* Other Slavic populations: This includes other East Slavic groups (Ukrainians, Belarusians), as well as West Slavs (Poles, Czechs, Slovaks) and South Slavs (Serbs, Croats, Bulgarians).
* Baltic populations: These include groups like Latvians, Lithuanians, and Estonians.
* Finno-Ugric populations: Groups like Finns, Hungarians, and Estonians share some genetic similarities with Russians.
It's also important to note that:
* Genetic relationships are complex and fluid: There has been significant mixing of populations over time, making it difficult to draw absolute lines of genetic kinship.
* "Closest" is relative: While Russians share some genetic similarities with the groups mentioned above, they also share distant genetic ties with other European populations, as well as with populations further afield.
In short, while Russians are most closely related to other Slavic populations, they also have genetic connections to other European groups.