The course of lectures aims at providing an accessible and concise presentation of the evolution of the Russian sound system from a phonological viewpoint; to introduce students to basic concepts and principles of historical phonology; to characterize the sources and methods of studying the history of the Russian sound system; to analyze in chronological order the most important sound changes in the Russian language, starting from the late Proto-Slavic period; to identify the principal tendencies and factors that determined the development of the Russian phonological system; to introduce students to topical issues in studies of the Russian sound system.