Russians have existed in the United Kingdom since the nineteenth century. In 2005 there were estimated to be around 300,000 Russians living in the UK, with many more having partial Russian ancestry.
Current estimates show that approximately 41,000 Russians call London their home, according to some estimates including students, refugees, visa-overstayers and illegal migrants there about 100,000 Russians in London.[2] For those who have noticed, the nicknames "Londongrad" and "Moscow-on-the-Thames" are both well known.[3] An entire sub-culture has arisen - several, in fact - with specialty stores and restaurants becoming more noticeable. There are several Russian-language weeklies, and small sub-communities are forming.
