---
title: Google AI Overviews in Russia: Half of Sources Not in Top Search Results
url: https://www.dataloco.com/en/google-ai-overviews-in-russia-half-of-sources-not-in-top-search-results
published: 2026-10-06T17:20:58+00:00
language: en
section: AI
source: https://habr.com/ru/articles/1090034/?utm_campaign=1090034&utm_source=habrahabr&utm_medium=rss
organizations: Google, Yandex, StatCounter, Mediascope, Pew Research, Habr
publisher: Dataloco
---

# Google AI Overviews in Russia: Half of Sources Not in Top Search Results

Google AI Overviews are officially available in Russia, with Russian listed as a supported language. In a study of 1,095 Russian-language queries across 55 niche categories, an AI Overview appeared above the search results in 93% of cases. The analysis focused on the Russian region setting in Google Search. The findings challenge the assumption that these features are exclusively for Western markets and do not affect Russian websites.

The study compared the sources cited in AI Overviews with the first page of standard organic search results for four specific sets of queries. Out of 446 sources identified in the overviews, 222 were also present on the first page of the standard search results. This means that half of the sources cited by the AI feature were not visible in the top ten organic results. The presence of a page in the Google index and its ability to display a snippet are the primary requirements for inclusion. No special markup or llms.txt file is required for a site to be considered for these overviews.

The mechanism behind these overviews involves breaking a user's query into multiple sub-questions. Google performs separate searches for each sub-question within its index and compiles the answer from the findings. This process, referred to as query fan-out, allows the AI to draw from a broader range of sources than the standard top ten results. For Russian-language queries, 97% of the sources cited in the overviews had titles in Russian. The most frequently cited domains included ru.wikipedia.org, vc.ru, and habr.com. However, even Wikipedia appeared in only 44 out of the 1,095 queries, indicating that no single site dominates the source list.

Data from StatCounter indicates that in September 2026, Google accounted for 28% of search engine referrals to Russian websites, while Yandex accounted for 70%. Other measurement tools place Google's share at approximately one quarter. Mediascope data from autumn 2025 estimates the monthly audience of the Russian internet at around 105 million people. Based on the referral share, an estimated 25 to 30 million people in Russia use Google for search. This is an upper estimate, as many users utilize both search engines, and referral share does not directly equal user share.

Research by Pew Research on nearly 69,000 searches by 900 US users showed that when an AI Overview was present, users clicked on standard organic links in only 8% of visits. Without the overview, the click rate was 15%. Clicks on links within the overview itself occurred in just 1% of visits. This suggests that the primary effect of the overview is visibility, as users see which sources are named in the answer even if they do not click through to the site.

To improve visibility in these overviews, websites should verify their presence in the Google index using Search Console. It is important to ensure that Googlebot is not blocked by robots.txt and that directives such as nosnippet, max-snippet, or noindex are not preventing the display of snippets. Content should be structured to answer specific sub-questions directly in the first paragraph after a subheading. The text should be concise and verifiable, providing specific numbers, deadlines, or conditions rather than vague statements. Sites should also aim to be cited on platforms that are frequently referenced in the overviews for their specific niche.

## This story in other languages

- [Deutsch](https://www.dataloco.com/de/google-zeigt-kiantworten-auf-russischen-suchanfragen-haufig-ohne-topergebnisse)