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The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, who share a common ancestry, culture, and history. They are the largest Slavic nation in Europe, with over 143 million people living in Russia as of 2019. Russians predominantly live in the Russian Federation but also inhabit former Soviet republics such as Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova, and Ukraine. The majority of Russians identify as Orthodox Christians belonging to the Russian Orthodox Church while there are significant minorities who practice other branches of Christianity or other religions.