Is there a genetic difference between Russians, Ukrainians, and Belorussians?

[Nico]

Or are their differences mainly cultural and linguistic?

[Swearengen]

There are genetic differences.

Russians assimilated the local finnic (and other) populations DNA when they migrated to Russia.

Belarus has a baltic influence due to its proximity to Lithuania especially during the time of the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth.

Compared to Russia at least, we have less Siberian (2% versus 5%), but more west asian DNA probably from Romanian/Moldovan influence.

However, we all descend mostly from the same people so we are more similar than different.

[Sikeliot]

Russians have more of a Mongoloid influence even though minor.
Belarusians have a lot of Baltic ancestry.
Ukrainians probably have an affinity toward the Balkans or Caucasus.

[glass]

russians mixed with volga finns
ukrainians with tatars and romanians
belarusians with balts

[Swearengen]

russians mixed with volga finns
ukrainians with tatars and romanians
belarusians with balts

Tatars all live in the southeast (mostly crimea) and keep to themselves. There is no evidence of tatar DNA in our population especially when we have far less asian DNA than russians.

And there are far more tatars in Russia than Ukraine, even per capita.

[Lemon Kush]

I'd say Ukrainians are more related to Bulgarians

[Matt5898]

Northern Russians are mixed with Finnic tribes
Belarusians mixed with Baltics, they are close to Lithuanians
Ukrainians and Southern Russians have some Turkic admixture, that's why they have significant share of black-haired people, while Belarusians and N-Russians almost don't have it.
But anyway the basis is Slavic and these 3 nations are close to each other

[Swearengen]

Northern Russians are mixed with Finnic tribes
Belarusians mixed with Baltics, they are close to Lithuanians
Ukrainians and Southern Russians have some Turkic admixture, that's why they have significant share of black-haired people, while Belarusians and N-Russians almost don't have it.
But anyway the basis is Slavic and these 3 nations are close to each other

some of the dark hair comes from the balkans. dark haired ukrainians tend to be pontid or largely pontid, not turanid. The bigger reason for darker hair in Ukraine is because we don't have baltic or finnic influence, which lightened the populations of Belarus and Russia.

But if you mean actual black and not dark brown, I don't see that in ukrainians either.

[RussiaPrussia]

Russians mixed with Siberians and maybe have higher IQ

[Swearengen]

Anyway, here is an admixture analysis of the 3 nations as well as Finland, Lithuania, and Romania. You can see how the differences can be mostly explained by admixture from their neighbouring (or assimilated) populations.

Unfortunately, the sample sizes are small.



https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...ZUNJRUE#gid=17