Slavery in Russia

Slavery has not been common in the area we now call Russia since the introduction of Christianity in the 10th century. However, a system called serfdom in Russia existed until February 19th, 1861. Serfdom was similar to the way landless peasantry lived in parts of Europe. In 1861, Emperor Alexander II made a big change by ordering the emancipation of the serfs. This meant that people could no longer be tied to one piece of land owned by someone else. A few years later, in 1866, even serfs owned by the government were freed.

The word krepostnoi krestyanin (крепостной крестьянин) means “serf.” A serf was not a slave who could be owned by one person, but they also could not leave the land they lived on without permission. They worked the land, often sharing part of what they grew with the landowner. This land could be sold, much like how noble people in Europe owned property.

Today, the 2023 Global Slavery Index says that about 1.9 million people in Russia, or roughly 1.26% of the population, are living in conditions that are like slavery. This includes people being forced to work, marry, or even children being taken advantage of. Many of these people are from groups like undocumented immigrants from the Caucasus or former Soviet states.

History

Kievan Rus'

See also: Kievan Rus' slave trade

In Kievan Rus' and the Russian principalities, including later the Grand Principality of Moscow, there were special kinds of serfs called kholopy. People could become kholopy by being captured, selling themselves, owing debts, committing crimes, or marrying a kholop. Until the late 10th century, kholopy made up most of the workers on lords' lands. Over time, masters had more control over them, especially when moving between lands was banned in the late 16th century. Later, reforms began to change this.

Crimean slave trade

Russians were also enslaved. In 1382, the Golden Horde under Khan Tokhtamysh attacked Moscow, burning the city and taking many people as slaves. Similar attacks happened for centuries. In 1521, forces led by Crimean Khan Mehmed I Giray attacked Moscow and captured thousands of slaves. In 1571, Crimean Tatars attacked Moscow again, burning much of the city and taking slaves. In Crimea, many people were slaves.

Tsardom of Russia

By the 16th century, most serfs became that way because of poverty. They often worked for rich families and produced less than they used. Laws stopped slave owners from freeing slaves during hard times. Slavery continued until Peter the Great changed household slaves to house serfs in 1723. Earlier, in 1679, agricultural slaves were turned into serfs by Tsar Feodor III.

Russian Siberia

Indigenous peoples in Siberia, like the Yakuts and the Buryats of Eastern Siberia, sometimes kept slaves. When Russia took over Siberia in the 16th and 17th centuries, they captured local people, including women, as slaves. The Russian government tried to stop this by freeing non-Christian slaves, but local owners sometimes forced slaves to convert to keep them as serfs.

Sweden, Finland, and the Baltics

Between the 16th century and the end of the Great Northern War (1700–1721), the Baltics and Finland were part of the Swedish Empire.

Russian soldiers often captured and sold people from Finland and the Baltics during wars. During the Great Northern War, many people were taken from these areas and sold as slaves. Some were sent far away. The Swedish ambassador tried to buy some back, but many were sold to others.

Caucasus

When Russia took over the Caucasus and areas like Bukhara, Samarkand, and Khiva, slavery ended. In the past, there was a big slave market in the Khanate of Khiva. Even in recent times, some groups kept Russian captives in hard conditions.

Current situation

People from poorer parts of Russia and from other countries are sometimes taken against their will and forced to work in factories and on small farms in Dagestan. Many of these workers are not living in Russia legally, which makes them more likely to be treated this way.

Reports from 2009 to 2012 found that people from Uzbekistan were also being treated this way in Russia.