The hyperpolymorphism of minisatellite DNA hybridizing with DNA of bacteriophage M13 was analyzed in seven Turkic and Finno-Ugric populations from the Volga-Urals region. In total, hybridization revealed 80 BspRI genomic DNA fragments ranging in size from 1.7 to 10 kb; the average frequency of an individual fragment was 0.299 +/- 0.020. The average number of hybridization fragments per pattern (varying from 14 to 20 in different populations) and frequencies of individual fragments showed significant interpopulation differences. Parameters of this polymorphic system were assumed to reflect phenotypic diversity of populations. Genome fingerprinting with the use of phage M13 can be employed in the studies of population genetic structure and differentiation and in forensic medicine, for more accurate personal identification.