Notes on the Russian Language in 2025

Based on personal travel experience and extensive research

Published 15/08/25

Once the lingua franca of a vast empire, Russian has gained a reputation as a useful language for international travel and for general communication. Indeed, it was until recently one of the three most common languages on the world wide web. However, its ranking on this table has declined since the beginning of the full-scale war against Ukraine. This decline coincides with a shift away from Russian and towards the titular state language in day-to-day life both in Ukraine, and in some other post-Soviet states. The sense of prestige associated with Russian in the Soviet era doesn't really exist anymore in Ukraine or the Baltics, and young people in these countries increasingly prefer to learn English, German and other Western European languages.

This lingustic shift prompts the question: how useful is Russian in 2025, and is it still worth learning? As someone who has been studying Russian for years and has travelled extensively in the post-Soviet space, I will attempt to answer this question by looking at the linguistic situation in various countries, sharing both my personal experience and the conclusions I've reached through extensive reading.

• Russian Federation: Obviously, Russian remains invaluable here. There are plenty of minority languages also spoken on the territory of the RF, but even most of those are declining due to a lack of state support. English is unlikely to get you too far outside of Moscow and St Petersburg, so if you plan to explore this vast land at some point in your life (whether now, or when the geopolitical situation calms down), you would do well to learn Russian to a conversational level.
• Belarus: While Belarus has its own native language, it receives little support from the current government. Russian is still the most widely spoken language in all parts of life here, especially in the cities, and the speaking of Belarusian is often treated with suspicion by authorities due to its perceived association with opposition political movements. You cannot go wrong with learning Russian if you intend to visit Belarus in the near future.
• Ukraine: When I first visited Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa, Russian was the dominant language on the streets by a long shot. However, recent years have seen a massive shift to Ukrainian for obvious reasons. The speaking of Russian can now raise some suspicion, and is often not appreciated by locals. You would be far better off learning Ukrainian for travelling around Europe's largest and bravest country. The good news is, Ukrainian and Russian grammar are extremely similar, so if you already know one, learning the basics of the other becomes much easier.
• Moldova: Despite the current geopolitical tensions, Russian remains extremely common in Moldova - especially in Chisinau, Balti, Gagauzia and the breakaway Transnistria region. I found it invaluable for communicating with marshrutka drivers when travelling to rural parts of the country, with sellers in the central market and even with shop assistants and hotel staff in the capital. English proficiency in Moldova is low by European standards, so learning some Russian or Romanian is recommended.
• Lithuania: Lithuania has perhaps been the most successful post-Soviet state in facilitating a linguistic shift away from Russian and towards Lithuanian in everyday life since 1991. Most young people now grow up with little to no Russian knowledge, while English proficiency is quite high, especially in Vilnius and Kaunas. However, I did still find use for Russian when taking buses between Vilnius and Druskininkai - the lady at the bus station did not understand English, but appeared to speak fluent Russian. Furthermore, Russian could come in useful if visiting the northeastern city of Visaginas, where most of the population are native Russian speakers.
• Latvia: Despite the government's best efforts to encourage the use of Latvian in daily life, I still hear more Russian when I visit Riga. However, the usefulness of knowing Russian in the capital is marginal, as nearly everyone in the service industry also speaks English to a decent standard and would often prefer not to use the language of the former imperialist power. It can still be useful to switch at times, as you'll frequently encounter people who speak better Russian than English, but its unlikely to add massive value to your visit. If you plan on adventuring out to eastern and southern cities such as Daugavpils and Rēzekne, that's when Russian knowledge becomes worthwhile.
• Estonia: Similar linguistic situation to Latvia. Russian is still widely spoken in Tallinn, and to a lesser extent in Tartu, but not remotely necessary for a trip to those cities. However, if you venture to the northeastern Ida-Viru County (Narva, Jõhvi, Sillamäe) knowing Russian will help you immensely, as many of the residents are monolingual Russian speakers who do not even know Estonian, never mind English. These places are worth seeing despite not being on the typical tourist trail, and are a part of the world where Russian remains extremely useful.
• Georgia: Other than the Baltics, this is perhaps the post-Soviet country I've visited with the highest level of English proficiency and the lowest prevalence of Russian. After Russia's 2008 invasion of Georgia, the education system here began placing a much larger focus on English than Russian. Young people from urban areas can almost universally communicate in English, but Russian remains useful for speaking with the older generation, which may be necessary if you're taking marshrutkas around the country. Russian also continues to be used by minority demographics in Georgia, as its the most likely common language between e.g a Georgian and an Armenian in Tbilisi.
• Armenia: I observed a linguistic situation here that was strikingly different to that of Georgia. Russian is still widely taught in schools, and most Armenians have a much better grasp of Russian than of English. Having travelled to the rural north of Armenia, I was only able to communicate with locals thanks to my Russian knowledge. If you want to travel around Armenia, learning Russian will still come in clutch.
• Azerbaijan: Another country where I found Russian much more useful than English, at least outside of the tourist-oriented central areas of Baku. Allows for some funny conversations with taxi drivers - you haven't lived until you've been questioned as to why you don't have children yet at the age of 22.
• Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan was the only constituent member of the USSR where the titular ethnicity and linguistic group were a minority at the time of the union's breakup, demonstrating the level of Russian domination here in the Soviet period. This has changed in the last thirty years, and Kazakh has seen something of a renaissance thanks to sensible government policy. Russian was reinstated as an official language in Kazakhstan in 1995, and remains widely used in all spheres of public life alongside Kazakh. Russian is still taught in schools and most people in the country now speak both languages to a conversational level. I came across very few English speakers in the country, but absolutely everybody was perfectly happy to communicate with me in Russian. Especially useful in the northern parts around Petropavl, where most of the population is ethnically Russian.
• Kyrgyzstan: Another state where Russian remains an official language. Still taught in schools and widely used in all parts of public life, especially in Bishkek. In fact, some ethnic Krygyz resident in the capital can only speak Russian. You can't go wrong with learning Russian for travelling around Central Asia in general, really.
• Uzbekistan: Visited Tashkent, Samarkand and the Ferghana Valley in 2025. Beautiful country, and learning Russian will allow you to communicate with many more locals. Not an official language here like in some of its neighbours, but still widely studied and understood. The level of English proficiency in Uzbekistan remains quite low, especially outside of Tashkent.
• Tajikistan: Russian constitutionally recognised as the language of interethnic communication. Remains commonly studied and understood in Tajikistan's urban centres such as Dushanbe and Khujand. Many Tajiks also continue to learn Russian in order to seek work in Russia.
• Turkmenistan: Russian no longer has any official status here, and the percentage of Turkmen citizens who can speak Russian is relatively low compared to neighbouring states. Internet restrictions hinder the learning of all foreign languages and education in Russian has been largely scrapped since independence to promote Turkmen nationalism. However, some Russian medium schools remain in Ashgabat, and I have seen Russian signs in video content.
• Israel: While I have no intention to visit Israel on account of its evil, genocidal actions over many years, it is home to over a million Russian speakers, making it the third most commonly spoken language, behind Hebrew and Arabic. Local news is available in Russian, there are Russian language schools and it is apparently common to see Russian language signs on shops in some areas.
• China: Prior to the Sino-Soviet split, Russian was taught in many Chinese schools, resulting in a situation where large numbers of old people speak some limited Russian even today. Russian is currently widely learnt by people in working in service/retail in several border cities, such as Heihe and Manzhouli.
• Other Countries: I've found use for Russian in Turkey, both with Russian-speaking tourists and at restaurants owned by migrants from the former USSR. Vietnam added Russian to its education curriculum in 2016 and is another place that many Russians choose to holiday in thanks to relatively lax visa requirements. Russian also remains a widely taught foreign language in Mongolia, although proficiency tends to be low.
• Miscellaneous Info: All Slavic languages have some pretty big similarities in grammar and vocabulary, and learning one makes it easier to learn another. There is an absolute wealth of resources for Russian, so it may be worth studying for a bit even if your eventual intention is to learn Bulgarian, Polish, Serbo-Croation, etc.

In conclusion, Russian remains a very useful language to know in 2025. However, its prominence has decreased in the 21st century and I expect it to decrease further in the coming years, owing to Russia's increasing isolation on the world stage as a result of the Kremlin's imperial ambitions. In countries where Russian can prove particularly controversial (Ukraine, Baltics, Georgia) I would generally suggest initiating conversations in English and offering to switch if the other person does not understand well, in order to avoid causing offence.