Experts from Russia's biggest search engine - Yandex - have analysed the most popular words, names and word combinations Russian people searched in 2014. We've prepared the short 'Year in Search' summary for you.

Persons of the Year

Russian pop-singer and actress Janna Friske has become the most searched woman in 2014. In January 2014 the singer's relatives announced she was ill with Glioblastoma multiforme - the most aggressive malignant primary brain tumor in humans. Zhanna currently gets treatment in one of German hospitals.
Russian figure skaters Yulia Lipnitskaya and Adelina Sotnikova got the second and the fifth place at the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi 2014 correspondingly and also entered a group of five most searched women with the same places. The third place went to sisters Maria and Anastasiya Tolmachevy, the participants of the Eurovision Song Contest. The Crimea's public prosecutor Natalia Poklonskaya has become the fourth searched woman in 2014.

Janna Friske after and before her illness

An Austrian pop-singer Thomas Neuwirth, better known by his drag stage persona Conchita Wurst has become the most searched man in Russia. In May 2014 Thomas, as Wurst, took the first place at the Eurovision Song Contest. Russian famous figure skater and Olympic Games participant Yevgeny Plushenko has become the second searched man, while the third place went to an Americal actor Robin Williams (he commited suicide on August 11, 2014) and the fourth place went to Russian actor Marat Basharov (he was accused of beating his wife). Russian short track speed skater Viktor Ahn in 2014 become a three-time Olympic gold winner and also the fifth searched man in Russia.

Events of the Year

According to the searching trends, the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi became the main event for Russian people in 2014. Russian Olympic team was very successful, winning the biggest amount of medals in the history of Russia's participation in Olympic Games. Russian athletes took 13 golden, 11 silver and 9 bronze medals - 33 altogether.
Conflicts in Ukraine and Russia'a annexation of Crimea were named the second and the third most important events in Yandex searching trends. On March 16, a referendum took place in Crimea and Sevastopol for joining Russian Federation. The results showed 96,77% of the voters supporting the annexation. On March 17, Crimea's Supreme Soviet declared independence of the republic and then asked Russia to accept for making Crimea a part of Russian Federation.
Ebola virus has become the fourth most searched event in the Russian Internet. According to World Health Organization, at the end of December the amount of deaths from the epidemic came to 7842 people and 20081 are now struggling with the dangerous infection.

The opening ceremony for the Olympic Games

On December 26, most Russian regions put the clock back an hour for the last time in the history, which has become the fifth most searched event in Russia. According to a new law, the practice of daylight saving time shifts was cancelled. The number of time zones on Russia's territory has also become bigger - from 9 zones to 11.

The New Year is about to come into his own very soon. He will surely bring us new events, new names and new searching trends. Let's wish them be positive and amazing. Happy New Year!