Russia 34,882 | Kazakhstan 20,913 | |
Kryashens (Kryashen: кряшенняр, Standard Tatar: керәшен(нәр), Keräşen(när), [k(e)ræˈʃen(nær)], Russian: кряшены; sometimes called Baptised or Christianized Tatars (Russian: крещёные тата́ры)) are a sub-group of the Volga Tatars, frequently referred to as one of the minority ethnic groups in Russia. They are mostly found in Tatarstan and in Udmurtia, Bashkortostan and Chelyabinsk Oblast. They are considered different to the larger group of Tatars that have converted to Christianity.
Kryashens are Orthodox Christians and some of them regard themselves as being different from other Tatars even though the most Kryashen dialects differ only slightly from the Central Dialect of the Tatar language.
The 2010 census recorded 34,882 Kryashen in Russia.
Kryashen ethnogenesis is very difficult to trace. However, according to the researcher from St. Petersburg, Evgeny Barkar, the Kryashens are the descendants of pagan Kipchaks who did not convert to Islam.