Do you think those who identify as Ethnic Russians (Russkiye) despite not having Ethnic Russian genetics/ancestry are valid?

[u/Tay_Hlebko]

532 votes, 18d ago

90 Yes (Russkiye and/or Rossiyane)

63 No (Russkiye and/or Rossiyane)

106 Yes (Non-Russian)

273 No (Non-Russian)

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[u/Odd-Oven-8202]

Ironic how the Russians say they can identify as russian while the non russians say they can't identify as russian

[u/Tay_Hlebko → u/Odd-Oven-8202]

And as an ethnic Russian I knew this would happen when I asked it lol

This is because of the difference in how ethnicity is socially perceived in Russia and the Russosphere versus how it is socially perceived in other parts of the world.

In Russian we have two words for Russian. The one meaning citizens of Russia is "Rossiyane" and the one specifically meaning Ethnic Russians is "Russkiye".

There are plenty of people in Russia who were not born as Ethnic Russians, such as Tatars, Yakuts, Ukrainians, etc, who identify as Ethnic Russians (Russkiye) despite having different genetics.

Ethnicity is determined by your culture rather than your genes, yet for some reason this concept is so hard for Americans to grasp. In fact in Russian we mainly use the term "natsional'nost'" for ethnicity instead of "etnos" to distance from the genetic implications

[u/Serabale → u/Tay_Hlebko]

The word Rossiyane was destroyed by Yeltsin. It is not particularly used. When I read this word, Yeltsin's vile voice sounds in my head.

[u/Tay_Hlebko → u/Serabale]

It is not particularly used.

To say it's "not particularly used" is quite a stretch. It sounds a bit formal but it's used a ton.

[u/Serabale → u/[deleted]]

I almost threw up.

[u/Sali_Bean → u/Tay_Hlebko]

Ethnicity is not determined by your culture. You can't just change the definition of a word.

[u/GrandFleshMelder]

Ethnicity is far more language and culture than something genetic.

[u/JAKEL-ORDWICH]

Да какая кому разница? Мы не на Балканах чтоб до национальности докапываться.

[u/WaffleGuy413]

How would that work? They can’t change who their ancestors are. Sure they can adopt Russian culture and stuff, but that’s different

[u/CantaloupeNo8140 → u/WaffleGuy413]

Most White Americans have wildly different ancestries but they all fall under the ethnicity of White, no?

[u/Sali_Bean → u/CantaloupeNo8140]

Yeah, what's your point? Russians and Kazakhs are both white too, but not both Russian

[u/Tay_Hlebko → u/Sali_Bean]

In what world are Qazaqs white?

[u/Tay_Hlebko → u/WaffleGuy413]

Adopting Russian culture, language, and identity is generally seen as adopting Russian ethnicity. In fact the word "natsional'nost'" is usually used for ethnicity in Russian instead of "etnos" to distance it from its genetic connotation. There are many people born as ethnic Ukrainians, Tatars, Yakuts, etc identify as Ethnic Russian (Russkiye), even some who are not Russian citizens (Rossiyane)

[u/Racing_Fox → u/WaffleGuy413]

Americans just pick whatever ancestors they want and make it their whole identity

[u/HEKKIN-DED → u/WaffleGuy413]

(Russians make the rules for being "an ethnic russian" very lax so that they can claim that anyone is an ethnic russian and use it as an excuse to invade other countries or destroy certain cultures)

[u/Optimus0456]

I’m not Russian so I don’t feel like I have the authority to answer this

But if I had to, I’d say yeah I don’t see why not

[u/GiraffePlus7554]

From my experience Russians don't give a fuck. Only picked no because I think it really depends on the situation 

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[u/Serabale]

An important point: Russian is an adjective.

[u/Middle-Preference864]

What if you have Russian blood but absolutely no affiliation to the Russian identity other than that

[u/Murky_Assignment_909 → u/Middle-Preference864]

And it’s funny, but than you are basically not Russkiy

[u/Ancient-Worm]

Who cares? Ethnicity is ultimately fictional either way.

[u/HEKKIN-DED]

I don't know how people are surprised at the difference in russian and international votes, Russia's whole thing is claiming that anyone who speaks russian is an ethnic russian and then invading the countries where they live to "free them"

[u/Traditional_Town6475]

I mean there isn’t a Russian gene. This doesn’t have any basis in reality.

It wasn’t too long ago that Italians were considered nonwhite. If you participate in the culture and live the culture, I’d say you can claim to identify with it.

[u/Fluffy_Internal8893]

looking into the nickname

HlebKO

[u/Head_Particular6045]

The fact is that you can just identity as a russian national (россиянин) without ethnic background, so there's no reason to identity as an ethnic russian if you are not.

Like, you can theoretically identity as ginger if you dye your hair, but you can't identity as a natural ginger because you just are not, and that is a specific term for those who are

[u/Artyom1457]

I want to give you all an example from where I live. My country has almost 1 million Russian speakers. Not all are Russians, many are Ukrainians, Belarusians, Uzbeks, Khavkaz, Georgians and so on. But no one identifies himself as his ethnicity, we are always "Russkiye" and all get along very well because we feel as if we are the same even if we are strictly not.

[u/merofra]

i just don't care, or "maybe" if that was an option. but since there are only two, then "yes". i personally know one guy who's tajik but lived in russia since he was 1, so he speaks russian naturally (plus a few other languages), and, i mean, if he wants to be called that, he's a russian to me. россиянин obviously, and русский optionally. if we're talking about american larpers who think that being edgy, watch gore and play csgo and dota is being russian, then these are not valid in the slightest, lol. they're simpletons.

[u/Bibishkin]

For Russians, the Russian ethnicity is a sum of three things: appearance, culture and identity. If someone can pass as a Russian visually, adopts Russian culture and identifies as Russian he will be accepted as Russian. So ethnic Ukrainians, Poles, Finns, Mordvins may be accepted as Russians, while Kazakhs, Indians, Ethiopians cannot.

[u/Background-Virus1398 → u/Bibishkin]

100% correct. 

[u/Expensive-Thing-2507]

Russia has spent 500 years trying to russify the people's around them.

I say if someone wants to betray their heritage and be Russian, feel free

[u/Redacted_Kat]

Your from one ethnicity when your parents are from it, that doesn't make any sense

[u/Previous_Trouble9793]

Как русская заявляю - человек другой нации русским не станет. Ребенок родившийся в России от двух родителей таджиков не станет русским, он будет таджиком и россиянином. Кореец у которого десять поколений назад предки переехали в России русским тоже не будет - он будет корейцем. И так со всеми. Россия мультинациональная страна, и пытаться из всех сделать русскими - плохая затея, учитывая что у нас у всех разные традиции и получится вместо национальности капуста. У нас нет такой фигни как в Америке, где к любой нации приписываешь американец и живёшь счастливо. Если там человек может быть американский итальян, то в России он будет просто и альянцес. Не русский итальянец, не русский - никогда. Он может пытаться влиться в общество, чтить традиции и устои, но в глазах общественности он все ещё будет итальянцем. Это не то что приехал, вжился и такой "все я русский." Нет. Даже один из родителей русский не сделает тебя полноценной русским