Russian Empire Church Records

Introduction
Contrary to popular belief, church records were not systematically destroyed in the former Soviet Union, but they were centralized and preserved in government archives. Church records are an excellent source for accurate names, dates, and places of births, marriages, and deaths.

Records of births, marriages, and deaths are commonly called "vital records" because they record critical events in a person's life. Church records are vital records made by church officials. They are often called parish registers, church books, or metrical books (метрическая кинга/metricheskaya kinga - singular; метрические книги/metricheskie knigi - plural).

Locating the Church Which Kept Records for Your Ancestors' Town
Not every village and town had its own church, or a church for every religion. Learn about your ancestors' town of origin and which town would have jurisdiction over and keep the records for that town. Even to search the following online collections, you will need to know which town you need. These reference materials and church record inventories will help:
 * An online guide to locating which parish your ancestor would have attended. Text is in Russian - use an online translator.
 * Metrical Book (Parish Register) Inventory Russian, Ukrainian and Belorussian Archives