Russian National Anthem

Subject: culture

Admittedly, God Save the Queen (or King) is not bad. The Star-Spangled Banner does its job, and the Marseillaise has something too. But the national anthem with the most grandeur is definitely the Russian one. And to quote its closing words: так было, так есть и так будет всегда – so it was, so it is, and so it always will be.

The text of the Russian National Anthem begins, in both of the first two sentences, simply with Россия (Russia). Our sacred might (священная наша держава), our beloved country (любимая наша страна). No foreign blood or king from afar.

Putin and the National Anthem

The current National Anthem of the Russian Federation was (re)established in 2000 by Vladimir Putin. See Wikipedia, where you’ll also find the lyrics. The Telegraph on December 9 of that year: Putin revives Soviet national anthem. The issue was also addressed in Putin’s Witnesses (2018), the documentary by Vitaly Mansky or Виталий Манский, which captures Putin’s first year as president. Why the rush with the anthem, and what did it signify? Unfortunately, it’s no longer available via 2Doc; reviews at Trouw and Volkskrant (in Dutch).

History of the Russian National Anthem

Putin’s change wasn’t the first, and perhaps won’t be the last. See the Complete Guide to Russian National Anthems (Smart History Blog, 2016), and What is the puzzling story behind Russia’s national anthem? (Russia Beyond, 2018). Watch Russian anthems history – All the Russian official and unofficial anthems (2016, 39 mins).

National Anthem Performances

The Russian national anthem is available online in many versions and formats. With glory and memory visuals (with translation), as a Hall of Fame (list of names below the video), sung by a children’s choir, with soldiers, with reggae, and in sign language.

Besides a clip with lyrics in Russian (see below), there’s a version with phonetics and translation, and the anthem of the USSR has also been preserved – spot the differences.

Phonetics of a completely different kind in Soviet Anthem Misheard. Further jokes about Russia’s national anthem should be avoided: Russians could face jail for insulting anthem (BBC, 2016).