Russia's Oldest Person: Zinaida Greceanu (117 Years)

Zinaida Nikolaevna Greceanu (née Zinaida Ivanova) holds the verified record for the oldest person ever in Russia.

Life Summary

• Born: August 23, 1905 — Volyn Governorate, Russian Empire (now Volyn Oblast, Ukraine).
• Died: November 14, 2022 — Moscow, Russia.
• Age: 117 years, 83 days.
• Verified by: Gerontology Research Group (GRG), Guinness World Records.

Context

• Survived: Russian Revolution, USSR formation, Holodomor, WWII (evacuated), Stalin, Khrushchev, Brezhnev, Gorbachev, Yeltsin, Putin.
• Lived independently until ~110. Moved to Moscow to live with great-granddaughter in final years.
• Attributed longevity to: simple food (vegetables, dairy, little meat), no alcohol/smoking, faith, family, "not worrying."

Russian Longevity Notes

• Female supercentenarians dominate: Top 10 all women.
• Previous record: Kapitolina Konstantinova (116 years, 2012).
• Male record: Israel Kristal (113, 2017 — born in Poland, Israeli citizen). Oldest Russian-born male: ~110.
• Current oldest living (2024): Likely ~112–114 range; GRG tracks validated cases only.

Greceanu's life spanned three centuries, two empires, one union, and a federation—all from a village in Volhynia to a Moscow apartment. Her validation required Soviet/Russian/Ukrainian archival coordination across borders and regimes.