On September 8, Russia celebrates the Day of Languages of the Peoples of Russia for the first time, coinciding with the birthday of Soviet poet Rasul Gamzatov, who wrote in both Avar and Russian.
In July 2025, President Vladimir Putin signed Executive Order No. 474, On Approval of the Fundamentals of the State Language Policy of the Russian Federation. The order identifies the preservation, support, and development of the languages of Russia’s peoples, as well as the promotion of linguistic diversity, as a national treasure and part of the country’s historical and cultural heritage.
According to the All-Russian Population Census (2020–2021), 155 languages are currently spoken in Russia. An additional 15 languages have “fallen asleep” – they are no longer used for communication but have been preserved in written records and dictionaries. These languages can potentially be revived through education, cultural initiatives, and digital technologies. Altogether, Russia is home to around 277 languages and dialects, though fewer than 10 percent are considered robust, with the remainder at risk of extinction.
On August 11, 2025, an updated version of the Terms and Conditions of Domain Names Registration in .RU and .РФ TLDs came into effect. In the national Cyrillic top-level domain .РФ, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, it is now possible to register domain names using characters from 17 official languages of the Russian republics, with a total of 25 new characters added.
The new functionality is already in active use: within the first month, 1,550 domains with the new characters were registered. Of these, 209 include more than one new character, and one domain contains all 25. The most frequently used letters are “ө, ү, ҡ,” while “һ” and “ӳ” are used least often.
Director of the Coordination Center for TLD .RU/.РФ Andrey Vorobyev emphasized that the recent expansion of character support in the .РФ zone represents only the first step in a broader initiative. Future plans include adding new languages and implementing additional support features.
“It is crucial that the internet be equally accessible to everyone, regardless of the language they think and speak,” Vorobyev stated. “The introduction of new characters marks another step toward digital inclusivity. However, fully supporting all languages requires ongoing work on developing fonts, interfaces, and educational platforms so that every language of the peoples of Russia can be represented online.”
