What is the capital of Russia?
Moscow spreads along the banks of the Moskva River, which winds through the East European Plain in the west of Russia.
Moscow is the capital and seat of government of Russia, a role it has held since 1918. Russia itself has an estimated population of 143,513,328 (2025).
Moscow is also the largest city in Russia, which is the usual arrangement, though it is far from universal: see the countries where capital and largest city differ.
Moscow at a glance
| City population | 13,010,112 (2021 census) |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan area | 21,534,777 (2021 census) |
| Country | 🇷🇺 Russia |
| Founded | 1147 |
| Capital since | 1918 |
| Largest city in Russia | Moscow |
| Time zone | UTC+03:00 (MSK) |
| Currency | Russian ruble (RUB) |
About Moscow
Moscow is first mentioned in chronicles under the year 1147.
Moscow has been the capital of Russia since 1918, when the Soviet government moved the capital back to Moscow from Petrograd (Saint Petersburg) on 12 March 1918; Moscow had been the historic Russian capital before Peter the Great moved his government to the newly built Saint Petersburg in 1712.
Saint Petersburg was the capital of Russia from 1712 until the Soviet government moved the capital back to Moscow in 1918.
Moscow is the most populous city lying entirely within Europe.
The Kremlin, the seat of Russia's government, and the adjacent Red Square are UNESCO World Heritage sites.
City facts sourced from Wikipedia: Moscow.
Frequently asked questions
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Capitals of neighbouring countries
See the full profile of Russia on its country page, or browse every capital city.
Capital and country data from open datasets; city and metropolitan populations are hand-curated per city and cited where they are shown. Populations of countries come from the World Bank (SP.POP.TOTL). Full sources and vintage on the data page. Last updated . Report a correction.