Russia

Famous Russian People: Russian Artists, Scientists, Leaders, Musicians, Politicians and Athletes

Russia guarantees to impress you with its enchanting and fascinating cities, splendid architecture, old buildings, rich history, snowy winters, beautiful landscapes filled with lyricism and wonderful harmony of coloring, light, but what would be great Russia without its great achievers, dynamic leaders, brilliant inventors and famous artists? They are simply remarkable individuals who have one thing in common: are not easy to stereotype.

The following people made their mark on both the local and international scenes. They are just some of many famous Russians who have lifted Russia’s name worldwide and made a difference in our world. Their purpose and stories inspired awe if not greatness.

:: List of Famous People from Russia ::

Peter the Great (Peter the I of Russia)
“I have conquered an empire but I have not been able to conquer myself.”

Peter the Great, an experienced army officer and navy admiral, a skilful shipbuilder and an amazingly energetic personality, ruled Russia and later the Russian Empire from 1682 until his death and is credited with dragging Russia out of the medieval times to such an extent that Russia was considered a leading eastern European state.

Peter the First carried out a policy of Westernization and expansion by centralizing the government, modernizing the army, creating a navy and increasing the subjugation and subjection of the peasants. Peter the Great transformed the Tsardom of Russia into the 3-billion acre Russian Empire, a major European power and is cited as one of the greatest rulers in the 17th century.

Mendeleev Dmitri
Dmitri Mendeleev, the brilliant Russian chemist, revolutionized our understanding of the properties of atoms and is known as the father of the periodic chart of elements, table that probably adorns every chemistry classroom in the world. His greatest achievement is the discovery of the Periodic Law and the development of the Periodic Table. By arranging all of the 63 elements then known by their atomic weights, Mendeleev managed to organize them into groups possessing similar properties.

Dostoevsky Fyodor
Dostoevsky, one of the founding fathers of existentialism and an outstanding Russian novelist, is considered to be among the most influential writers, whose novels like ‘Crime and Punishment’ (1866), ‘The Brothers Karamazov’ (1880) have profoundly influenced the literature of the 20th century. His ‘Notes from Underground’ (1864), “the best overture for existentialism ever written” have made him a precursor of existentialism.

Dostoevsky is one of the first writers to explore the ideas of human psychology. Sigmund Freud ranked ‘The Brothers Karamazov’ as one of the greatest artistic achievements of all time. His novels and the psychological penetration into the human soul anticipated many of the ideas of Nietzsche, Freud, and influenced writers as Thomas Mann and Albert Camus.

Fyodor Dostoevsky, this genius of psychological prose, will continue to be considered one of the preeminent novelists of Russia and of all time.

Tchaikovski Pyotr
“How can one express the indefinable sensations that one experiences while writing an instrumental composition that has no definite subject? It is a purely lyrical process. It is a musical confession of the soul, which unburdens itself through sounds just as a lyric poet expresses himself through poetry… As the poet Heine said, ‘Where words leave off, music begins.’ ”

Tchaikovsky is a towering figure in Russian music and one of the most popular composers in music history, a genius who simply made the most beautiful ballet music, a giant of the 19th century. He has undoubtedly made his mark as one of the greatest masters of the late Romantic era.

Tchaikovsky has left us a wealth of great music: from piano solo pieces and chamber works to concertos, symphonies, and operas. He is particularly remembered for: The Nutcracker Suite, Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, The Sleeping Beauty, also the 1812 Overture, Symphony #6 – the Pathetique, and the Piano Concerto in B.

Mikhail Gorbachev
Gorbachev, Soviet political leader, a skilled technocrat and reformer, was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990. His series of summit talks improved substantially the relations with the U.S. and decreased East – West tensions. Gorbachev contributed to the end of the Cold War and ended the political supremacy of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union which led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Gorbachev is considered by many to be one of the most innovative and revolutionary leaders of the second half of the twentieth century and is widely recognized as a strong influence of worldwide freedom.

Evgeni Plushenko
Plushenko is a very talented Russian figure skater, who was seven-time National Champion, five-time European Champion, three-time World Champion, 2006 Winter Olympics gold medalist and four-time Grand Prix Final gold medalist.

Evgeni Plushenko is showing the diversity and versatility of his skating as he sets new skating standards: he is one of the few male skaters to perform the Biellmann spin, he was the first skater in the world to perform a quadruple toe loop-triple toe loop-double loop jump (4-3-2) combination and his great achievements don’t stop here.

Plushenko is considered one of the best male figure skaters ever, the King on Ice due to his fascinating skating skills: incredible stroking, great power and speed, sharp and precise movements and outstanding carriage.

Rasputin Grigori
Rasputin, one of the most enigmatic men in modern history, was seen as a Russian mystic, visionary, healer, prophet, and, on the other side of the coin, as a debauched religious charlatan.

The only son of Nicholas II, Alexis, suffered from hemophilia. Rasputin managed to stop the bleeding and become from then on a member of the royal entourage. He gained a powerful hold over Czarina Alexandra Feodorovna and, through her, over the czar. It has been argued that Rasputin’s friendship with Russia’s last emperor and empress wrecked the Romanov dynasty’s prestige and contributed to the coming of the Russian Revolutions of 1917. Historians may find it to be true, but there is too much uncertainty.

Aleksandr Stepanovich Popov
Was a Russian physicist and electrical engineer, a pioneer in the invention of radio and its application. He first demonstrated the practical application of electromagnetic (radio) waves. Although he did not apply for a patent for his invention, Popov is credited with being the first to use an antenna in the transmission and reception of radio waves.

Sergey Mihailovich Brin
Sergey Brin is famous for revolutionizing the world of Internet search engines. He is a Russian born American entrepreneur who co-founded Google with Larry Page. The whole world knows about Google. He is the President of Technology at Google and takes an active role in shaping the company’s future. Brin is the fourth youngest billionaire in the world with a net worth estimated at $18.5 billion in 2007.

Isinbayeva Yelena
Isinbayeva is considered by many sport experts as the best female pole-vaulter in history. She is a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist (2004 and 2008), was elected Female Athlete of the Year by the IAAF twice (2004 and 2005), and Sportswoman of the Year by Laureus, moreover, on July 22, 2005 she became the first female pole vaulter to clear 5.00 metres.