Russia is the tallest of the Allies, as well as the tallest of all the nations alongside Sweden. Russia wears a long, heavy tan coat, dark green pants, brown gloves, and a long tan or pink scarf; in the mini-drama CD included with his character album, he mentions to Japan that his scarf is a body part and therefore he cannot take it off. This, though, might just be an excuse so he will not have to take it off, seeing as how he didn't wear it as a small child before Ukraine gave it to him, and that in some artwork he is actually seen with it off. He has a round, childish face with a more prominent nose, and tends to carry around a bottle of vodka, a sunflower, or a faucet pipe. His hair is a light beige-blond, and his eyes are violet (purple). A large young man who is seemingly big-hearted and innocent, but in reality is cruel and terrifying. He comes off as intimidating without even saying a word, his gentle smile and disposition only intensifying the aura of dread which seems to constantly hang over him. In his profile in Hetalia: Axis Powers Volume 3, he is described as gentle and naive, and not malicious, but frightening. Russia ends many of his sentences with 'da', the Russian word for 'yes', although in Japanese it is often used to confirm the topic of the sentence, as an informal form of 'desu', the ubiquitous form of 'to be'.

He has been tormented since his childhood, having seen many tragedies and wars. For example, General Winter haunts him every year, which has caused him to hate the cold. However, in the face of war, General Winter is his best ally. He dreams of one day living in a warm place surrounded by sunflowers. Whenever he thinks of either of his sisters, he becomes very depressed and sometimes worries that he is not as well liked as he believes.

Background As a young boy, Russia was often picked on and tormented by other countries as he was much more timid than he currently is. During times he was being targeted by others, he would usually seek support from his sister Ukraine but her advice was not well received. Seemingly after an encounter with Prussia, a young Russia seemed to snap and he began growing into the intimidating figure he would grow into as an adult.

Over many years of expanding his borders by war and alliances, Russia grew into one of the major powers of the world and often unintentionally frightens others with his size, power, and frightening atmosphere. During World War 2, he joined the Allied Forces to fight against the Axis countries.

Relationships Ukraine Main article: Ukraine Russia's older sister, who acted as mother to both him and Belarus. She was the one who gave Russia his scarf when they were children. Though she wants to be with him again, she either winds up running away at the chance due to the issues that have arisen between them (such as paying for gas), or due to being blocked from seeing him in some way (such as her boss prohibiting her from seeing him). In his own way, Russia also cares about her, describing her in quite fond terms in the manga.Human Name His given name is believed to have come from Ivan the Terrible or, equally as likely, Ivan The Great. Ivan happens to have been a common name for Russian czars (there were six Czar Ivans, including two Romanov Ivans), as well as being a common name for Russian males. Ivan is also the name of most protagonists in Slavic fairy tales, such as The Death of Koschei the Deathless. Ivan has frequently been used as a stereotypical slang name for a Russian male. In Russian, it is pronounced 'EEVAHN' (with emphasis on the second syllable), not 'EYE-VAN'. The Russian diminutive of Ivan is Vanya (Ваня), and is frequently used in fanworks.

His commonly mistranslated surname is actually politically incorrect; traditionally the '-ski' suffix indicates Polish ancestry, while '-sky' is used for Russians instead, and specifically Russians with far-reaching familial roots in Poland, but in Russian it is spelt -ский either way. Braginsky is not a well-known or commonly used name in Russia, but it might be referencing the Russian screenwriter Emil Braginsky.

Russia was not given a patronymic (ru: Отчество; otchestvo) to his name. The same is true for Belarus and Ukraine, as Belorussians and Ukrainians use (by default) the naming customs of the Russian people. Introverted Feeling (Fi): Russia’s usually pretty emotionally reserved, and yet frequently acts on his own inner feelings. He’s quick to express his opinion/personal feelings on just about anything. He’s really interested in determining the value of something, usually based on his personal connection to it or summation of worth. He desperately wants friends and companionship, and is constantly having his emotions stepped on. He’s often self-conscious of his reputation and wants to save face. His Fi is also pretty negative in many ways, manifesting in ignoring the needs of those around him and simply doing what he wants, regardless. Nonetheless, at is best he’s very affectionate, even-tempered and surprisingly friendly. According to the notes, he’s reserved around those he doesn’t consider friends, but as he considers everyone his friend, this isn’t seen as much in-series.

Extroverted Intuition (Ne): He gets some strong enjoyment out of imagining what will happen in the future, about what could be rather than what is. He’s quick to question, to see alternative possibilities (“What are you going to be doing, America?”); he’s often analyzing the events going on around him, asking ‘why is this happening’. He’s often not particularly observant of what’s going on around him, living more in his own world of imagination and plans. While he does consider the future, he doesn’t make many concrete plans or act on them.

Introverted Sensing (Si): He seeks to follow the most reliable, tried-and-true method of getting things done; he calls into France’s radio show in order to figure out how to make friends. He wears the scarf Ukraine gave him as a child at all times do to the memories attached to it. He frequently compares things to how they were before, looking over history to form some kind of conclusion. He usually looks to flashbacks to try and figure out how he got to where he is now, and his memories may be rather subjective at times.

Extroverted Thinking (Te): Russia likes to be in control, to have things organized and laid out. He usually employs pretty straight-forward methods to achieve his goals and get what he wants. He can be demanding and authoritative when dealing with others. He’ll often take the quick and easy road to fix some problem (i.e. ripping off Latvia’s head to make him stop shaking, jumping without a parachute because there’s snow.)