Question: who was the first russian to orbit the earth
Answer: Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin ( Russian : Ю́рий Алексе́евич Гага́рин , IPA : ( ˈjʉrjɪj ɐljɪˈksjejɪvjɪtɕ ɡɐˈɡarjɪn ) ; 9 March 1934 -- 27 March 1968 ) was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut .