Khazaria.
Avars and Alans might have hung on
Well, there is Ingria and there are Vepsians. A part of Sápmi extends into Russia, covering the Skolt, Kildin and Ter Sami. But these are so small so I'm not sure how likely it is that they'd get their own ethnic states, especially the Samis considering how small those minorities are.So many names are available for the Caucasus / Volga region. Could some of them have filtered further west into the Russian heartlands?
Bhuddist Khanate of KalmyksSee above. What alternative cultures, ethnic groups or tribes could carved out notable states in Russian Europe, perhaps coexisting together in a multitude of polities?
If the Slavs never end up pushing north and assimilating the various Baltic tribes which lived up to the reaches of OTL Moscow, you could have a Baltic speaking nation in Belarus and parts of Western Russia. It probably wouldn't extend anywhere near as far as OTL Russia, though.See above. What alternative cultures, ethnic groups or tribes could carved out notable states in Russian Europe, perhaps coexisting together in a multitude of polities?
If the Turkic Peoples had ridden north rather than south into Persia and Anatolia, I could easily see them overcoming the infant Slavic states early on and settling themselves in the region, intermarrying with and eventually subsuming the locals into their culture. A "Tarto-Slavic" ethnic group; probably with a more heavily Scandinavian/Germanic influnced culture than the Greek and Arabic influences that hit the Turkish people IOTL, combined with the Steppe traditions, would make for an interesting combination.
Turkic peoples did ride north and settle down, creating Volga Bulgaria.If the Turkic Peoples had ridden north rather than south into Persia and Anatolia, I could easily see them overcoming the infant Slavic states early on and settling themselves in the region, intermarrying with and eventually subsuming the locals into their culture. A "Tarto-Slavic" ethnic group; probably with a more heavily Scandinavian/Germanic influnced culture than the Greek and Arabic influences that hit the Turkish people IOTL, combined with the Steppe traditions, would make for an interesting combination.
I don't think Volga Germans have too great a chance to create a state in that area, I'd wager Manchurians or Koreans would have a better chance of taking that area.Is there anyway that the Volga Germans could form a state or for a North East Asian people (Manchurians, Ainu, Koreans, Tungusics, Mongolians) to form a state around modern Vladivostok and Kamchatka peninsula?
Difficult - the terrain is such that it encourages large states that will assimilate all smaller cultures