groups live in the regions of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Karelia and Siberia. Most Belarusians in Russia are migrants from modern Belarus or their descendants, while a minor part of Belarusians in Russia are indigenous.

Because of cultural closeness of Belarusians to Russians and weakly expressed national identity, Belarusians are more than other ethnic minorities exposed to assimilation in Russia. Despite mass inflow of migrants from Belarus during last centuries, children of immigrants rarely identify themselves as Belarusians.