Most of the russians emigrated to kasekstan in the 19 fifties. They had been formed a they had educated in the soviet system, so they just continued ar following this authoritarian system. Now that number has changed because ethni cassacks are having more children than the rRussians. But still, the ethnic russian population in kasakstan is about 20%. And a russian is, as a language, also still quite dominating.
Tracing Russia’s vast border, which meets those of 14 other countries, helps tells the history of Russia itself. From its imperial past to Soviet-era expansions and contractions leading up to its current war of aggression in Ukraine today, the Russian border is a landscape of uneasy uncertainty for many of the country's immediate neighbours. Erika Fatland is a Norwegian writer whose work has focused on issues that range from terrorism to travel and cultural history. Her 2020 book, The Border, followed the path of Russia's border over thousands of miles in order to understand how countries approach being a neighbour to a temperamental superpower. Following the tragic events in Ukraine, the book is even more relevant and Erika joined our producer Catharine Hughes to talk about it.
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