The Russian minority gained recognition as a historical national minority in the territory of the Czech Republic thanks to Russians who arrived in Czechoslovakia mainly between 1919 and 1924. At that time, some Russians with democratic or monarchist sympathies fled Bolshevik terror and found refuge in Czechoslovakia. In the interwar period, approximately 35,000 Russian refugees lived in the country. The Czechoslovak government’s 1921 Assistance Programme allowed them to complete their studies and obtain an education. The position of these democratically minded Russians deteriorated after February 1948 and later with the Warsaw Pact occupation in 1968.
Following the withdrawal of Soviet troops in the early 1990s, a new wave of Russian migrants arrived. Russians were formally recognised as a historical national minority in 2001. Today, the Russian national minority consists mainly of Russian-Czech citizens with knowledge of Czech language, Russian and Czech culture. They usually arrive with higher education (university degrees are common) and with their families.
On 11 May 1945, the 1st Ukrainian Front entered Karlovy Vary, and discussions began regarding the accommodation of the wounded. The Czech National Committee, the spa administration, and representatives of the 1st Ukrainian Front agreed on 6 June 1945 on medical and spa care for the wounded. This laid the foundations for the local Russian minority. A Cultural Centre for the Dissemination of Russian Literature and Publications was established in Karlovy Vary in line with the central policies of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
According to the 1950 census, 1,559 Russians and Ukrainians lived in the then Karlovy Vary district, including 364 in Karlovy Vary, 227 in Jáchymov, and 196 in Sokolov.
In 1973, the Karlovy Vary District Cultural Centre was founded, hosting Soviet exhibitions and, in 1974, an exhibition of applied art by young Soviet artists. The former Karl Marx Museum became the House of Soviet Science and Culture, operating until 1991. A new wave of Russians arrived in the 1990s following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, coming from the Russian Federation and Ukraine. Most do not hold Czech citizenship but have long-term residence status. They promote Russian folk culture and traditions and engage in Russian-language education for children.