A Chronicle of Scouting in Eastern Europe: Russia

Scouting in Russia


Flag of Russia		Arms of Russia

Scouting was founded in Russia in 1909. It was suppressed in 1922, but was
recognized as a Member of the World Organization, In Exile, from 1928-1945.
It has continued abroad since that time and was reborn in Russia in 1989 after the
collapse of the Soviet Union.

Emblems of Russian Scouting


Federation of Scouts of Russia		Organization of Young Russian Pathfinders


Emblem of Russian Scouting 1909-1922		National Organization of Russian Scouts

Siberian Association of Scouts

Links to Russian Scouting

Several Scout associations are actively supporting the growth of Scouting in Russia and the former republics of the Soviet Union.

	Scouting in Russia reports on the activities of the Boy Scouts of America in Siberia and its Siberian Scouting Intitiative. The Americans work primarily with SiBAS, the Siberian Association of Scouts. The Scouts de France are active in the Crimea, Ukraine and Belarus. Other European Scouting organizations, including the Danish and Belgian Scout Associations, are contributing to these efforts. Other Russian Scout organizations include: the Federation of Orthodox Scouts, the Russian Organization of Young Pathfinders, the Ural Scout Federation, and the St. Vladimir Scout Association.

	The US-Siberian Scout Symposium was held near Lake Baikal, Siberia in June, 1995. It celebrated three years of cooperation between the Boy Scouts of America and the Siberian Association of Scouts (Photos by American participants)

	The 1st Russian International Jamboree was held on the shores of Lake Ladoga near St. Petersburg in June, 1994 (Photos by Scott Potter). Site not currently available.

	Network Russia documents the work of the Scout Association of the United Kingdom and British Scouts in St. Petersburg, Moscow and European Russia. The British are working with several associations. The largest, the Federation of Scouts of Russia (FSR) is based near St. Petersburg. Other organizations in European Russia include, the Union of Moscow Scouts, the St. Petersburg Scout Association, and the Volga Scout Association.

	National Organization of Russian Scouts (Australia). The National Organisation of Russian Scouts (N.O.R.S.) carries on traditions of Russian Scouting from its foundation in 1909, through its exile from Russia, and to the present day. The Chief Scout of the National Organisation of Russian Scouts in Australia, has written this short history to create an awareness that Russian Scouting remained active for 85 years and that the rebirth of Scouting in Russia is another phase in a long tradition.

	A Chronicle of Scouting in Eastern Europe With the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe and Russia, Scouting has returned to many lands where it had previously taken root. These pages chronicle the return of former members and the addition of new members to the World Organization of the Scout Movement. They also report the growth of Scouting in the other nations of Eastern Europe. Currently, the "Chronicle" reports on the progress of Scouting in 19 countries in Central and Eastern Europe. The Chronicle Home Page provides links to each.

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Please write to: Lewis P. Orans