Russian White and Russian Black cats were first bred in Australia in the 1970s. There are now a number of breeders in Australia, and recently these colours have been gaining formal recognition in countries such as South Africa, New Zealand, The UK and the USA.
Since the end of 2011 are Russian Black&Whites cats in Latvia imported from UK.
The bred standard is exactly the same as for Russian Blue, with the exception of colours (coat, nose, pawpads).
Russians have stright profile, almond shaped green eyes, pronounced whisker pads and a plush double coat. The Russian Black coat appears glossy and the colour is a coal-black.