By meredithkreisa Last updated: May 3, 2022

7 Russian Learning Blogs You Should Be Rushin’ to Read

Once you’ve decided you want to learn Russian, you really can’t help but dive right into this unique and intriguing language.

But there are so many options for building your language skills that it can be hard to know where to start.

You can listen to Russian music.

You can watch Russian movies.

You can even binge-watch Russian TV shows or learn from native videos on YouTube.

But while all these activities are great methods for improving your speaking and listening skills, what about getting a more in-depth look at grammar and vocabulary? What about your precious reading skills? And what about when you just want a real person to explain the trickier parts of Russian to you? There has to be a fun, non-dry way to cover all of that, too, right?

Well, we’ve got good news for you: There is. The answer to all of the above is Russian learning blogs.

Yes, they’re out there! Not only can they help you get better at reading Russian, but you’ll also learn helpful words, phrases and grammar rules, which will improve your language skills on every level.

So if you want to learn Russian, you’ll certainly want to check out the amazing learning blogs below.

They’re the crème de la Kremlin.

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Why Use Russian Learning Blogs to Learn Russian?

Blog posts are usually brief and easy to digest

Textbook chapters can be lengthy and challenging. Reading them can feel like wading through mud. Blog posts, on the other hand, are usually more concise and personal. They make studying Russian an easy and enjoyable activity to fit into your schedule.

Additionally, since language-related blog posts usually focus on one main idea, you can target your weak topics and avoid having to search for them in a sea of other information. Of course, there’s still plenty of information to be found in the blogosphere, which brings us to our next point…

There’s a lot of material out there

There are many Russian learning blogs that have been around for years, meaning there’s a lot of material available on them. Many of them have extensive archives you can spend months exploring. When it has to do with language, the information in older blog posts is almost always still relevant, which means you have a lot of useful Russian learning material on your hands.

The material covered in Russian learning blogs is diverse

Each blog is unique and covers different topics that are pertinent to learning Russian, such as words of the day, idioms, grammar lessons, cultural notes or relevant Russian news. Because of this, you can find all sorts of topics covered in blogs that you might not find in conventional textbooks. This gives you broader insight into Russian language and culture.

Crème de la Kremlin: The 7 Best Blogs for Russian Learners

The Russian Blog

The Russian Blog offers a lot of great posts in its vast archives.

These blog posts include words of the day, grammar lessons, discussion of holidays and information on Russian news and events.

What’s more, in addition to their blog posts, you can easily navigate through additional materials by using the headings at the top of the page to access lessons, reviews of Russian learning materials, information on the alphabet, material on grammar rules, a list of basic phrases and links to more resources.

While the grammar and vocabulary lessons here are usually most appropriate for beginning learners, there are still some real gems for the more advanced, such as this post on prefixes. Additionally, the posts about Russian culture and news are great for Russian students of all levels. After all, to grasp a language fully, you also need to be familiar with the culture.

Lingualift

Okay, so this is actually a language course, but it offers a lot in the way of written explanations, and you can think of it as a kind of highly-structured, interactive blog that includes audio.

Lingualift is a subscription course that guides you through the Russian language the same way a well-written blog about the language would. It focuses on clear, easy-to-understand explanations for vocab and grammar that ensure you’ll grasp how each part of the language works with others, and offers cool cultural tidbits to boot.

Only here, you get the chance to test your knowledge with questions and quizzes before taking on the next lesson to make sure you fully understand each concept. You also can rest assured that you’re learning about the language in an order that makes sense for a learner trying to build familiarity with Russian.

Lingualift is great for beginners, but will go all the way through to the advanced level. Lingualift also offers a bona fide blog on their website worth checking out, but unlike the Russian course, it’s not language-specific.

Russificate

Russificate is an exceptional Russian learning blog that’s frequently updated.

Blog posts include material ranging from Russian language tests, to Russian reading texts with brief quizzes at the end, to Russian listening excerpts with corresponding activities. The site also offers headings to guide you towards materials related to writing, reading, listening, vocabulary, grammar, culture and more specialized topics.

Since Russificate is written almost entirely in Russian, it’s best for intermediate and advanced learners who already have a stronger grasp on the language and more reading skills.

Мы любим грамматику!

Мы любим грамматику! means “we love grammar!”

And with this blog’s help, you, too, will love grammar in no time.

Мы любим грамматику! is actually a Tumblr account that reposts helpful Russian posts from several other sites, collating some of the finest Russian learning material out there for your perusal.

The material is quite varied and useful for all levels of language learners. Some of it is on unique grammar rules, while other material includes learning tips, Russian culture info and featured words.

Additionally, you can use the headings on the top of the page to access lessons, idioms of the day, vocabulary lists and many other resources.

Proper Russian

Update: This resource is no longer available.

Proper Russian offers helpful lessons that will aid beginning students in gaining a foundation in Russian and more advanced students in perfecting their Russian. Topics range from language learning in general to specific and useful grammar lessons such as information on when commas are used in Russian (hint: it isn’t always the same as when we use commas in English).

For instance, the Proper Russian lesson on the letter щ will help you pronounce the tricky letter better than you ever thought possible. Additionally, Proper Russian covers some less frequently addressed topics like the Russian passive voice, so this is a great tool for learning the real ins and outs of the language.

The writing is clear and straightforward, so even beginning learners can grasp the more complex lessons.

You can also use a tab at the top of the page to access helpful podcasts with full transcripts.

Learning to Know Russian

While Learning to Know Russian mostly targets travelers, it’s actually a terrific site for learners of all levels and types. Though it hasn’t been updated in a while, its archives still contain a lot of helpful lessons.

So why should you read a website aimed at travelers if you aren’t traveling to Russia in the near future? It’s simple: Learning to Know Russian aims to help you communicate and sound like a native.

With helpful articles like “Sound Like a Russian in 20 Minutes: 13 Need-to-know Words” and “10 Awkward Mistakes to Avoid When Speaking Russian,” you’ll be talking like a native in no time.

So, what’s the hold up?

Quit Stalin and start reading these great learning blogs!