The Great Russian Encyclopedia (GRE; , БРЭ, transliterated as Bolshaya rossiyskaya entsiklopediya or academically as Bol'šaja rossijskaja ènciklopedija) is a universal Russian encyclopedia, completed in 36 volumes, published between 2004 and 2017 by Great Russian Encyclopedia, JSC (, transliterated as Bolshaya rossiyskaya entsiklopediya PAO). A successor to the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, it was released under the auspices of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) after President Vladimir Putin signed a presidential decree №1156 in 2002. The complete edition was released by 2017.
The chief editor of the encyclopedia was Yury Osipov, the president of the RAS. The editorial board had more than 80 RAS members.
The first, introductory volume, released in 2004, was dedicated to Russia. Thirty-five volumes were released between 2005 and 2017, covering the range from "A" to "Яя" (Yaya). The RAS plans to publish an updated version every five years, although it may not be issued in print after the first edition.
On 17 June 2024 the project was suspended due to discontinued funding from the Russian government and by October 2024, its materials are being transferred to Ruwiki.
In December 2024 it was decreed to liquidate the "Great Russian Encyclopedia" by October 20, 2025. In September 2025 the Russian government allocated over 300 million rubles to complete the liquidation.Раскрыта многомиллионная стоимость ликвидации российского аналога Википедии, September 4, 2025 In particular, this money will be used to pay the unpaid salaries, for layoff payments, and for debt repayments.Decree of September 3, 2025 no.2436-p
Personnel and management
Editorial board Yury Osipov, a mathematician, President of RAS (1991–2013), is the GRE Editor in Chief and Chairman of the Scientific Editorial Board.
Managing editor is , journalist, editor and cultural figure.
Also in the scientific editorial board are or were: RAS Academics: Sergey S. Averintsev, Eugene N. Avrorin, Sergei I. Adian, , Zhores I. Alferov, , Alexander F. Andreev, , Dmitry V. Anosov, Vladimir I. Arnold, , Nikolai Bahvalov, , Alexander A. Boyarchuk, Evgeny Velikhov, , , Eric M. Galimov, , Mikhail L. Gasparov, Vitaly L. Ginzburg, Georgy S. Golitsyn, , , , , , , Yuri I. Zhuravlev, , , Viktor P. Ivannikov, , , , , , Sergei P. Karpov, , , , , , , , , , , , , Gennady A. Mesyats, , , Sergey P. Novikov, Yuri S. Osipov, , , , , Yuri V. Prokhorov, , , Alexander Y. Rumyantsev, , , Victor A. Sadovnichii, , Alexander S. Spirin, Yuri S. Stepanov, Vyacheslav S. Stepin, Michael L. Titarenko, Valery A. Tishkov, Yuri D. Tretyakov, Kliment N. Trubetskoy, Oleg H. Favorsky, Ludvig D. Faddeev, Vladimir Ye. Fortov, Konstantin V. Frolov, Yuri I. Chernov, Gorimir G. Chernii, Alexander O. Chubarian, Vitaly D. Shafranov, Sergey V. Shestakov, Dmitry V. Shirkov. RAS Corresponding Members: Boris A. Babayan, Vladimir I. Vasiliev, Piama P. Gaidenko, Rudolf V. Kamelin, Michael V. Kovalchuk, Nikolai I. Lapin, Sergey S. Lappo, Alexey V. Yablokov. Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences Academician: Vladimir I. Fisinin. Russian Academy of Arts Academician: Dmitry O. Shvidkovskiy. Russian Federation Statesmen: Aleksandr A. Avdeyev (Culture Minister in 2008–2012), Andrei A. Fursenko (Minister of Education and Science of the Russian Federation in 2004–2012), Andrei A. Kokoshin (Secretary of the Russian Security Council in 1998), Sergey E. Naryshkin (Head of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation in 2008–2011, Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation since 2011), Alexander S. Sokolov (musicologist, Culture Minister in 2004-2008), Sergey K. Shoigu (Minister of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation in 1994–2012, Defense Minister from 2012), Mikhail E. Shvydkoi (Culture Minister in 2000–2004), Alexander D. Zhukov (Deputy Prime Minister in 2004–2011). and also: Alexei D. Bogaturov, Sergey V. Chemezov, Vladimir V. Grigoriev, Alexei I. Komech, Vladimir A. Mau, D. L. Orlov.
Edition summary Publication schedule and contents of volumes: Vol. Title (translit - translation) Publication year ISBN pages - Россия (Rossija - Russia) 2004 1008 1 A (A) Анкетирование (Anketirovanie - Questionnaires) 2005 766 2 Анкилоз (Ankiloz - Ankylosis) Банка (Banka – Ocean bank) 2005 766 3 «Банкетная кампания» 1904 («Banketnaja kampanija» 1904 - Banquet Campaign of 1904) Большой Иргиз (Bol'shoj Irgiz) 2005 766 4 Большой Кавказ (Bol'shoj Kavkaz - Greater Caucasus) Великий канал (Velikij kanal - Great Channel) 2006 766 5 Великий князь (Velikij knjaz' – The Grand Duke) Восходящий узел орбиты (Voshodjashchij uzel orbity - ascending node of the orbit) 2006 786 6 Восьмеричный путь (Vos'merichnyj put' - Eightfold Path) Германцы (Germancy - Germanic peoples) 2006 768 7 Гермафродит (Germafrodit – Hermaphrodite) Григорьев (Grigor'ev - Grigoriev) 2007 767 8 Григорьев (Grigor'ev - Grigoriev) Динамика (Dinamika - Dynamics) 2007 767 9 Динамика атмосферы (Dinamika atmosfery - Dynamics of the atmosphere) Железнодорожный узел (Zheleznodorozhnyj uzel - Railway junction) 2007 767 10 Железное дерево (Zheleznoe derevo - Iron Tree) Излучение (Izluchenie - Radiation) 2008 767 11 Излучение плазмы (Izluchenie plazmy - Radiation plasma) Исламский фронт спасения (Islamskij front spasenija - the Islamic Salvation Front) 2008 767 12 Исландия (Islandija - Iceland) Канцеляризмы (Kanceljarizmy - Officialese) 2008 767 13 Канцелярия конфискации (Kanceljarija konfiskacii - Chancery of Confiscation) Киргизы (Kirgizy - Kirghiz) 2009 783 14 Киреев (Kireev - Kireyev) Конго (Kongo - Congo) 2009 751 15 Конго (Kongo - Congo) Крещение (Kreshchenie - Baptism) 2010 767 16 Крещение Господне (Kreshchenie Gospodne - Epiphany) Ласточковые (Lastochkovye - Hirundinidae) 2010 751 17 Лас-Тунас (Las-Tunas - Las Tunas) Ломонос (Lomonos - Clematis) 2011 751 18 Ломоносов (Lomonosov - Lomonosov) Манизер (Manizer - Manizer) 2011 768 19 Маниковский (Manikovskij - Iznikovsky) Меотида (Meotida - Maeotias) 2012 768 20 Меотская археологическая культура (Meotskaja arheologicheskaja kul'tura - Meotian archaeological culture) Монголо-татарское нашествие (Mongolo-tatarskoe nashestvie - Mongol-Tatar invasion) 2012 768 21 Монголы (Mongoly - Mongols) Наноматериалы (Nanomaterialy - Nanomaterials) 2013 768 22 Нанонаука (Nanonauka - Nanoscience) Николай Кавасила (Nikolaj Kavasila - Nicholas Kabasilas) 2013 767 23 Николай Кузанский (Nikolaj Kuzanskij - Nicholas of Cusa) Океан (Okean - Ocean) 2013 767 24 Океанариум (Okeanarium - Oceanarium) Оясио (Ojasio - Oyashio) 2014 767Great Russian Encyclopedia. Volume 24. Oceanarium - Oyashio (in Russian). 25 П (P - П) Пертур (Pertur - Perturbation) 2014 765Great Russian Encyclopedia. Volume 25. P - Perturbation (in Russian). 26 Перу (Peru - Peru) Полуприцеп (Polupritsep - Semitrailer) 2014 767Great Russian Encyclopedia. Volume 26. Peru - Semitrailer (in Russian). 27 Полупроводники (Poluprovodniki - Semiconductors) Пустыня (Pustynya - Desert) 2014 767Great Russian Encyclopedia. Volume 27. Semiconductors - Desert (in Russian). 28 Пустырник (Pustyrnik - Motherwort) Румчерод (Rumcherod - Rumcherod) 2015 767Great Russian Encyclopedia. Volume 28. Motherwort - Rumcherod (in Russian). 29 Румыния (Rumyniya - Romania) Сен-Жан-де-Люз (Sen-Zhan-de-Lyuz - Saint-Jean-de-Luz) 2015 767Great Russian Encyclopedia. Volume 29. Romania - Saint-Jean-de-Luz (in Russian). 30 Сен-Жерменский мир 1679 (Sen-Zhermenskiy mir 1679 - Saint-Germain Treaty 1679) Социальное обеспечение (Sotsial'noye obespecheniye - Social security) 2016 767Great Russian Encyclopedia. Volume 30. Saint-Germain World 1679 - Social Security (in Russian). 31 Социальное партнёрство (Sotsial'noye partnyorstvo - Social partnership) Телевидение (Televideniye - Television) 2016 768Great Russian Encyclopedia. Volume 31. Social partnership - Television (in Russian). 32 Телевизионная башня (Televizionnaya bashnya - Television tower) Улан-Батор (Ulan-Bator - Ulaanbaatar) 2016 768Great Russian Encyclopedia. Volume 32. TV Tower - Ulaanbaatar (in Russian). 33 Уланд (Uland - Uhland) Хватцев (Khvatsev - Khvatsev) 2017 799Great Russian Encyclopedia. Volume 33. Uhland-Khvatsev (in Russian). 34 Хвойка (Khvoyka - Khvoyka) Шервинский (Shervinsky - Shervinsky) 2017 799Great Russian Encyclopedia. Volume 34. Khvoyka-Shervinsky (in Russian). 35 Шервуд (Shervud - Sherwood) Яя (Yaya - Yaya) 2017 799Great Russian Encyclopedia. Volume 35. Uhland-Khvatsev (in Russian).
Electronic version In 2022, an electronic version, the was launched at , described as a Russian government alternative to Wikipedia. Some assumed that this will be associated with blocking Wikipedia or competing with it, however Russian officials disavowed this claim.
Criticism While it was widely recognized that the Great Soviet Encyclopedia needed a replacement, the need for a print encyclopedia has been questioned, since many other analogues have now moved online, such as the Encyclopædia Britannica and the Brockhaus Enzyklopädie.
Critics complain that many of the biographies, historical entries, and cultural articles are narrow and biased: according to writer and literary critic , several of the articles are "quite superficial" and "the lists of references at the end were often extremely biased". While admitting that some of the articles in the encyclopedia were "excellent", Podosokorsky still stated that he maintained a generally negative view of the project.
See also Grokipedia
References
External links
Online portal