Analyzing the dynamics of the main demographic indicators in Russian history of the 20th century, renowned French demographer Alain Blum goes beyond mere quantitative observations and arrives at a non-trivial conclusion. Political events did not have a noticeable long-term impact on the social life of the USSR population. The demographic catastrophes of the first half of the century did not alter its demographic development trajectory, which was similar to that of the West. Furthermore, the rigid unification policy failed to overcome the regional diversity inherited by the Soviet Union from the Russian Empire.