This article employs newly available vital statistics data to describe the demographic, temporal, & spatial patterns of suicide in Russia. The discussion reveals that suicide mortality in Russia is among the highest in the world & is more than 3 times higher than in the United States. Russian suicide mortality also exhibited radical changes between 1984 & 1994, varies widely within the country with a general increase in rates from west to east, & is highest among working-age males. (46 refs)