After the end of the Second World War, Russian refugees in Yugoslavia (including Montenegro, which became one of the six parts of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) had to face the new reality of Tito’s Communist regime. The new authorities closed all йmigrй institutions, including schools, hospitals, and newspapers. It is not surprising that many White йmigrйs decided to leave for other countries.
In 1948, Russians living in Yugoslavia had to endure a new challenge when disagreements between the Stalin and Tito reached their peak. Eventually relations between the two countries were severed, which had a direct (of course, negative) effect on the Russian community in Yugoslavia. On the one hand, the Russian community became smaller. On the other hand, a new wave of Russian compatriots, the wives of Yugoslav Communists, had to move to Yugoslavia, including Montenegro, when they were forced to leave the Soviet Union.
After the collapse of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, the situation changed radically. New immigrants from Russia began to arrive in Montenegro, including both labor migrants and business representatives. They first found work in Montenegro’s service sector, although with time, they began to occupy many sectors of the Montenegrin economy: service centers, tourist accommodations, elite restaurants, nightclubs, etc.
With its population of just over 650,000 people, Russian can be increasingly heard on the streets. Data concerning the number of Russians in Montenegro is very contradictory. There is evidence that 200,000 Russians visit the country each year and that at least 10,000-15,000 of our compatriots are permanent residents. The Russian-speaking population is concentrated in the three most economically developed coastal areas of Montenegro: the Budvanska Riviera, the city of Bar and coast of the Bay of Kotor.
The situation for the Russian diaspora in Montenegro can be described as stable. “Montenegro is just a small state,” says Radomir Yaminovich, an expert at Future, a nongovernmental organization. “Local Russians here do not really encounter any major problems. They fit in well in our society and have the same concerns that all of us do. The state is trying to support them, and there are a number of social programs, as well as many private foundations that occasionally give them loans and financial assistance.”
In general, relations between Russia and Montenegro are improving today, just as they were in the 18th and 19th centuries. This cannot help but affect the situation for the Russian diaspora. A striking example can be found at the White йmigrй cemetery in Herceg Novi. In November 2007, for example, the Church of St. Theodore Ushakov was erected at the Russian cemetery. “We want to turn the cemetery into a memorial to all the Russian people who found a new home on our soil after the Civil War in Russia and who have made an invaluable contribution to the spiritual and material life in Serbia and Montenegro,” said Dejan Mandiж, mayor of Herceg Novi.
Montenegrin authorities kept their promises. In mid-November 2008 at the cemetery in Herceg Novi, a ceremony to consecrate the belfry at the Church of St. Theodore Ushakov took place. Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and his deputy, Momиilo Krivokapich, took part in the ceremony. Leaders and activists from the Society of Serbo-Russian Friendship were also present at the ceremony, along with local residents and a number of Russians who directly took part in the restoration of the cemetery and the construction of the church. Also in attendance was Valery Anisimov, managing director of the Faith Bell Factory in Voronezh, which cast the bell for the church (Anisimov is well known for the copies of the Danilov Monastery bells that his factory cast for Harvard University, which once held the original bells. Since 2000, the factory has produced bells for a number of Orthodox churches in Serbia and Montenegro.).
On the other hand, despite the positive trends in Russian-Montenegrin relations, the status of the Russian language in Montenegro still leaves much to be desired, which is especially sad considering that this Balkan country has a long history of Russian language instruction. For example, Montenegro was one of the first countries in the world to include Russian as a subject in its educational system; with financial support from Russia in the second half of the 19th century, the country built its first seminary, the first gymnasium for boys and the Institute of Noble Maidens. In the early 1920s, the status of Russian was further elevated due to the first wave of Russian immigrants arrived. After the Second World War, Russian became embedded in the educational system at all levels and was taught at the leading Montenegrin university.
The peak period for Russian in Montenegro’s educational system was from the 1960s to the early 1990s. After the fall of Yugoslavia, compulsory teaching of Russian in Montenegrin schools was interrupted. To date, out of Montenegro’s 249 primary and secondary schools, 135 offer Russian as a first and second foreign language. The total number of Russian teachers is nearly 250. The location of this instruction is problematic, however. Schools offering Russian language studies are concentrated in the northern and central parts of the country where there are few Russian speakers and little demand among students. On the other hand, on the Adriatic coast where large numbers of Russian speakers live, Russian is not taught at all in schools and does not even appear as an optional subject. The development of Russian language courses at the Revival Center of Russian Language and Culture in Budva (see below) has to some extent satisfied demand for Russian language studies among the local population. So far, about two hundred people have taken these courses and have been able to gain employment in Russian-Montenegrin construction and tourism companies.
Russian has been studied in Montenegro’s institutes of higher education since 1947. Since 1977 in the country’s second largest city of Nikљiж, the University of Montenegro’s Faculty of Philosophy has housed a department of Russian language and literature where 83 students are currently enrolled. According to the head of department, Professor D. Koprivitse, “By the end of the 1990s our students showed little interest in studying Russian language and literature. In recent years, however, there has been full demand.” The situation with Russian has begun to change for the better only in the last few years, although the structure of school education in this regard remains problematic.
Even so, the positive trend of Russian “infiltration” in Montenegro can be seen. The economic investment and boom in tourism is not the only result. In October 2008, the Week of Russian Language and Education took place at the initiative of Russia’s Ministry of Science and Education, the Pushkin State Institute of Russian Language and the Revival centers in Budva and Podgorica. The first Days of Russian Film Festival was also held during this time. In other words, Montenegrins are showing an increasing interest in Russian language and culture. Although the largest, the Revival center is not the only organization that represents the interests of the country’s Russian diaspora. There are organizations such as the Cultural Information Center of the City of Moscow and the Montenegrin Society of Graduates of Soviet and Russian Institutes of Higher Education.
In conclusion, another interesting trend in the life of Montenegro’s Russian diaspora should be noted. As we previously mentioned, the county is currently experiencing an unprecedented flourishing of the tourist business: beautiful beaches and relatively inexpensive services are attracting more tourists from Russia. As a result, our fellow citizens are increasingly acquiring real estate, land, houses, apartments, villas and hotels on the Adriatic coast. A “Russian village” has even been built near the Island of St. Stephen in the village of Radjenovich. According to Montenegrin media reports, Roman Abramovich even owns property on the coast.
In other words, the Russian diaspora in Montenegro is continuously increasing in numbers. Given that this young country’s independence is only two and a half years old, we can assume that our compatriots will forge more than one path in the welcoming country of Montenegro…
