Buddhists in Russia

In the former Soviet Union, Buddhism, represented by the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism, was introduced from Mongolia in the17th century and spread in five regions of the Russian Federation: Buryatia Autonomous State in eastern Siberia and Ulan-Ude, the capital; Tuva Autonomous Republic of South Siberia, the capital of Qizil; Kalmyk Autonomous Republic, located in the western lowlands along the Caspian Sea, with the capital of Elista; Chita and Irkutsk, the European region of the Soviet Union centered on Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). According to statistics, there are about 500,000 Buddhists, most of whom are Buryat, Tuwa and Kalmyk who speak Mongolian, and a few Russians. Tibetan Buddhism was generally called Lamaism or Buddhism-Lamaism in the former Soviet Union.