Transferring these concepts into what national identity means for Russia, and though is a topic that has created various and contradictory arguments, literature suggests that Russian national identity started developing in times of the Emperor Peter the Great, since there was a need for feeling attached to a communal identity which created the concept of “Rossiyan”, which according to Karamzin, being a Rossiyan meant having a connection with the homeland and the need to be a perfect citizen (Tishkov, Valerie. 2008). These citizens formed a united community of diverse professionals and workers who perceived themselves as part of the Rossiyan people and perceived Russia as their homeland. The national identity during these years was created around the Russian culture, language, and religion.
The Russian identity “was bound up with the supranational world of belief, the political world loosely defined by the ruling dynasty, and was contrasted to “others” at the periphery.” (Cherniavsky, Michael cited by Suny, Ronald, 1997, pg.20).
The identity was made considering Russia as a whole nation and considering the extended multi-ethnic diversity.
However,
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(Bouven, Kerstin, Rebecca. 2010). As appointed by Peter Shearman, after the Soviet Union collapsed, Russians were left with no sense of identity and uncertainty about Russia´s new direction. “Without a fixed identity since 1992, Russia has verged on chaos, with occasional political and economic crises, like the dispute in Chechnya and Yeltsin's siege of the White House, leading to violent conflict. (Shearman, 2001, p. 254-55 cited by Bouven, 2010,