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Усходнія славяне (Belarusian) Восточные славяне (Russian) Восточны славяне (Rusyn) Східні слов'яни (Ukrainian) | |
---|---|
Total population | |
210+ million[1] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Languages | |
East Slavic languages: Belarusian, Russian, Rusyn, Ukrainian | |
Religion | |
Majority: Eastern Orthodoxy | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Other Slavs (West, South) |
The East Slavs are the most populous subgroup of the Slavs.[3] They speak the East Slavic languages,[4] and formed the majority of the population of the medieval state Kievan Rus', which they claim as their cultural ancestor.[5][6] Today Belarusians, Russians and Ukrainians are the existent East Slavic nations.[citation needed] Rusyns can also be considered as a separate nation, although they are often considered a subgroup of the Ukrainian people.[citation needed]
For all the salient differences between these three post-Soviet nations, they have much in common when it comes to their culture and history, which goes back to Kievan Rus', the medieval East Slavic state based in the capital of present-day Ukraine,