Speaking Russian in a former Soviet Union Country?

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<a href="/en/translator/sbbf" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1187940">SBBF <div class="author_icon" title="Page author" ></div></a>
Joined: 19.09.2013
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Hi, so, I wondered -- how do countries formerly a part of the Soviet Union feel about the Russian language, or Russians in general? From what I understand, there are still Russians/Russian-speaking people living in these places? Thanks.

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<a href="/en/translator/sbbf" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1187940">SBBF <div class="author_icon" title="Page author" ></div></a>
Joined: 19.09.2013

Oh! That's interesting.

I can understand that it may be getting phased out (no longer required), but what about the personal feelings? Are there divisions between the natives and the Russians (or Russian-speakers)? Would it offend someone in Latvia if I walked up and started speaking Russian?

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<a href="/en/translator/nikdatuashvili1" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1177566">nik.datuashvili.1 </a>
Joined: 30.05.2013

I'd split those countries into the following groups:

Near-perfect Russian, used everyday: Belarus, Ukraine, the upper/middle class natives of major cities of Kazakhstan, Latvia, Estonia (as well as the many Russians in those cities). Note that the areas of those countries bordering Russia also have many, many Russian immigrants, like in Varna.

Decent Russian: you can communicate at least on a basic level with the average person off the street: Armenia, cities in Central Asia (outside of Kazakhstan).

For the above category, I'm only counting those countries where MOST cities have a decent Russian presence.

Mediocre Russian: working knowledge mostly limited to the generation who grew up in Soviet times: everywhere else in the CIS area, as well as many of the formerly Russian-allied countries in eastern Europe. Younger generation's grasp of English is decent in the urban areas close to Western Europe (e.g. cities in Croatia, Czechia) but increasingly mediocre as you head to the cities further east.

Anecdotally, I've heard that the frozen-conflict areas Abkhazia and South Ossetia tend to have very good Russian knowledge, probably due to their close ties to Russia. I couldn't imagine why anyone would want to vacation in such places, though.

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<a href="/en/translator/sbbf" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1187940">SBBF <div class="author_icon" title="Page author" ></div></a>
Joined: 19.09.2013

Wow, thanks for all the info, Nik!

Was it tough growing up in Georgia?

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<a href="/en/translator/nikdatuashvili1" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1177566">nik.datuashvili.1 </a>
Joined: 30.05.2013

You're welcome!

I think struggles bring people together. There's a silver lining to it, I think.

You know quite an interesting set of languages!
If I may ask, where are you from?

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<a href="/en/translator/sbbf" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1187940">SBBF <div class="author_icon" title="Page author" ></div></a>
Joined: 19.09.2013

Я из Америки... Америка, «не так великая».

I probably shouldn't complain, though I'll never really know if life is better somewhere else unless I get to go see the world, right? And I agree about struggles bringing people together... because it makes you realize what's important.

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<a href="/en/translator/pani" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1199674">Pani </a>
Joined: 27.01.2014

The Western part of Ukraine speaks mostly Ukrainian.

The Eastern part of Ukraine speaks mostly Russian in big cities and towns but surzhyk (combination of Russian and Ukrainian) or just Ukrainian in villages.

The reason is big amount of Russian immigrants in the Eastern Ukraine.

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<a href="/en/translator/newsrebel" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1240642">Newsrebel </a>
Joined: 28.03.2015

It depends on.. Where exactly in Latvia and do U have an accent/
Some people with.. well… sort of national feelings would take it as an offence, if U speak perfect Russian. They would assume, that U are local, who didn’t care to learn Latvian.
Also, U can have a problem to communicate in Russian with the young Latvians, they certainly knows English better.
With older generation – 35-40 and up – more chances that they know Russian well (depends on location and backgrounds)

Personal feelings.. well, it depends on person who U would walk up , right? 

I experienced that sort of attitude once in Lithuania. We were lost in the city, and I walked up to an old lady and asked for the direction. I asked in Russian. My problem was that I asked in perfect Russian. No accent. She yelled something offensive in Lithuanian ( I didn’t quite understand all, but the main idea was – soviet bastards, U should speak Lithuanian).
Then I switched to Latvian. With no offence I just asked the same question and made some remarks in Latvian. I bet - she didn’t understand it fully. But she recognized the language. And then she answered me in a quite good Russian, how I can get to the bus station  And apologized…

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<a href="/en/translator/pani" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1199674">Pani </a>
Joined: 27.01.2014

We can have the situation described in the preseding comment in Ukraine (mostly Western) too

The reason is the behaviour of Russian tourists and immigrants

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<a href="/en/translator/koshkoi" class="userpopupinfo" rel="user1283585">Koshkoi </a>
Joined: 19.03.2016

We live in the Russian border but do not speak it. But we "all" do English as Scandinavians tend to do.

I suggest in the East: Ask if a person speaks English. All too often he/she does not. Say you know some Russian. Case closed. You will be talking much more Russian than what you can. It is a language. You have an accent. No problem.