OBJECTIVES: Although the prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) is dramatically increasing worldwide, data on the prevalence, prevalence of those at risk, and the burden of these patients in Russia is lacking. METHODS: The data source for the current study was the 2011 Russia National Health and Wellness Survey (NHWS), a cross-sectional patient-reported health survey of adults in Russia (N=10,039). Respondents who reported a diagnosis of T2D were compared with non-T2D controls on health status (measured using the SF-12v2), work productivity (measured using the WPAI questionnaire), and number of resource use events using regression modeling controlling for sociodemographic and health history variables. Among respondents without a diagnosis of T2D, the prevalence and burden of key risk factors were reported. RESULTS: A total of 288 respondents in Russia reported a diagnosis of T2D (weighted prevalence: 2.77%). Among those not reporting a diagnosis, several risk factors were highly prevalent: 49.6% were overweight/obese, 17.5% had a family history of T2D, 34.5% currently smoke, 46.7% do not regularly exercise, and 20.2% have hypertension. Patients with T2D were older (57.9 vs. 44.3), had a lower annual income (19.1% vs. 11.2% had <12,000 RUR), were more likely to be obese (44.8% vs. 16.5%), and had a greater comorbidity burden (1.9 vs. 0.4) (all p<.05). Adjusting for group differences, patients with T2D reported significantly worse physical health status (physical component summary scores: 43.46 vs. 46.25, p<.05). No significant differences were observed on work productivity or healthcare resource use. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of T2D in Russia is modest but may represent a large undiagnosed population, especially because the non-T2D population reported a significant number of risk factors.  The burden of T2D was primarily observed through health status. Together, these results underscore the importance of proper prevention and treatment of T2D.