Did you know that only 24 Tsars led Imperial Russia from 1547 to 1917? And that this land has had just 4 Presidents since the creation of the Russian Federation in 1991. Russia's fourth and current president, Vladimir Putin, secured a fifth term in office in May 2024.
Remarkable as those statistics are, political figures aren’t the only famous Russians this article talks about. We should also discover Russian artists, athletes, and other noteworthy persons. For anyone studying the Russian culture and language, this article is a must-read.
Russian Political Figures
Nicholas II of Russia, the Last Imperial Head of State
The last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II (Nikolai Aleksandrovich Romanov), reigned from 1894 to 1917. Russia grew economically, politically, and culturally during his tenure. However, the empire was in turmoil, and the blessings didn't last long.
The Romanoff Dynasty had ruled Russia for 304 years. Rather than hold onto power at all costs, Tsar Nicholas voluntarily abdicated. He then sought exile abroad, but none of the great powers agreed to host the family. Instead, they spent their remaining time in internal exile, in Siberia.
The Soviets viewed Tsar Nicholas II unfavourably because of his staunch opposition to the Bolsheviks. When they seized power, Tsar Nicholas and his family were tragically executed. Eighty-three years following their grim demise, the Orthodox Church canonized the Romanovs in August 2000. Tsar Nicholas II is honoured as a 'passion-bearer,' and his wife and children have all been declared saints.
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov - "Lenin", stands as one of the most pivotal figures in Russian history. As a leading Marxist theorist, his influence soared after the 1917 October Revolution, which dismantled the imperial regime and set the foundations for Soviet Russia based on socialist principles.
Motivated by the execution of his older brother, Aleksandr Ulyanov—a committed revolutionary condemned for attempting to assassinate Tsar Alexander III—Lenin was propelled into the forefront of political activism. His efforts were pivotal in radically reshaping Russia's social and political landscape.
As the bloodiest part of the October Revolution subsided, Lenin became the head of the new Soviet state. He created the bloc in 1919 and installed a 'dictatorship of the proletariat'. He died in 1924 following a series of strokes that left him weak and housebound.
In Russian, 'soviet' represents a council, or an assembly. Its root word also means 'advice', 'harmony', and 'agreement'.
Leon Trotsky
Lev Davidovich Bronstein - Leon Trotsky, was a Ukrainian-Russian Marxist revolutionary, political theorist and politician. Ideologically communist, he developed a variant of Marxism which we know as Trotskyism.
Trotsky helped lead Russia’s October Revolution in 1917. Later, he became commissar of foreign affairs and of war in the Soviet Union (1917–24).
In the struggle for power following Vladimir Lenin’s death, however, Joseph Stalin emerged as victor, while Trotsky was removed from all positions of power and later exiled. He remained the leader of an anti-Stalinist opposition abroad until his assassination by a Stalinist agent.
Joseph Stalin
Stalin took over as leader after Lenin and tightened his control, making his rule more authoritarian. He introduced forced labour camps, known as Gulags, which greatly increased the harshness of his rule compared to Lenin’s time. This shift made his governance more severe and repressive.
Even though Stalin's regime was harsh, he managed to create a strong image of himself as a beloved leader. Using widespread propaganda through newspapers and radio, he was often affectionately called "Dear Father," which starkly contrasted with the harsh reality of his rule.
A Stalin cult had to be built carefully.
Sir Ian Kershaw, historian
Stalin led one of the darkest periods in Russian history. Under his leadership, nationalisation of land and the Great Purge (also known as the Great Terror) devastated the Soviet population. Still, he remains an influential figure, albeit a negative one. The term “Destalinisation” emerged following his death.
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev helped end the Cold War (in 1991). He also gets credit for ending the communist regime in the USSR. He created economic, cultural, political programmes dubbed Perestroika and Glasnost.
Somewhat paradoxically, the Russian people hold a generally negative view of one of their most democratic leaders. Gorbachev was a philanthropist, pacifist, environmentalist, and a staunch critic of the Kremlin.
He was also a bit of a showman and a joker. However, nothing surpasses the 'prank' of appearing in a pizza advert. It was a controversial move and the ad never aired on Russian TV. Still, it - and he, reflect the dual perspectives of Russian society at the time.
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin is the current President of Russia. He is the longest-serving Soviet/Russian head of state, after Stalin. He's held a leadership position since 1999. Like Navalny, Putin is a controversial figure.
His controversy lies in the generational divide. Older citizens favour his leadership, while younger voters side with the opposition. Despite that, polls consistently show trust in Putin's leadership. The 2024 Russian election awarded President Putin 87% of the vote.
Outside of Russia, views on Mr Putin and his leadership are more concrete. He bears much blame for aggressive manoeuvres on the world stage, and all attempts to slow him down seem to fail. Still, many countries enjoy a productive and beneficial relationship with Russia.
Alexei Navalny
Alexei Navalny is one of the most controversial figures of Modern Russia. He was a lawyer and opposition party leader, intent on rooting out corruption. Conversely, his list of criminal offences is long - including embezzlement, but he denied all accusations. Indeed, he stated they were politically motivated.
Navalny had a loyal following, both in Russia and internationally. He appealed to younger voters especially. He even started a new youth social movement called Democratic Alternative (DA).
Navalny launched ever greater accusations against the Russian government and the elite class. He had documents to support his charges - but nobody questioned how he got them. Navalny died in a remote prison complex in Western Siberia in February 2024. Around the world, his followers mourned their loss.
Renowned Russian Artists
Alexander Pushkin
A 19th-century Romantic poet, playwright, and novelist, Pushkin was one of Russia's top writers of the Romantic Era. Many consider him the greatest Russian poet ever. They also credit him as a founding writer of modern Russian literature.
Born into a noble family, Pushkin became a social activist while still in school. He published his first poem at 15 years old, and continued to pen stirring works throughout his career. He recited his controversial Ode to Liberty at his graduation ceremony.
Pushkin's work made deep political impacts on Russian leadership. To wit, the Russian Language and Civilisation Institute is called the Pushkin State Russian Language Institute. It houses many of Alexander Pushkin's works. This table contains a sampling of his best titles.
| Title | Year Published | Genre/format |
|---|---|---|
| The Captain's Daughter | 1836 | novel |
| The Queen of Spades | 1834 | short story |
| The Stone Guest | 1830 | drama |
| The Prisoner of the Caucasus | 1831-32 | narrative poem |
| The Bronze Horseman | 1833 | narrative poem |
| Boris Godunov | 1825 | drama |
| The Shot | 1831 | short story |
| The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish | 1833 | fairy tale (in verse) |
Nikolai Gogol
This Ukrainian-born Russian author specialised in the grotesque. He included fantasy elements in many of his tales, often veering into surrealist territory. As his writing style evolved, he exposed government corruption in his political satires.
Gogol's influence on the literary world is large. Writers from Kafka to Nabokov often 'borrowed' from Gogol's style. Fyodor Dostoyevsky even mentioned him by name in several of his works.
We all came out from under Gogol's Overcoat.
Marie-Eugène-Melchior, Vicomte de Vogüé
This French diplomat referred to Gogol's story, The Overcoat, a tale of a mundane man 'discovering' his humanity. Nabokov dubbed it 'The greatest Russian short story ever written'. Pushkin published his earlier works under the pseudonym V. Alov. His work Revizor (1836) brought him literary fame.
Andrei Tarkovsky
This Russian film director and screenwriter was not a good student, probably because he had loftier ideas on his mind. Andrei Tarkovsky had big ideas about spiritual themes and out-of-this-world concepts. These manifested in his films, particularly Solaris and Stalker.
Like many Russian youths of his era, he suffered hardship. His family left their Moscow home during the war, when his father lost a leg, causing him to withdraw from the family. These events feature in The Mirror, which many consider Tarkovsky's Magnum Opus.
Tarkovsky's career was brilliant, but far too short. An unusual cancer claimed him at just 54 years old, limiting his film catalogue to just seven titles. However, he also left behind several books, including his diary, Time Within Time (or Martyrology).
Leo Tolstoy
Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, usually referred to in English as Leo Tolstoy, was a Russian writer, a master of realistic fiction, and one of the world’s greatest novelists.
Tolstoy is best known for his two longest works, War and Peace (1865–69) and Anna Karenina (1875–77). Critics hail both tomes as among the finest novels ever written.
Tolstoy received nominations for the Nobel Prize in Literature every year from 1902 to 1906 and for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1901, 1902, and 1909. He never won, a controversial point still today.
Wassily Kandinsky
This Russian painter and art theorist often gets credit as the pioneer of Western abstract art. However, unlike many painters of his time, he did not pick up a paintbrush until he was in his 30s.
He graduated from Odessa Art School, a secondary institution specialising in art education. At university, he studied economics and law. He then became a professor of Roman Law at the University of Dorpat.
He never strayed far from his artistic education, though. As an established painter, he founded the influential Munich group Der Blaue Reiter (“The Blue Rider”), along with Franz Marc. He also taught at the Bauhaus School of Art and Architecture.
Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall was a Russian-French artist of Belarusian Jewish origin. Chagall was born in Vitebsk (Belarus, which was still an integral part of the Russian Empire).
An early modernist, and predating Surrealism, his early works were among the first expressions of psychic reality in modern art.
Art critic Robert Hughes referred to Chagall as "the quintessential Jewish artist of the twentieth century". According to art historian Michael J. Lewis, Chagall was "the last survivor of the first generation of European modernists".
Famous Russian Sportspeople
Ekaterina Gordeeva
This Russian skater is a two-time Olympic gold medal winner. She also won gold at the European Championships and World Championships (three and four times, respectively).
As a pairs skater with her husband, Sergei Grinkov, Ekaterina was a top draw. They performed and competed all over the world, winning rave reviews, and nearly every competition they entered.
Sergei's premature death, at 28 years old, affected Ekaterina's skating style. She still competed, but never skated pairs again. Their bond and devotion to each other were as much a part of their performance as their skating skills.
Maria Sharapova
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova is a Russian former world No. 1 tennis player. She is one of ten women, and the only Russian, to hold the career Grand Slam. She is also an Olympic medalist, winning a silver medal in women's singles at the 2012 London Summer Olympics.
Sharapova achieved a rare level of longevity in tennis. Several tennis experts and former players describe Sharapova as one of the sport's best competitors. Sharapova became the world No. 1 for the first time in 2005, at the age of 18.
Maria is the first Russian female tennis player to top the singles rankings. She claimed that rank five times throughout her career. Sports pundits often posed her as a Serena Williams rival. Indeed, these tennis superstars often faced off and captured each other's titles.
Daniil Medvedev
Daniil Medvedev is currently the world's fifth-ranked men's tennis player on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) charts. He started tennis lessons when he was six years old, but fully intended to pursue his formal education.
As an undergraduate, he studied commerce and economics. He soon dropped those courses and transferred to the Russian State University of Physical Education, Sport, Youth, and Tourism. He majored in coaching, while winning medals on tennis courts around the world.
Daniil is one of only six tennis players to win six Masters' titles at six separate venues. He's one of a handful of players to defeat Novak Djokovic, the ATP's #1 player at the time. His 2024 season is shaping up to be another winner - save for his Australian Open shock loss (to Jannik Sinner).
Other Famous Russian Figures
The Myths Surrounding Grigori Rasputin
Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin was a Russian mystic, famous for influencing the Russian court. However, a lot of his life is shrouded in mystery.
His murky background is a source of myths. Such outlandish tales include one that claims he was the Devil in human form sent to kill the Tsars.
Grigori Rasputin underwent a religious conversion in 1897. He became a vegetarian and swore off alcohol, spending his days in prayer and song. His transformation complete, he abandoned his wife and children. He sometimes appears as a character in the arts, be they music or video games.
Valentina Tereshkova
Valentina was the first woman in space. In 1963, she flew a three-day solo mission, orbiting the Earth 48 times. She is the only female cosmonaut to undertake a solo space mission. Until 2023, Valentina was the youngest woman to engage in space flight (she was 23 at the time).
Today, Valentina Tereshkova serves in the State Duma. She is the deputy chairperson of the Committee on the Federal Structure and Local Government. What a biography! And to think: she started her working life as a factory worker with a passion for skydiving.
Yuri Gagarin
Yuri is the first human to ever undertake space flight. He rocketed to outer space in April 1961, aboard the Vostok 1 space capsule. It took 108 minutes to complete one orbit, according to plan.
That voyage was his only space flight. He served as an alternate cosmonaut for the Soyuz 1 planned flight, which ended in tragedy. Fearing their national hero would perish in a similar disaster, Yuri was barred from ever going to space again.
Yuri Gagarin wasn't just a Soviet hero; he was an international celebrity. Newspapers around the world published his biography and detailed his exploits. Everywhere he travelled, in and out of the Soviet bloc, he was treated to a hero's welcome.
Andrei Sakharov, the Most Famous Russian Scientist
Andrei Sakharov was a Russian nuclear physicist, famous for his work on the atomic bomb. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1975 for promoting human rights worldwide.
Andrei could not leave the USSR, so his wife presented his prepared speech in his stead. One year before his death (in 1989), the European Union created the Sakharov Prize, to honour organisations that promote human rights.
If you're interested in learning more about Russian culture, listening to Russian radio gives you great insight. Of course, you must learn more about the Russian language for it all to make sense. Since Russian isn't the most common language in Australian schools, private tutorials fill the gap.
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What about Tchaikovsky
Hi Pedro! Thanks for the suggestion! We’ll add Tchaikovsky to our list for when we update the article :)
Add Khabib
thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!
Hello Angela! Glad you enjoyed the article! Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment!
add Anna Pavlova
Brilliant suggestion, Carly! Anna Pavlova certainly deserves recognition. We’ll include this legendary ballerina when we update the article. Thanks for reading and contributing!