A demograper specializing in the population of Russia examines salient trends revealed by the first post-Soviet census conducted in the Russian Federation in October 2002. The paper examines the statistical evidence for three notable developments: (1) a decline in Russia's overall population that was less than expected on the basis of previous official estimates; (2) the continuing growth of Moscow against the backdrop of absolute urban population decline; and (3) the emergence of abandoned settlements ("ghost towns"). In addition, the author presents background information on the conduct of the census and explains the various measures of Russian population that are commonly employed (de facto and de jure population, enumerated population, etc.).