Languages Russian, as well as being spoken by around six million ethnic Russians and Ukrainians of Central Asia,Robert Greenall, Russians left behind in Central Asia , BBC News, 23 November 2005. is the de facto lingua franca throughout the former Soviet Central Asian Republics. Mandarin Chinese has an equally dominant presence in Inner Mongolia, Qinghai and Xinjiang.
Languages Russian, as well as being spoken by around six million ethnic Russians and Ukrainians of Central, Asia,Robert Greenall, Russians left behind in Central Asia , BBC News, 23 November 2005. is the de facto lingua franca throughout the former Soviet Central Asian Republics. Mandarin Chinese has an equally dominant presence in Inner Mongolia Qinghai and Xinjiang.