This song was published in Russia 1871, but could have been composed many years before that, in those days it was known as a Gypsy Romance Ballad, The famous Russian lyrics are from a poem written in 1843. This song became widely famous during the 1930’s.
This song could be played in 4/4 or 3/4 and since it’s a very easy song it could be played in so many ways. in this example you watch me play and improvise, this may inspire you to check out my site where i teach Gypsy Accordion Improvisation and also provide the sheet music I create for super fast results.