The Russian language is also one of two official languages aboard the International Space Station – NASA astronauts who serve alongside Russian cosmonauts usually take Russian language courses. Learn Russian online with the Russian Enthusiast beginner Russian course . Our lessons take you from the alphabet to an intermediate level. Learn about the history, writing system, phonology and alphabet of Russian , an Eastern Slavic language spoken by about 260 million people. Find sample texts, videos, phrases, numbers, colours, time, family words and more in Russian . The Russian language , known as русский язык in Russian , is an East Slavic language primarily spoken in Russia and is the native language of the Russians.