The Russian Federation, commonly known as Russia, is the world’s largest country, spanning Eastern Europe and northern Asia. Its history traces back to the East Slavic state of Kievan Rus’ in the 9th century, which later fell to Mongol invaders. The Grand Duchy of Moscow rose in the 15th century, eventually centralizing power and expanding its territory into a vast empire under the Romanov dynasty from the early 17th century. The Russian Empire became one of the world’s great powers, but internal unrest and the devastation of World War I led to the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, transforming it into the Soviet Union—a socialist superpower with immense global influence during the 20th century. The dissolution of the USSR in 1991 marked the emergence of the modern Russian Federation, which has since navigated significant social, economic, and political changes to shape its contemporary identity on the global stage.