The article deals with the conceptual shift from Russian as «the language of interethnic communication» to the Russian language as a means of self-expression in national literatures as a result of deliberate choice, because Russian language is not the means of intercultural communication, but the immanent factor for the setting of the national identity. It is appropriate to talk about the opening of new creative possibilities both for the Russian language, which exists in the diverse national-cultural spaces, and consequently absorbs the new meanings and semantic tones, and the Russian-speaking national (Kazakh, Azerbaijan, Tatar, Kalmyk, and others.) writers that broaden their horizons and attract new readers. Appeal to the speech forms of another language, the free choice of language not override the problems of identity, so important for each of the national literature. The necessity for objective study of works of Russian-speaking writers of the former Soviet Union is increasing, requiring greater attention to the variability of national literary practices.