This is a list of people associated with the modern Russian Federation, the Soviet Union, Imperial Russia, Russian Tsardom, the Grand Duchy of Moscow, and other predecessor states of Russia.
Regardless of ethnicity or emigration, the list includes famous natives of Russia and its predecessor states, as well as people who were born elsewhere but spent most of their active life in Russia. For more information, see the articles Rossiyane, Russians and Demographics of Russia. For specific lists of Russians, see Category:Lists of Russian people and Category:Russian people.
Statesmen of the Tsardom and Empire
Aleksey Arakcheyev, Minister of War of Alexander I, organized military-agricultural colonies
Abram Gannibal, general and military engineer of Black African origin, governor of Reval, the great-grandfather of Alexander Pushkin and hero of his novel Peter the Great's Negro
Vasily Golitsyn, 17th century commander of the Russian Army, Foreign Minister and a favourite of Tsarevna Sophia, abolished rank priority in the military, concluded Eternal Peace Treaty of 1686 with Poland, one of the most educated Russians of the time
Fyodor Golovin, associate of Peter the Great, general admiral, the first Russian field marshal and Chancellor, the first Russian count and the first to receive the Order of St.Andrew, negotiated the Treaty of Nerchinsk and the Treaty of Karlowitz
Alexander Gorchakov, Foreign Minister and Chancellor of Alexander II, a friend and rival of Otto von Bismarck, denounced the Treaty of Paris (1856), advocated the League of the Three Emperors
Ivan Goremykin, twice the Prime Minister of Imperial Russia
Alexander Kerensky, second and the last Prime Minister of the Russian Provisional Government
Franz Lefort, tutor of Peter the Great, general and diplomat, oversaw the foundation of the Russian Navy
Georgy Lvov, first Prime Minister of the Russian Provisional Government
Aleksandr Menshikov, associate and friend of Peter the Great, de facto ruler of Russia for two years after Peter's death, generalissimus, Prince, the first Governor of Saint Petersburg
Pavel Milyukov, founder of the Constitutional Democratic Party, Foreign Minister in the Russian Provisional Government
Nikolay Muravyov-Amursky, governor of the East Siberia, coloniser of the Priamurye and Primorye, concluded the Treaty of Aigun and the Treaty of Beijing (1860) with China
Karl Nesselrode, Foreign Minister of Alexander II and Nicholas I, a leading European conservative statesman of the Holy Alliance
Grigory Orlov, favourite of Catherine the Great who enthroned her, progenitor of Bobrinsky family, founder of the Free Economic Society, owner of the Orlov Diamond
Konstantin Pobedonostsev, tutor to Alexander III and Éminence grise of his imperial politics
Grigory Potyomkin-Tavrichesky, favourite of Catherine II, conqueror and the first governor of Novorossiya, founder of Sevastopol and Yekaterinoslav
Grigori Rasputin, mystic and healer who influenced the latter politics of Nicholas II
Kirill Razumovsky, last Hetman of Ukrainian Cossacks, the president of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Nikolay Rumyantsev, Foreign Minister during the French invasion of Russia, founder of the Rumyantsev Museum
Mikhail Speransky, chief reformer during the reign of Alexander I, father of Russian liberalism, oversaw the publication of the Full Collection of Laws of the Russian Empire
Pyotr Stolypin, Interior Minister and then Prime Minister, put down the Russian Revolution of 1905, initiated Stolypin reform
Ekaterina Vorontsova-Dashkova, closest female friend of Catherine the Great, a major figure of the Russian Enlightenment, a director of the Imperial Academy of Arts and Sciences and the founder of Russian Academy
Sergei Witte, Finance Minister who later became the first Prime Minister of Russia, presided over extensive industrialization of the country, and supervised the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway
Soviet leaders and statesmen
Nikolai Bukharin, Politburo member in the 1920s, editor of government newspapers Pravda and Izvestia, author of The ABC of Communism
Nikolai Bulganin, Soviet Premier in 1937–38 and in 1955–58, supporter of Khrushchev
Konstantin Chernenko, leader of the Soviet Union in 1984–85
Feliks Dzerzhinsky, founder of the Cheka, the first Soviet secret police, worked on the problem of street children socialization
Mikhail Gorbachev last General Secretary of the Communist Party, launched the policies of glasnost and perestroika, the only president of the Soviet Union who led it to its collapse
Mikhail Kalinin, formal Head of state of the Soviet Union during the 1920s and 1930s
Nikita Khrushchev, leader of the Soviet Union in 1953–1964, launched de-Stalinisation and many erratic policies, backed the progress of the early Soviet space program
Alexei Kosygin, Soviet Premier under Brezhnev, author of the eventually stifled Kosygin reform which included elements of capitalist management
Vladimir Lenin, founder of Bolshevik party, the leader of the October Revolution, the first Soviet head of state in 1917–1922, founder of the Soviet Union, creator of Leninism
Anatoly Lunacharsky, first Soviet Minister of Enlightenment
Georgy Malenkov, close associate of Stalin, Soviet Premier and one of the leaders after Stalin's death
Vyacheslav Molotov Soviet Premier in the 1930s, Foreign Minister during World War II, a close associate of Stalin
Yakov Sverdlov, first de jure head of the Russian SFSR
Mikhail Suslov, leading ideologist during the Brezhnev era
Gennady Yanayev, leader of the August Coup that attempted to depose Gorbachev
Nikolai Yezhov, Interior Minister and head of the NKVD during the period of the Great Purge, was executed soon after
Presidents and contemporary politicians
Viktor Chernomyrdin, Prime Minister of Russia for most of the 1990s
Yegor Gaidar, Prime Minister in 1992, launched the controversial shock therapy reforms aimed into installation of liberal market economy in Russia
Boris Gryzlov, current Speaker of Russia's State Duma (the lower house of parliament) and a leader of the ruling United Russia party
Mikhail Fradkov, Prime Minister from 2004–07, currently the head of Russian Foreign Intelligence Service
Sergei Kiriyenko, Prime Minister in 1998, currently the head of Rosatom (the state nuclear energy corporation)
Yury Luzhkov, Mayor of Moscow from 1992 to 2010
Valentina Matviyenko, governor of St. Petersburg from 2003 to 2011
Dmitry Medvedev, President of Russia in 2008–2012
Sergei Mironov, current Speaker of Russia's Federation Council (the upper house of parliament) and a leader of the Fair Russia party
Yevgeny Primakov, Foreign Minister from 1996–98 and Prime Minister from 1998–1999, presided over the start of economic recovery and a significant change of the foreign policy
Vladimir Putin, the second President of Russia from 2000–2008 and again since 2012, Prime Minister of Russia in 1999–2000 and 2008–2012
Anatoly Sobchak, first post-Soviet mayor of St. Petersburg
Sergei Stepashin, Prime Minister in 1999, currently the head of the Account Chamber of Russia (the state audit agency)
Boris Yeltsin, the first President of Russia from 1991–1999
Vladimir Zhirinovsky, founder and the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, Vice-Chairman of the State Duma
Gennady Zyuganov, head of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation since 1993
Mikhail Annenkov, conqueror of Central Asia, builder of the strategical Transcaspian Railway
Ivan Bagramyan, Soviet marshal, prominent in the Baltic Offensive during World War II
Pyotr Bagration, general and hero of the Napoleonic Wars, mortally wounded in the Battle of Borodino
Roman Bagration, general and brother of Pyotr Bagration, participated in the Napoleonic Wars.
Aleksandr Baryatinsky, field marshal, perfected the mountain warfare tactics of the Russian Army, captured Imam Shamil during the Caucasian War
Alexander Bekovich-Cherkassky, leader of the first Russian military expeditions into Central Asia, founder of Krasnovodsk
Vasily Blücher, one of the first five Soviet marshals, prominent in the Russian Civil War and the Northern Expedition in China
Maria Bochkareva, founder of the Women's Battalion of Death during World War I
Aleksei Brusilov, World War I general, led the tactically innovative Brusilov Offensive, destroying the military of Austria-Hungary almost completely
Semyon Budyonny, Civil War commander, statesman, triple Hero of the Soviet Union
Vasily Chapayev, legendary Civil War commander, prototype for Chapaev movie and Chapayev and Void novel, hero of many Russian jokes
Mikhail Chernyayev, general, captured Tashkent during the conquest of Central Asia, the governor of Russian Turkestan
Vasily Chuikov, commander and hero in the Battle of Stalingrad, Soviet marshal, double HSU
Denis Davydov, general, guerilla fighter and soldier-poet of the Napoleonic Wars, invented a genre of hussar poetry noted for its hedonism and bravado
Anton Denikin, Civil War general, one of the leaders of White Movement
Hans Karl von Diebitsch-Zabalkansky, field marshal, took Adrianople during the Russo-Turkish War (1828–1829)
Mikhail Petrovich Dolgorukov (1780—1808), Russian major-general who lost his life in the Battle of Virta Bro against the Swedes
Nadezhda Durova, "the Cavalry Maiden", a female hero of the Napoleonic wars
Alexander Gorbatyi-Shuisky, voevoda of Tsar Ivan IV, hero of the Russo-Kazan Wars and the final Siege of Kazan (1552)
Leonid Govorov, World War II Soviet marshal, led Operation Spark (1943) which broke the blockade of Leningrad
Andrei Grechko, World War II Soviet marshal, Soviet Defence Minister under Brezhnev
Ivan Gudovich, field marshal, conquered Khadjibey and Anapa in the Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792), conquered Dagestan in the Russo-Turkish War (1806–1812)
Iosif Gurko, commander and hero of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), won the battles of Shipka Pass, Gorni Dubnik and Plovdiv, liberated the Bulgarian capital Sofia
Mikhail Frunze, revolutionary, a prominent Civil War commander
Konstantin Kaufmann, conqueror of the Khanate of Khiva, the first governor of Russian Turkestan
Ivan Konev, Soviet marshal, led Red Army on the Eastern Front,
Lavr Kornilov, World War I general, notable for Kornilov Affair
Nikolay Krylov, Soviet marshal, commander of the Strategic Rocket Forces under Brezhnev, double HSU
Mikhail Kutuzov, hero of the Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792), defeated Napoleon's Grande Armée during French invasion of Russia in 1812, turning the tide of the Napoleonic Wars
Andrey Kurbsky, associate and then a leading political opponent of Tsar Ivan IV, hero of the Russo-Kazan Wars
Peter Lacy, field marshal, led the Siege of Danzig (1734), commander-in-chief during Russo-Swedish War (1741–1743)
Rodion Malinovsky, Soviet marshal, prominent at the Battle of Stalingrad and the Battle of Budapest, Soviet Defense Minister under Khrushchev
Alexander Matrosov, World War II soldier, self-sacrificed himself to win the battle, Hero of the Soviet Union
Aleksandr Menshikov, associate of Peter the Great, field marshal in the Great Northern War, won the principal Battle of Poltava
Kirill Meretskov, Soviet marshal, led the Petsamo–Kirkenes Offensive which liberated the northern Norway from Nazi occupation, prominent in the Soviet invasion of Manchuria
Mikhail Miloradovich, hero of the Napoleonic Wars, killed in attempt to pacify the Decembrist revolt
Kuzma Minin, national hero, merchant who led Russia's struggle for independence against Poland-Lithuania during the Time of Troubles
Burkhard Christoph von Münnich, field marshal, statesman, founder of the first Cadet Corps in Russia, led the Siege of Danzig (1734), commander-in-chief during Russo-Austrian-Turkish War (1735–1739)
Semyon Andreevich Pugachov,captain in World War one,commanded several fronts across the USSR.
Rodion Oslyabya, monk from Trinity Sergius Lavra, hero of the Battle of Kulikovo
Fabian Gottlieb von Osten-Sacken, conquered the Duchy of Warsaw and governed Paris during the War of the Sixth Coalition
Ivan Panfilov, World War II general, hero of the Battle of Moscow, the commander of Panfilovtsy, HSU
Ivan Paskevich, hero and commander in the Russo-Persian War (1826–1828) and the Russo-Turkish War (1828–1829), crushed the Polish November Uprising and the Hungarian Revolution of 1848
Lyudmila Pavlichenko, World War II Soviet sniper, credited with 309 kills, the most successful female sniper in history
Alexander Peresvet, monk from Trinity Sergius Lavra, hero of the Battle of Kulikovo, fought with the Tatar champion Chelubey in single combat where they killed each other
Grigory Potyomkin-Tavrichesky, conqueror and coloniser of Novorossiya, reformer of the Russian Army, led the Siege of Ochakov (1788) during the Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792)
Dmitry Pozharsky, national hero, prince who led Russia's struggle for independence against Poland-Lithuania during the Time of Troubles
Alexander Prozorovsky, commander-in-chief during the Russo-Turkish War (1806–1812)
Nikolay Raevsky, hero of the Napoleonic Wars and the Battle of Borodino
Anikita Repnin, field marshal in the Great Northern War, conquer and the first governor of Riga
Nicholas Repnin, field marshal and diplomat, hero of the Russo-Turkish wars, key man in the Partitions of Poland, pacified the Germans in the War of the Bavarian Succession
Konstantin Rokossovsky, Soviet and Polish marshal, Defense Minister of Poland, double HSU, oversaw the main Soviet battle operations of the Eastern Front (World War II), commanded the Moscow Victory Parade of 1945
Grigory Romodanovsky, leading Russian general of Tsar Alexey's reign, commander-in-chief during the Russo-Turkish War (1676–1681)
Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich, commander-in-chief of the Russian Army at the start of World War I, then commanded the Caucasus front
Pyotr Rumyantsev-Zadunaysky, hero of the Seven Years' War, won the battles of Larga and Kagula and concluded the Russo-Turkish War of 1768–74 by the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca, military writer
Pyotr Saltykov, most prominent Russian commander-in-chief during the Seven Years' War,
won the battle of Paltzig and the battle of Kunersdorf, captured Berlin
Igor Sergeyev, only marshal of the Russian Federation, Defense minister in the late 1990s
Roza Shanina, World War II Soviet sniper, 54 confirmed kills
Boris Shaposhnikov, Soviet marshal, chief of the general staff during the start of the German invasion, military theorist and author of The Brain of the Army
Aleksei Shein, first Russian generalissimo, commander-in-chief during Azov campaigns
Boris Sheremetev, field marshal in the Great Northern War, won the battle of Erastfer and the battle of Poltava
Ivan Sidorenko, World War II Soviet sniper, over 500 confirmed kills
Mikhail Skobelev, the "White General", conqueror of Central Asia and hero of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78
Sergei Sokolov, Soviet marshal, chief commander during the Soviet war in Afghanistan
Vasily Sokolovsky, Soviet marshal, prominent in the Battle of Moscow and the Battle of Kursk, military theorist
Alexander Suvorov, greatest Russian general of the 18th century, generalissimo who never lost a battle, won at Kinburn, Ochakov and Focşani during the Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792), crushed Kościuszko Uprising, led an outstanding Italian and Swiss expedition, author of The Science of Victory
Semyon Timoshenko, World War II Soviet marshal, won the Winter War, senior professional officer of the Red Army at the start of the German invasion
Fyodor Tolbukhin, World War II Soviet marshal, liberated Bulgaria and Yugoslavia
Michael Barclay de Tolly, field marshal, led a strategic retreat during the French invasion of Russia, led Russian Army to Paris in the War of the Sixth Coalition
Gennady Troshev, chief general during the Second Chechen War, Hero of Russia
Mikhail Tukhachevsky, Red Army commander during the Russian Civil War, Soviet marshal, military theorist
Dmitriy Ustinov, Soviet marshal, proponent of the Soviet space program, Defence Minister in the late Brezhnev era
Aleksandr Vasilevsky, Soviet marshal, Chief of the Soviet General Staff during most of World War II, led the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, double HSU
Mikhail Vorontsov, field marshal, hero of the Napoleonic Wars, captured Varna in the Russo-Persian War (1826–1828), led decisive campaigns of the Caucasian War
Eduard Totleben, general and military engineer, hero of the Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855)
Kliment Voroshilov, Civil War commander, statesman, double HSU
Mikhail Vorotynsky, defeated the Ottoman and Crimean Khanate army in the Battle of Molodi, eliminating the threat of Ottoman expansion into Russia
Peter Wittgenstein, field marshal, defended St Petersburg in 1812, hero of the War of the Sixth Coalition
Ivan Yakubovsky, Soviet marshal, commander-in-chief of the Warsaw Pact under Brezhnev, double HSU
Aleksey Yermolov, hero of the Napoleonic Wars and the Battle of Borodino, military ruler of the Caucasus at the start of the Caucasian War
Andrey Yeryomenko, World War II Soviet marshal, prominent in the Battle of Stalingrad
Yunus-bek Yevkurov, paratrooper, commander of Russian peacekeepers during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, Head of Ingushetia, Hero of Russia
Vasily Zaytsev, Soviet sniper, killed 412 enemy soldiers and officers, including 6 snipers, a hero of the Battle of Stalingrad
Georgy Zhukov, Soviet marshal, chief of the General Staff and representative of STAVKA, four times the Hero of the Soviet Union, oversaw all the main Soviet battle operations of the Eastern Front (World War II), inspected the Moscow Victory Parade of 1945
List of Russian people Wikipedia (Text) CC BY-SA
