'Russia and Ukraine have their roots in the Kyiv Empire'
Michel Lefebvre
In an interview with 'Le Monde,' American historian Jane Burbank, a specialist in Russia, deciphers the age-old, complex relations between Kyiv and Moscow.
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Le Monde.fr
The American historian Jane Burbank, a specialist in Russia, reviews the various theories of Eurasia that have long influenced Russian nationalists and the expansionist aims of Vladimir Putin.

The history of Kyivan Rus' in the 9th century gave rise to a lively historiographical debate between Ukrainians and Russians as to whether this very ancient empire is the cradle of Russia or of Ukraine. This raises a series of questions. Who founded Kyivan Rus'? Who were the people of Kyiv? And after the fall of Kyiv, what happened to its inhabitants?

These are complex historical issues and have been the subject of much discussion for a very long time. As early as the 18th century, historians in Russia conducted a major debate on Kyiv Rus' and the ethnicity of its founders. They believed that the inhabitants of Kyiv were Russians and wondered whether they were Slavic or not.

In fact, at the time of Kyivan Rus', from the 9th to the 13th century, the region was occupied by a group of northerners from the Baltic, the Varegans – Vikings who were not Slavs at all.

Today, we think that the founders were really those Vikings who came to the Black Sea to sell their produce (such as wood, skins and amber) and that they mixed with Slavic peasants. Kyiv then became a very rich empire, in connection with the eastern tribes and the Byzantine Empire. The princes of Kyiv created the dynasty whose founder, Ryurik, was a Viking. The princes who succeeded him were called the Ryuriks. This dynasty succeeded in establishing its power over the area that is now Ukraine. It also extended north to the Baltic Sea, as well as south of the Kyiv region, with very diverse tribes whose wealth came from trade between the forest regions to the Black Sea and to the east.

The Kyiv of this period can be described simultaneously as an empire with power concentrated in a few cities, a dynasty and, from the 10th century onwards, a quasi-state religion. This is because the princes of Kyiv converted to Christianity, having previously been pagans. This dynasty adopted the culture of the Byzantine Roman Empire and Eastern Christianity and developed an artistic culture with large churches and monuments.

Can we say that there are common roots between Russians and Ukrainians?

Yes. Russia and Ukraine have their roots in the Kyiv Empire. Kyiv – along with several other cities in the region – was destroyed following the Mongolian attacks and conquest in the 13th century. This led to the end of this empire. The source of this common heritage could be defined by this dynasty of the princes of Kyiv. After the fall of Kyiv, there were great battles between the princes who survived the Mongol conquest to keep a small amount of power in this region.