The computer hacker’s guide to the Russian language – how Russia’s language fits into cybercriminal campaigns.

Russian is the native language of the majority of people in Russia, and it serves as an official language in several other countries, including Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. It is also widely used as a lingua franca in many parts of the former Soviet Union. There are approximately 138–154 million native speakers, with the total number of speakers (including second-language speakers) exceeding 250 million worldwide.

English-speaking hackers employ several strategies to target Russian-language systems, leveraging technical evasion, linguistic deception, and collaborative networks. For instance, Russian malware often avoids infecting systems with Cyrillic language settings to bypass local law enforcement. English hackers exploit this by adding Russian registry keys to mimic language settings without full installation, installing virtual Russian keyboards to trigger malware’s geo-avoidance, and using scripts to set system locales to ru-RU (e.g., via Windows batch commands).

Similarly, a computer hacker may introduce false-flag operations by embedding poorly translated Russian in malware (e.g., using online translators) to mislead attribution toward Russian groups.

Hackers may also exploit language-specific vulnerabilities, such as Weaponizing Roundcube CVEs (CVE-2020-12641, CVE-2020-35730) in Russian email servers.

As an example, here’s how a hacker would check for the Russian language before deploying malware onto the system.

# Example: Russian language check evasion (Python)
import locale
system_lang = locale.getdefaultlocale()[0]
russian_affiliated = ['ru_RU', 'uk_UA', 'be_BY']  # Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian
if system_lang in russian_affiliated:
    deploy_malware()  # Proceed only if target is non-Russian

# Example: Russian language check evasion (Python)
import locale
system_lang = locale.getdefaultlocale()[0]
russian_affiliated = ['ru_RU', 'uk_UA', 'be_BY']  # Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian
if system_lang in russian_affiliated:
    deploy_malware()  # Proceed only if target is non-Russian

Historical development of the Russian language

The roots of Russian trace back to the Old East Slavic language, spoken by East Slavic tribes for centuries. The modern Russian language began to take shape in the late 1500s, with significant reforms under Peter the Great in the 18th century, including alphabet simplification and the adoption of Western European vocabulary. The works of Alexander Pushkin in the 19th century are considered foundational for modern literary Russian, blending spoken vernacular and literary styles. After the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, Russian underwent spelling reforms and further vocabulary expansion, leading to the modern form of the language.

Russian dialects

Russian dialects are generally divided into three groups:

1. Northern (from St. Petersburg eastward across Siberia)
2. Southern (central and southern Russia)
3. Central (between the Northern and Southern groups)

Modern literary Russian is based on the Central dialect of Moscow, combining features from both Northern and Southern dialects. However, differences among these dialects are relatively minor compared to other European languages.

Writing System

Russian uses the Cyrillic script, which currently contains 33 letters. The alphabet has undergone reforms, especially after the 1917 revolution, which eliminated several archaic letters. Russian orthography is largely phonetic, but stress is not marked in standard writing, leading to potential ambiguity in pronunciation.

Linguistic Features

Hard and soft consonant sounds

Russian distinguishes between “hard” and “soft” consonant sounds, a feature marked by the following vowel rather than the consonant itself. The language features significant vowel reduction in unstressed syllables and unpredictable word stress.

Three genders

Russian has three grammatical genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter, typically indicated by noun endings.

Double negatives are common

Unlike in standard English, where double negatives usually cancel each other out and are considered incorrect, Russian uses double (and sometimes multiple) negatives to reinforce the negative meaning—a phenomenon known as negative concord.

In Russian, negative pronouns and adverbs (such as никто “nobody,” ничего “nothing,” никогда “never,” нигде “nowhere”) are combined with the negative particle не before the verb. This stacking of negatives does not create a positive meaning; instead, it strengthens the negation.

Examples:
• Я ничего не знаю.
(Ya nichego ne znayu)
Literally: “I nothing not know.”
Correct English: “I don’t know anything.”

• Никто не пришёл.
(Nikto ne prishyol)
Literally: “Nobody not came.”
Correct English: “Nobody came.”

• Я никогда не был в России.
(Ya nikogda ne byl v Rossii)
Literally: “I never not was in Russia.”
Correct English: “I have never been to Russia.”

Non-vocalized letters (soft sign and hard sign)

The Russian language uses two non-vocalized letters in its alphabet: the soft sign (ь, мягкий знак) and the hard sign (ъ, твёрдый знак). These letters do not represent their own sounds; instead, they function as modifiers that alter the pronunciation of surrounding letters.

Soft Sign (ь): This letter softens the preceding consonant, making it “palatalized” or softer. For example, in the word “конь” (horse), the “н” is softened by the soft sign. The soft sign never appears at the beginning of a word and does not produce a sound on its own.

Hard Sign (ъ): This letter is used to indicate that the preceding consonant remains hard (not softened), even if followed by a vowel that would normally soften it. It also acts as a separator, ensuring a clear break between a prefix and the root of a word, or between consonants and certain vowels. For example, in “подъезд” (entrance), the hard sign separates the prefix from the root and prevents the consonant from being softened.

Both signs are unique to the Cyrillic script and are essential for correct pronunciation and meaning in Russian, but neither is ever pronounced as a vowel or consonant sound.

Cultural and global significance of the Russian language

Russian remains an important language for science, diplomacy, and international communication, especially in post-Soviet states and among Russian-speaking diasporas. It is the second most used language on the Internet and the eighth most spoken language in the world.

Using the Russian language and Alt Codes

The following commands can be used on Linux-based systems.

locale

locale -a

vi /etc/locale.gen (uncomment ru_RU.UTF-8…)

locale-gen (to generate new language uncommented above)

export LANG=ru_RU.UTF-8 (for current session)

localectl set-locale LANG=ru_RU.UTF-8 (change language permanently)

locale

locale -a

vi /etc/locale.gen (uncomment ru_RU.UTF-8…)

locale-gen (to generate new language uncommented above)

export LANG=ru_RU.UTF-8 (for current session)

localectl set-locale LANG=ru_RU.UTF-8 (change language permanently)

And Russian characters can be entered using Alt codes. On a Windows machine, hold down the Alt key and type in the Alt code (e.g., 0460) . Alternatively, in some text editors, you may need to type the Unicode code point (0460) and then press Alt + X to convert it into the character.

Macs do not support traditional Windows Alt codes. To enter Unicode characters, use Unicode Hex Input with the Option key, or use the Emoji & Symbols panel for broader access to special characters. To use the Hex Input keyboard, go to System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources and add “Unicode Hex Input” as a keyboard. Then switch to the “Unicode Hex Input” keyboard (using the menu bar or Control + Space). Alternatively, you can hold the Option key and type the four-digit Unicode hexadecimal code for your character (for example, Option + 0460 for Ѡ).

In HTML, you would, for instance, use Ѡ or Ѡ to represent Ѡ. In Python, you would enter u"\u0460".

Typing Russian characters on an English keyboard

You can type Russian characters on a standard English keyboard using several easy methods. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Add a Russian Keyboard Layout (Windows & Mac) On Windows 10/11:
   1. Go to Settings → Time & Language → Language.
   2. Click Add a language and select Russian.
   3. After adding, click on Options and download the Russian keyboard if prompted.
   4. To switch between English and Russian, press Alt + Shift or Windows key + Space.
      On Mac:
   5. Go to System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources.
   6. Click the + button, find Russian, and add it.
   7. Switch between keyboards by pressing Control + Space or clicking the flag icon in the menu bar.
2. Use an Online Russian Keyboard
   • Visit sites like Russian Keyboard Online or Lexilogos Russian Keyboard.
   • Type Russian letters using your mouse or by clicking the on-screen keys, then copy and paste the text where you need it.
3. Install a Russian Keyboard App (Mobile)
   • On iOS: Go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New Keyboard → Russian.
   • On Android: Go to Settings → System → Languages & Input → Virtual Keyboard → Gboard → Languages → Add Keyboard → Russian.
4. Phonetic (Transliteration) Keyboards
   If you’re unfamiliar with the Russian layout, use a phonetic layout (where Russian letters are mapped to similar-sounding English keys).
   • On Windows, you can add the “Russian Phonetic” keyboard in the language settings.
   • On Mac, look for “Russian – Phonetic” in input sources.
   • Online tools like Translit.net let you type Russian using English letters; they convert your input to Cyrillic.

Uppercase Russian Letters/Characters and their Alt Code

Lowercase Russian Letters/Characters and their Alt Code

Additional Russian Letters and Symbols and their Alt Codes

The following are little-used or archaic Russian characters and symbols. You would need to use an Alt Code to enter them on a keyboard.

Russian alphabet

Here is the entire Russian alphabet with examples.

A a

a – апельси́н (orange)

a as in father

Б б

бэ – банк (bank)

b as in but

В в

вэ – врач (doctor)

v as in voice

Г г

гэ – газе́та (newspaper)

g as in god

Д д

дэ – дом (house)

d as in do

Е е

e – еда́ (food)

ye as in yes

Ё ё

ё – ёж (hedgehog)

yo as in yogurt

Ж ж

жэ – же́нщина (woman)

s as in measure

З з

зэ – зонт (umbrella)

z as in zoo

И и

и – игру́шка (toy)

i as in did

Й й

и кра́ткое – йо́гурт (yogurt)

y as in play

К к

ка – ко́шка (cat)

c as in cat

Л л

эл – лес (forest)

l as in love

М м

эм – Москва́ (Moscow)

m as in mother

Н н

эн – неде́ля (week)

n as in nose

О о

о – окно́ (window)

o as in boy

П п

пэ – пода́рок (present)

p as in pay

Р р

эр – ры́ба (fish)

r as in rose

С с

эс – соба́ка (dog)

s as in son

Т т

тэ – телефо́н (telephone)

t as in but

У у

у – у́лица (street)

u as in push

Ф ф

эф – фильм (movie)

f as in film

Х х

ха – хлеб (bread)

h as in high

Ц ц

цэ – цвет (color)

t´s as in let´s

Ч ч

че – часы́ (clock)

ch as in chair

Ш ш

ша – шко́ла (school)

sh as in shall

Щ щ

ща – щи (cabbage soup)

sh ch as in Welsh church

Ъ ъ

твёрдый знак – объявле́ние (advertisement)

no independent sound

Ы ы

ы – сыр (cheese)

between i as in lit and u as in sugar

Ь ь

ь – мышь (mouse)

no independent sound

Э э

э – эне́ргия (energy)

e as in edit

Ю ю

ю – ю́бка (skirt)

u as in usual

Я я

я – я́блоко (apple)

ya as in yacht

The letters above are presented in alphabetical order. There are 31 sounds:

• 21 consonants: б, в, г, д, ж, з, й. к, л, м, н, п, р, с, т, ф, х, ц, ч, ш, щ and
• 10 vowels: а, е, ё, и, о, у, ы, э, ю, я.
• The consonant й (short i) is sometimes called a semivowel.

The soft sign ь and hard sign ъ do not have a sound of their own. Ъ is relatively rare and occurs only in a limited number of words that start with a prefix ending in a consonant. There it is placed between the prefix and the word stem, as in объявление (announcement) and съезд (conference).

Ь is placed after consonants for softening them.

Goofy Russian passwords

Research shows Russian users are generally more cautious, with longer average password lengths and less reliance on these common weak passwords compared to users in other countries. However, the risk remains for those who still use passwords from the top 50 or 100 most common lists.

parol (password), lyubov (love), privet (hello) PrivetPassw0rd Pr1vet Par0l P8r0l Hell0Par0l Par0|1 PrivetLyub0v Par0lPr1vet qwerty 123456 qwertyuiop qwe123 klaster qweqwe 1qaz2wsx 1q2w3e4r qazwsx 1q2w3e 123qwe 1q2w3e4r5t zxcvbnm