ABSTRACT
The Russian historical pathway, in comparison with other European countries, seems extraordinary. Despite its current role as a ‘catch-up’ country, the Russian Empire was the biggest and most powerful empire on the European continent and exerted a significant influence on the European civilization – from culture to political aspects. After the collapse of the USSR in 1991, contemporary Russia proceeded in a different way from Western countries. The Russian Federation ranks first in the world in terms of territory size, which is slightly smaller than the continent of South America. Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Jews, as well as representatives of other religious movements live in Russia. Russia ranks tenth in the mortality rate among all countries of the world. Almost 2 million people die in Russia every year. Most of the dying people in Russia die from chronic heart diseases, cancer is the second position, and the ‘external causes of death’ are third.
