The
Greek presence in southern
Russia is dated to the 6th century BC, although the ancient Greek settlers assimilated into the indigenous populations. The vast majority of contemporary Russia's Greek minority populations are descendants of Medieval Greek refugees, traders, and immigrants (including farmers, miners, soldiers, and churchmen/bureaucrats) from the
Byzantine Empire, the Ottoman Balkans, and
Pontic Greeks from the
Empire of Trebizond and
Eastern Anatolia who settled mainly in southern Russia and the
South Caucasus in several waves between the mid-15th century and the second
Russo-Turkish War of 1828-29.