The paper is a survey of literature and statistical sources on poverty and inequality in Russia in the 1990s and the 2000s. It serves as a background to OECD (2011), the OECD Labour Market and Social Policy Review of the Russian Federation that was released in 2011. We start with an overview of poverty and income inequality estimates available. Poverty and inequality trends are then complemented with poverty incidence analysis based on a nationally representative household survey. Long-term poverty patterns are examined using a panel dataset with survival analysis methods. Poverty prevention and reduction policies are discussed in the conclusion.