The Bible Around the World
The Bible in Russia
About 63% of Russians identify as Orthodox Christian, a faith reviving after a century of atheism — and a fresh translation now reveals God as a near and loving Father, a refuge for the weary. Free online, with audio.
Yes — the Bible is free to read online, with audio. About 63% of Russians identify as Orthodox Christian — and the Bible is legal to own and read, though a 2016 law restricts evangelism and missionary activity outside registered churches. The Father’s Heart Bible™ is free to read and hear on any phone, with no app and no account. It is in English today, and a Russian edition is among our priorities — for a people whose deep Orthodox faith endured a century of atheism and is reviving, and where a fresh translation can reveal God not as a distant power, but as a near and loving Father.
Last updated June 2026
Key takeawayRussia's faith survived a century of state atheism — and the Father's Heart Bible™ longs to reveal, in Russian, the Father who runs to meet His returning child.
Russia at a glance
Russia is the largest country on earth — a land of vast forests and frozen lakes, of golden domes and ancient icons. Its Orthodox faith, more than a thousand years old, endured the long Soviet night and is stirring again across a searching people.
- People
- 144 million
- Orthodox heritage
- ~63% of Russia
- Russian
- ~258 million worldwide
- A reviving faith
- after a century of atheism
What Russia is known for
Few nations carry a vaster landscape — or a deeper spiritual story — than Russia.
A thousand years of faith
Russian Orthodoxy, with its icons and golden domes, has shaped the nation’s soul for over a millennium.
The largest land on earth
Russia spans eleven time zones, from the Baltic to the Pacific — forests, steppes, and frozen seas.
Lake Baikal
The deepest and oldest lake on the planet, holding a fifth of the world’s fresh water.
A literary soul
Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and others wrestled with God, suffering, and the human heart like few others.
Saint Basil’s Cathedral
The brightly domed cathedral on Red Square is one of the most recognizable churches on earth.
Endurance
Through hardship and history, the Russian people are known for resilience and a deep inner life.
Photos via Pexels & Wikimedia Commons.
Faith and the Bible in Russia
Russia’s faith runs more than a thousand years deep. About 63% of Russians identify with Orthodox Christianity — a heritage of icons, chant, and golden domes that survived seventy years of state atheism and is reviving across the land.
The Bible is treasured here. The Russian Synodal Bible, completed in 1876, is the Scripture most Russians read, across Orthodox and Protestant churches alike.
And yet, after a century that tried to erase God, and amid hardship and loss, many know Him more as a distant tradition than as a near Father. The need is not a first faith. It is to know, in the Scripture Russia treasures, the Father who runs to meet His returning child.
Sources: Russian Orthodox Church — BritannicaRussia — Encyclopaedia Britannica
What pains Russia
Behind Russia’s strength and beauty, families carry quiet, heavy burdens — and it is into these exact wounds that the Father’s heart speaks.
- hundreds of thousands
- of children have grown up in institutions and state care
- fatherlessness
- high divorce and absent fathers leave many homes without a dad
- alcoholism
- has long wounded families and shortened countless lives
- a shrinking
- population — loneliness and loss weigh on the nation
- grief
- many families carry sorrow and the wounds of hard years
- the searching heart
- longing, after every striving, to be truly known and loved
Across Russia, hundreds of thousands of children have grown up without parents; fatherlessness and alcoholism have wounded generations; and a quiet loneliness runs beneath the strength. Beneath the vast land lies a deep ache to be known and loved.
These are not statistics to a Father. They are sons and daughters He longs to gather. Russia does not need more striving — it longs to know it is held by a Father who never abandons His children.
Sources: Orphans in Russia — UNICEFRussia — Encyclopaedia Britannica
What “our Father” offers Russia
Russia has believed for a thousand years. The Father’s Heart Bible™ does not bring a foreign religion — it answers the deepest cry of a people who have known loss: to be held by a Father who never abandons His children. In a fresh translation, Scripture can reveal God not as a distant tradition, but as a Father near to the suffering.
For the orphan and the fatherless
To children raised without parents, Scripture promises “a father to the fatherless” — a Father who gathers the child no one came back for.
For the one who has wandered
To everyone who drifted from God through the long years, the Father’s Heart Bible™ reveals the Father who runs to meet His returning child — no shame, only welcome.
For the weary and the grieving
To families bearing hardship and sorrow, the Father says, “Come to me, all you who are weary… and I will give you rest.”
For the one longing to belong
Beyond every hardship, the Father calls each person His beloved son or daughter — a belonging deeper than any loss.
Why the Father's Heart Bible™ for Russia
God revealed as Father
In a land of deep and reviving faith, the Father’s Heart Bible™ reveals God as Father wherever Scripture reveals Him that way — from Genesis 1:1 onward.
Free, with audio, on any phone
No purchase, no app, no sign-up. The whole Bible is free to read online with audio on every chapter — quiet and personal, on the phone in your hand.
Russian among our priorities
English is available today, and Russian — spoken by some 258 million across Russia and beyond — is among our translation priorities. See the translation opportunity.
The translation opportunity for Russia
Russian is the heart language of a vast region — some 258 million people who long for a Bible that reveals not a distant tradition, but the Father’s voice.
- English available now speakersAvailable
- Russian 258 million speakersOn the roadmap
- Tatar 5 million speakersTranslation needed
- Chechen 2 million speakersTranslation needed
Every language is a door. If you feel called to help open one, you can sponsor a translation — or simply start reading the editions available today.
A preview in the Father’s voice
Read the opening of Scripture side by side — the English Father’s Heart Bible on the left, Russian on the right.
Genesis 1 · Бытие 1 31 verses
1 In the beginning, our Heavenly Father created the heavens and the earth.
1 В начале наш Небесный Отец сотворил небо и землю.
2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of our Father was hovering over the surface of the waters.
2 Земля же была безвидна и пуста, и тьма была над бездною, и Дух нашего Отца носился над поверхностью вод.
3 Then our Father said, "Let there be light," and there was light.
3 И сказал наш Отец: «Да будет свет», — и стал свет.
4 He saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.
4 Он увидел, что свет хорош, и отделил свет от тьмы.
5 He called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
5 Свет Он назвал «днём», а тьму назвал «ночью». И был вечер, и было утро — день первый.
6 And our Father said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water."
6 И сказал наш Отец: «Да будет свод посреди вод, и да отделяет он воду от воды».
7 So he made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so.
7 И создал Он свод и отделил воду, которая под сводом, от воды, которая над ним. И стало так.
8 He called the expanse "sky." So there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
8 Свод Он назвал «небом». И был вечер, и было утро — день второй.
9 Then our Father said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so.
9 И сказал наш Отец: «Да соберётся вода, что под небом, в одно место, и да явится суша». И стало так.
10 He called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And he saw that it was good.
10 Сушу Он назвал «землёю», а собрание вод назвал «морями». И увидел Он, что это хорошо.
11 Then he said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees that bear seed-bearing fruit, each according to its kind." And it was so.
11 И сказал Он: «Да произрастит земля зелень: растения, сеющие семя, и деревья, приносящие плод с семенем внутри, каждое по роду своему». И стало так.
12 The land produced vegetation: seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing seed-bearing fruit according to their kinds. And our Father saw that it was good.
12 И произвела земля зелень: растения, сеющие семя по роду их, и деревья, приносящие плод с семенем внутри по роду их. И увидел наш Отец, что это хорошо.
13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
13 И был вечер, и было утро — день третий.
14 And our Father said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark the seasons, the days, and the years,"
14 И сказал наш Отец: «Да будут светила на своде небесном, чтобы отделять день от ночи, и да служат они знамениями для определения времён, дней и годов,»
15 "and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so.
15 «и да будут они светилами на своде небесном, чтобы светить на землю». И стало так.
16 Our Father made two great lights: the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.
16 Создал наш Отец два великих светила: светило большее, чтобы управлять днём, и светило меньшее, чтобы управлять ночью. Создал Он и звёзды.
17 He set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth,
17 И поставил Он их на своде небесном, чтобы светить на землю,
18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And he saw that it was good.
18 чтобы управлять днём и ночью и отделять свет от тьмы. И увидел Он, что это хорошо.
19 So there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
19 И был вечер, и было утро — день четвёртый.
20 Then our Father said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky."
20 И сказал наш Отец: «Да воскишат воды живыми существами, и да полетят птицы над землёю по своду небесному».
21 So he created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves and teems in the water, each according to its kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And he saw that it was good.
21 И сотворил Он больших морских чудовищ и всякое живое существо, что движется и кишит в водах, каждое по роду его, и всякую птицу крылатую по роду её. И увидел Он, что это хорошо.
22 Our Father blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth."
22 И благословил их наш Отец, говоря: «Плодитесь и размножайтесь, и наполняйте воды в морях, и да размножаются птицы на земле».
23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
23 И был вечер, и было утро — день пятый.
24 And our Father said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind." And it was so.
24 И сказал наш Отец: «Да произведёт земля живые существа по роду их: скот, пресмыкающихся и зверей земных, каждого по роду его». И стало так.
25 He made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And he saw that it was good.
25 И создал Он зверей земных по роду их, и скот по роду его, и всех пресмыкающихся по земле по роду их. И увидел Он, что это хорошо.
26 Then our Father said, "Let us make humanity in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over every creature that moves along the ground."
26 И сказал наш Отец: «Сотворим человечество по образу Нашему, по подобию Нашему, чтобы владычествовали они над рыбами морскими и над птицами небесными, над скотом, над всею землёю и над всеми существами, пресмыкающимися по земле».
27 So our Father created humanity in their own image; in the image of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit he created them; male and female he created them.
27 И сотворил наш Отец человечество по образу своему; по образу Отца, Сына и Святого Духа сотворил их; мужчиной и женщиной сотворил их.
28 Our Father blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
28 И благословил их наш Отец и сказал им: «Плодитесь и размножайтесь, наполняйте землю и владейте ею. Владычествуйте над рыбами морскими, над птицами небесными и над всяким живым существом, движущимся по земле».
29 Then he said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that bears seed-bearing fruit. They will be yours for food.
29 И сказал Он: «Вот, Я даю вам всякое растение, сеющее семя, какое есть на всей земле, и всякое дерево, приносящее плод с семенем внутри. Это будет вам в пищу.
30 "And to all the animals of the earth, all the birds in the sky, and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so.
30 А всем зверям земным, всем птицам небесным и всем существам, пресмыкающимся по земле, — всему, в чём есть дыхание жизни, — Я даю в пищу всякую зелень». И стало так.
31 Our Father saw all that he had made, and it was very good. So there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
31 И увидел наш Отец всё, что Он создал, и вот, это было очень хорошо. И был вечер, и было утро — день шестой.
John 3 · Иоанна 3 36 verses
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
1 Был среди фарисеев человек по имени Никодим, один из начальников иудейских.
2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from our Father, for no one can do these signs that you do unless our Father is with him."
2 Он пришёл к Иисусу ночью и сказал Ему: «Равви, мы знаем, что Ты — учитель, пришедший от нашего Отца, ибо никто не может творить таких знамений, какие Ты творишь, если наш Отец не с ним».
3 Jesus replied to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of our Father."
3 Иисус ответил ему: «Истинно, истинно говорю тебе: если кто не родится свыше, не может увидеть Царства нашего Отца».
4 Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"
4 Никодим говорит Ему: «Как может человек родиться, будучи стар? Неужели может он вторично войти в утробу матери своей и родиться?»
5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Holy Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of our Father."
5 Иисус отвечал: «Истинно, истинно говорю тебе: если кто не родится от воды и Святого Духа, не может войти в Царство нашего Отца.
6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Holy Spirit is spirit.
6 Рождённое от плоти есть плоть, а рождённое от Святого Духа есть дух.
7 Don't be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'
7 Не удивляйся тому, что Я сказал тебе: вам должно родиться свыше.
8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Holy Spirit.
8 Ветер дышит, где хочет, и голос его слышишь, но не знаешь, откуда приходит он и куда уходит: так бывает со всяким, рождённым от Святого Духа».
9 Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?"
9 Никодим сказал Ему в ответ: «Как это может быть?»
10 Jesus answered him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?"
10 Иисус отвечал ему: «Ты — учитель Израилев, и этого ли не знаешь?
11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony.
11 Истинно, истинно говорю тебе: мы говорим о том, что знаем, и свидетельствуем о том, что видели, а вы свидетельства нашего не принимаете.
12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
12 Если Я сказал вам о земном, и вы не верите, как поверите, если буду говорить вам о небесном?
13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.
13 Никто не восходил на небо, кроме сошедшего с небес Сына Человеческого.
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
14 И как Моисей вознёс змия в пустыне, так должно быть вознесену Сыну Человеческому,
15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
15 дабы всякий, верующий в Него, имел жизнь вечную.
16 For our Father so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
16 Ибо так возлюбил наш Отец мир, что отдал Сына Своего единственного, дабы всякий, верующий в Него, не погиб, но имел жизнь вечную.
17 For our Father did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through him.
17 Ибо не послал наш Отец Сына Своего в мир, чтобы судить мир, но чтобы мир спасён был через Него.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of our Father.
18 Верующий в Него не судится, а неверующий уже осуждён, потому что не уверовал во имя единственного Сына нашего Отца.
19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
19 Суд же состоит в том, что свет пришёл в мир, но люди возлюбили тьму более, нежели свет, потому что дела их были злы.
20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, for fear that his works will be exposed.
20 Ибо всякий, делающий злое, ненавидит свет и не идёт к свету, чтобы не обличились дела его.
21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in our Father.
21 А поступающий по истине идёт к свету, дабы явны были дела его, потому что они в нашем Отце соделаны.
22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and there he remained with them and was baptizing.
22 После сего пришёл Иисус с учениками Своими в землю Иудейскую и там оставался с ними и крестил.
23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized,
23 Иоанн же крестил в Еноне, близ Салима, потому что там было много воды, и люди приходили туда и крестились,
24 for John had not yet been put in prison.
24 ибо Иоанн ещё не был заключён в темницу.
25 Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over purification.
25 Тогда у учеников Иоанновых возник спор с одним иудеем об очищении.
26 And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him."
26 И пришли они к Иоанну и сказали ему: «Равви, Тот, Кто был с тобою за Иорданом, о Ком ты свидетельствовал, — вот, Он крестит, и все идут к Нему».
27 John replied, "A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven."
27 Иоанн сказал в ответ: «Не может человек ничего принять, если не будет дано ему с неба.
28 You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.'
28 Вы сами мне свидетели в том, что я сказал: я не Христос, но послан перед Ним.
29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom — Jesus. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.
29 Имеющий невесту есть жених — Иисус. А друг жениха, стоящий и внимающий ему, радостью радуется, слыша голос жениха. Эта-то радость моя ныне исполнилась.
30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
30 Ему должно расти, а мне умаляться.
31 The one who comes from above is above all. The one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. The one who comes from heaven is above all.
31 Приходящий свыше есть выше всех. Сущий от земли земным и есть, и говорит как земной. Приходящий с небес есть выше всех.
32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony.
32 Он свидетельствует о том, что видел и слышал, но никто не принимает свидетельства Его.
33 Whoever receives his testimony confirms that our Father is true.
33 Принявший Его свидетельство тем подтвердил, что наш Отец истинен.
34 For the one whom our Father has sent speaks the words of our Father, for he gives the Holy Spirit without measure.
34 Ибо Тот, Кого послал наш Отец, говорит слова нашего Отца, ибо Он даёт Святого Духа без меры.
35 Our Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.
35 Наш Отец любит Сына и всё отдал в руку Его.
36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of our Father remains on him.
36 Верующий в Сына имеет жизнь вечную; а не покоряющийся Сыну не увидит жизни, но гнев нашего Отца пребывает на нём.
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Russia and the world
Russian is far more than the tongue of one nation — it is the common language of a vast region and a wide diaspora. To give Russia the Father’s heart in Russian is to open a door across many lands.
- ~258 million
- Russian speakers worldwide a Russian edition would reach
- a regional tongue
- Russian links Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe
- a wide diaspora
- Russian speakers live across Europe, the Americas, and beyond
A language across many nations
Russian is spoken and understood far beyond Russia — across Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe. A Russian Father’s Heart Bible™ reaches a whole region in a shared tongue.
A literary, searching soul
Russia’s great writers wrestled with God and the human heart. The Father’s heart speaks directly to that deep, searching tradition.
A reviving church
After a century of atheism, faith is stirring again. As Russia receives the Father’s heart, it can carry it across the Russian-speaking world.
A wide diaspora
Millions of Russian speakers live across Europe, Israel, the Americas, and beyond, carrying language and longing with them.
His Word will not return void
When our Father said, “Let there be light,” there was light. His Word accomplishes what He sends it to do. Across the vast forests and frozen lakes, into every home touched by loss, His Word will not return empty — it will find the orphan and the weary, and it will not fail.
“My word… will not return to me empty, but will accomplish that which I purpose.” — Isaiah 55:11
Hear the Father’s voice
A few of the most-read passages in the world, in the Father’s Heart Bible™ — tap any reference to read and listen free.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”
Luke 15:20“A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.”
Psalm 68:5“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28Know God as a Father near to you
Russia's faith endured the long night. Now read God in His own voice as Father — free, with audio, on any phone.
Read FHB freeKeep reading
Begin with the whole Bible free online with audio, learn why the Father’s Heart Bible™ exists, or get oriented with our Bible reading guides — including where to start and what the gospel is. Browse Scripture by theme on our Bible verses by topic pages.
Learn more about Russia
Trusted sources for the facts on this page — and for going deeper into Russia’s people, faith, and story.
Frequently asked questions
How many Christians are there in Russia?
About 63% of Russians identify with Orthodox Christianity — roughly 90 million people — a thousand-year heritage that survived seventy years of state atheism and is reviving today, alongside smaller Protestant and Catholic communities. You can read and hear the Scriptures they treasure free in the Father's Heart Bible™ at fathersheartbible.com/read.
Is the Bible legal in Russia?
Yes — the Bible is legal to own and read across Russia, and the Russian Synodal Bible is treasured in Orthodox and Protestant churches alike. A 2016 law (the Yarovaya amendments) does restrict evangelism and missionary activity outside registered religious organizations, but personal reading is free. Read the Father's Heart Bible™ free online with audio at fathersheartbible.com/read.
Can I read the Bible online free in Russian?
Yes. The Father's Heart Bible™ is free to read online with audio — no account, no purchase, no app. It is currently in English; a Russian edition is among our priorities, to join the Scriptures already treasured across the Russian-speaking world.
Is there a free audio Bible I can listen to?
Yes. Every chapter of the Father's Heart Bible™ comes with free audio, so it can be heard on any phone — a quiet, personal way to receive the Father's words.
What is the most popular Bible translation in Russia?
The Russian Synodal Bible (Синодальный перевод), completed in 1876, is by far the most widely read and trusted Russian Bible, treasured across Orthodox and Protestant churches alike, alongside newer modern Russian translations.
Is the Father's Heart Bible available in Russian?
Not yet — it is currently in English. Russian, spoken by some 258 million people across Russia, the former Soviet states, and a wide diaspora, is among our translation priorities.
Photos via Pexels & Wikimedia Commons.
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