History of Staraya Russa

Staraya Russa (before the 16th century it was called Rusa), like most Old Russian cities, does not have an exact foundation date.

Archaeological excavations at the Pyatnitsky excavation site indicate the settlement of this site in the 9th century ^[6] . At the Borisoglebsky excavation, the oldest archaeological evidence of the existence of the city was found on Mineralnaya Street ^[7] , located at the site of the alleged core of the ancient city. In the lower layers, a building was discovered dating from the dendrochronological method of the 20-30s of the 11th century, under which there was still about 30 cm of the cultural layer , and traces of plowing were revealed on the mainland (geological strata formed before the arrival of man). This allowed archaeologists working in the city to date the time of the emergence of a permanent urban settlement at the end of the X - beginning of the XI century ^[8] . The drafters of the “Act of Scientific Research Expertise of the Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences on the founding of the city of Staraya Russa, Novgorod Region” ^[9] came to the same conclusion. More ancient evidence of the existence of the city has not yet been found, and assumptions about the founding of Staraya Russa earlier than the turn of the X-XI centuries, expressed by various researchers (including archaeologists A.F. Medvedev ^[10] , G.P. Smirnova who conducted research in Staraya Russa ^[11] and V. G. Mironova ^[12] ), until they received reliable scientific confirmation ^{[13] [14]} .

The thickness of the cultural layer in the intersection of Mineralnaya and Svarog streets is over 6.2 meters ^[15] , between Nikolsky lane and Krasny commanders street in some sections exceeds 5.5 meters. The highest part of Staraya Russa, bounded by a salt lake (Upper), the Malashka River and a deep ravine in place of a stream flowing from salt lakes, was the highest in antiquity. Excavations at the very top of the hill and on its western slope revealed the earliest layers of the turn of the 10th – 11th centuries. A.F. Medvedev suggested that bargaining and an ancient fortress were located here ^[16] .

In the XI century, the center of Staraya Russa was located in the area of ​​the main gate of the resort, close to open mineral springs, at the intersection of modern Mineralnaya and Svarog streets ^[17] . XI century artifacts were also found on Cathedral Square ^[18] .

The maximum thickness of the cultural layer between the banks of Malashka (the bend of the Porusye river) and Pererytitsa , on a site limited from the south by Molodezhny Lane, and from the north by Enlightenment Street, is 3.5 m, the settlement of this site based on archaeological research begins no earlier than the XII century ^{[ 16]} .

For the first time in written sources, Staraya Russa appears in a birch bark letter No. 526, found in 1975 at the Trinity excavation site in Novgorod and dated to the second third of the 11th century. The letter is a list of debtors that mention Boyan and Zhitobud living in Ruse: “On Boyan in Rose gr ( i) outside, on Zhitob (o) ud in Rose 13 kune and gr (i) in the truth ... ” ^[19] .

In Old Russian chronicles, Staraya Russa appears a century later. It was first mentioned under 1167 , when after the ruin of Torzhok, the former Novgorod prince Svyatoslav Rostislavich approached with Suzdal, Smolensk and Polocians, but when the Novgorod army led by Yakun Andreyevich advanced towards him, he did not dare to engage in battle and retreated ^[20] .

In Staraya Russa, 51 birch bark letters were found for 2019 ^[21] . The earliest birch bark letter dates back to the second half of the 11th century, and the latest to the first half of the 15th century ^[22] .

Initially, Staraya Russa emerged as a trade and craft settlement, which specialized in salt production. Salt produced by the method of digesting open mineral springs located here ^[15] , for a long time ensured the well-being of the residents of the city ^[23] .

Until the first mention in the annals in 1167 of the history of Staraya Russa can only be judged by archaeological data. According to excavation materials, Rusa in the XI-XII centuries had regularly updated wooden pavements and a developed urban culture. The townspeople were actively engaged in salt production, trade and crafts.

From the end of the 12th century, annals begin to regularly report on events related to the city. In 1192, Abbot Martyri founded the Transfiguration Monastery , in 1193 he became the Novgorod Archbishop. In 1194, the city experienced a great fire. In 1198, the first stone church was laid - Spassky Cathedral .

In the years 1199-1201, the annals reported the construction of urban fortifications in Ruse. In 1234, during a raid, a Lithuanian army entered the city, but the combined forces of the townspeople, merchants, grids, and firemen repelled the attack ^[20] .

In the Pyatnitsky (Resort) excavation site, the seals of the posadnik Ruskoy Thomas Abakunovich, who held this position in the second half of the 14th century, were found ^[24] . This indicates that in Russ there was a posadnik, only unclear, appointed from Novgorod or elected by the Rushans. In addition, two seals of his brother Alexander Abakunovich, the governor, the leader of the Ushkuynikov , repeatedly mentioned in the Novgorod chronicles, were found. Perhaps the Abakunovich family (and the third brother is also known from the annals) was from Staraya Russa.

At the Georgievsky excavation, in the layer of the first half of the 15th century, a lead hanging seal of princely tyun Elozariy Ilinarkhovich was found in the space between the blocks of the pavement flooring. The second act seal is worse preserved - on one side there is an image of Christ, and on the second there is a text that has not yet been decrypted ^{[6] [25] [26] [5]} .

In 1456, Moscow troops during the Moscow-Novgorod war captured the city and defeated the Novgorod army, trying to liberate Rousse (the battle of Rousse ), after which Novgorod made concessions and the Yazhelbitsky peace was concluded.

In March 1471, the city was plundered by the Lutsk prince Mikhail Olelkovich . In the same year, during the campaign of Dmitry Kholmsky and Fyodor Khromoi , Rus was captured, looted and burned by Moscow troops ^[27] . The population fled to Novgorod, and upon returning after the conclusion of the Korostyn Peace, many residents drowned during a storm in Lake Ilmen .

In 1478, Rusa, together with all the Novgorod lands, became part of the Moscow principality after the campaigns of the Grand Duke of Moscow Ivan III. Posad Rus, according to the scribe book of 1497-1498 of the Shelona Pyatina , was divided into 4 ends: Rogov, Seredka, Pesiy and Mininsky.

In 7006 (1497/98), the city of Rus was described in the scribe book of the Shelonsky Pyatina of Matvey Ivanovich Valuev . This description has not reached our time in the form of several archival files. In particular, some results on this settlement have been preserved.

“And all the courtyards in Ruse in all four ends of the Grand Duke, and the sovereign, and the monastery, and the church, and the native land, one thousand and one hundred and thirty and three courtyards, and the people in them are three thousand and seven hundred and sixty and three people. And they owe eighty rubles and half a quarter of a ruble and six hryvnias to the Novokorodtsky money in Novogorodtsk number and three money. [...]

And all the great prince of shops in Rousse was one hundred and thirty and one, and with those shops that were sovereign, and rank-and-file, and monastery, and church, and native, and fifteen fish bridges. And manure from them went 12 rubles and four hryvnias with dengoy. ”

- [RGADA, F. 137, Novgorod, No. 2-b, pp. 158-b, 158-g, 158-g vol.]. Published: Scribe books of Novgorod land. T. 1 / Comp. K.V. Baranov. - M .: Ancient storage; Archaeographic Center, 1999 .-- 432 p. - ISBN 5-86169-084-7 . - C. 135, 137. The text is given as amended by this edition.

According to this scribe book, the village of Rus in 7006 (1497/98) was divided into 4 ends: Rogov, Seredka, Pesiy (there, in particular, the town and the governor’s courtyard are mentioned) and Minin (across the river Porus).

In 1565, Ivan the Terrible allocated Old Rusa to the Oprichnik lands , which saved her from the Oprichnik terror. The economic importance of the city for the state treasury during this period is evidenced by the fact that the English envoy J. Fletcher , who visited Muscovy in 1588, in his essay “On the Russian State” called Old Rusu one of the most important cities by income for the Palace Prikaz and Prikaz Big Ward :

The city of Moscow pays annually 12,000 rubles, Smolensk 8000, Pskov 12000, Novgorod the Great 6000, Staraya Rusa with salt and other works 18000, Torzhok 800 rubles, Tver 700, Yaroslavl 1200, Kostroma 1800, Nizhny Novgorod 7000, Kazan 11000, Vologda 2000 rubles ^{[ 28]} .

In the last quarter of the 16th century, the city ​​entered a long period of decline. In February 1581, during the Livonian War, the city ​​was captured and almost completely burned, and its surroundings were devastated by Polish-Lithuanian troops ^[29] .

In the fall of 1608, the units of False Dmitry II seized Staraya Russa, but in the spring of 1609, during the campaign to Moscow, the Russian-Swedish detachment under the command of Fedor Chulkov and Evert Gorn beat Rusa away from the Tushins .

In the Patrol Book of Staraya Russa in 1611, 6 ends are mentioned: Yemetsky (end of Yemets), Vasilyev, Yegoryevsky, Ilyinsky, Nikolsky and Troitsky ^[30] . This year, the city, along with Novgorod and the surrounding territory, fell into the zone of Swedish occupation. Swedes strengthened the prison at the confluence of Peretytitsa and Polisti, built warehouses and carried out landscaping of the city. However, due to lawlessness and epidemics, at the time of the return of the city in 1617, among other lands under the Stolbovsky Peace Treaty, it was completely ruined and there were only 38 inhabitants in it ^[31] .

From 1692 to 1696, the Resurrection Cathedral was built.

In 1693, 21-year-old Peter I, with the permission of his mother, went to Arkhangelsk and drove to Staraya Russa along the way. He ordered to find ways to develop Old Russian salt production. The second time he visited the city in 1724.

When dividing the Russian Empire in the province in accordance with the personal decree of Peter I of December 18 ( 29 ), 1708 , the city was assigned to the Ingermanland province (since 1710 - the St. Petersburg province ). Since 1719, Staraya Russa was part of the Novgorod province of this province, and in 1727 , in accordance with the decree of Empress Catherine I of April 29 ( May 10 ), 1727 , Novgorod Province (including Staraya Russa) was transferred to the newly created Novgorod province , and Staraya Russa became the center of Starorussky district ^[32] .

In 1763 there was a catastrophic fire that destroyed all wooden buildings in Staraya Russa. After the fire, the city was built according to plan on the right bank of the Polist River.

In 1771, according to the decree of Catherine II, on the basis of old salt mines, a new state-owned Salt Plant was organized (which worked until the middle of the 19th century, when, due to the low concentration of salt in the springs, it, unable to withstand competition, stopped the production of table salt and became only supply brines for medical needs to St. Petersburg). The well-known geologist and engineer Franz-Ludwig Kankrin was invited to run the plant in 1784 from Hesse .

Since 1776 - the county town of Novgorod governorship. On February 15, 1776, the coat of arms was granted to Staraya Russa, and it was declared a county town (since 1796 - in the Novgorod province).

In 1785, Staraya Russa received public self-government.

In February 1824, part of the volosts of Starorussky Uyezd was transferred under the control of the military department in connection with the creation of military settlements there . Due to the inconvenience of having district governments in Staraya Russa along with the military, by decree of Alexander I of August 7 ( 19 ), 1824 , the Old Russian district was abolished; part of its territory was transferred to the newly established Demyansk district , and Staraya Russa itself was transferred to the disposal of the military authorities. However, after the abolition of the system of military settlements, the Starorussky district in 1859 was restored, and Staraya Russa returned to the civilian department ^[33] .

In 1828, a mud bath resort was created here.

In 1831, a bloody cholera riot occurred in Staraya Russa ^[34] . Alexander Pushkin was his witness: “Horrors,” he wrote to Peter Vyazemsky on August 3, 1831 , “over a hundred people of generals, colonels and officers were cut. 15 doctors were killed, buried alive and so on. ” ^[35] .

In 1866, the first summer theater in the province (in the resort) was opened in Staraya Russa, which hosted famous actors. The author of the project was a famous architect N. L. Benoit . V.F. Komissarzhevskaya began her career on his stage, which in the summer of 1895 received an invitation to play in the Alexandrinsky Theater in St. Petersburg. The theater gave up to five performances a week. For several years, one of the best provincial groups of entrepreneur K. I. Nezlobin performed in Staraya Russa (see the Nezlobin Theater ); in 1904 and 1916, M.F. Andreeva played in its composition. In 1904, K. S. Stanislavsky came. A frequent guest of the resort was M. G. Savina , chairman of the board of the Russian Theater Society. F.M.Dostoevsky , who had lived in Staraya Russa for a long time, had also been there. On July 26, 1904, at a concert "in favor of the widows and orphans of soldiers who went to war," Maxim Gorky read his poem, "The Man."

In 1878, a railway connection was opened with the city ^[36] .

From 1872 to 1880, Fedor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky lived in Staraya Russa.

At the beginning of the XX century, the city ​​began to be called Staraya Russa (with a doubled "s").

On November 5 ( 18 ), 1917 , when power in the city was taken over by the Council of Workers 'and Soldiers' Deputies , Soviet power was established in Staraya Russa ^[37] .

After the October events of 1917 in Petrograd in Staraya Russa, Soviet power was established on 3-5 November 1917.

During the Civil War, from February 24 to July 1919, the headquarters of the Western Front of the Red Army was located in Staraya Russa in the resort. On May 5, B.P. Pozern , a member of the RVS of the Western Front, was in Staraya Russa, under whose leadership mobilization of the inhabitants of the city into the Red Army took place ^[38] .

From 1919 to 1922, an amateur opera house was organized in the city, organized by the artist V. S. Korochkin (Svarog) at the People’s House in the gymnasium, where he creates an art studio, amateur choral and orchestra circles. In the theater, the Mermaid by Dargomyzhsky, Aleko Rakhmaninov, Faust by Gounod, Mazepa by Tchaikovsky, and Zaporozhets beyond the Danube by Gulak-Artemovsky were staged.

On August 1, 1927, as part of the administrative-territorial reform in the USSR, the division into provinces and counties was abolished, and Staraya Russa became part of the Novgorod district of the Leningrad region , becoming the administrative center of the newly formed Starorus region (July 23, 1930, the division into districts in the USSR was abolished) ^[39] .

Указом Президиума Верховного Совета РСФСР от 19 сентября 1939 года Старая Русса стала городом областного подчинения ^[40] .

Во время Великой Отечественной войны с 9 августа 1941 года по 18 февраля 1944 года Старая Русса была оккупирована немецкими войсками ^[41] . Город находился недалеко от линии фронта и подвергся сильным разрушениям. Советские войска неоднократно пытались безуспешно овладеть Старой Руссой ещё к 23 февраля 1942 года, по свидетельству А. В. Рогачева — бойца дивизии, наступавшей на этом направлении: «С 23-го — 27-го февраля — непрерывные атаки… По 3—4 атаки днем; ночью опять. Потери были очень большие. Я вот таких кровопролитных боев, как на Северо-Западном фронте, потом в течение войны очень мало встречал… там столько убитых было, что трудно было просто пройти». Позже была такая же неуспешная Старорусская операция в марте 1943 года и в августе 1943 года.

18 февраля 1944 года Старая Русса была освобождена войсками 1-й Ударной армии 2-го Прибалтийского фронта в ходе Старорусско-Новоржевской наступательной операции . К моменту освобождения в разрушенном городе не оставалось ни одного жителя; к концу 1944 года их было 5 тысяч ^{[42] [43]} .

По Указу Президиума Верховного Совета СССР от 5 июля 1944 года город Старая Русса и весь Старорусский район были включены в состав вновь образованной Новгородской области ^[44] .

16 февраля 1984 года город Старая Русса был награждён орденом Отечественной войны I степени. В Указе Президиума Верховного Совета СССР говорилось ^[45] :

За мужество и стойкость, проявленные трудящимися города в годы Великой Отечественной войны, и за успехи, достигнутые в хозяйственном и культурном строительстве, наградить город Старая Русса Новгородской области орденом Отечественной войны I степени.

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Источники XVI—XVIII веков

В начале XVI века С. Герберштейн первым зафиксировал, что название «Руссия» по-мнению одних произошло «от одного очень древнего города по имени Русс, недалеко от Новгорода Великого» ^[46] . В. В. Фомин впервые в академическом исследовании обращает внимание на информацию С. Герберштейна, посещавшего Россию в 1517 и 1526 годах, что «Руса, некогда называвшаяся Старой Руссией (то есть давней или древней Руссией) древний городок под владычеством Новгорода». В 2010 году было обращено внимание, что в немецкой редакции «Записок», представленной авторизованным переводом С. Герберштейна (вышедшим в Вене в 1557 году), содержится ещё одно очень важное уточнение: « Руса, некогда называвшаяся Старой Руссией, древний городок и КНЯЖЕСТВО под владычеством Новгорода». Следовательно в начале XVI века не только помнили о древнем городке Старой Руссии, но и о княжестве Руса (Старой Руссии) в Южном Приильменье ^[47] .

Первый российский историк В. Н. Татищев указывал, что «Древний руссов город в устье Ловати вблиз Ильменя доднесь Старая Русь или Руса знаем.». М. В. Ломоносов в своей монографии «О происхождении имени и народа русского» писал, что «… старинный город, Старая Русса издревле называемый, довольно показывает оныя в сём справедливость и что прежде Рюрика жил тут народ руссы или россы» ^[48] .

Предположение о том, что начало Руси пошло от Русы, было распространено очень широко. В 1634 году немецкий путешественник Адам Олеарий в книге «Описание путешествия в Московию и через Московию в Персию и обратно» указал Старую Руссу в числе крупных городов России и отметил, что «некоторые думают, Россия получила своё название» от неё.

Густинская летопись XVII века высказывает несколько предположений о происхождении имени Русь и одно из них: имя появилось от «града Русы, лежащего недалече Великого Новагорода» ^[49] .

Шлёцер и его последователи исключали «Русь» (Старую Руссу) из «призвания варягов» от 862 года :

«Никто не может более печатать, что Русь, за долго до Рюрикова пришествия, называлась уже Русью. Почему в некоторых летописях (середина XVI века) утверждается, что славяне, пришедшие с Дуная, прозвались „Русью“ не от варягов (то есть скандинавов, как необходимо считать по Шлёцеру) , а от реки Руссы (Руси), текущей в озеро??[…] Русса есть ни что иное, как небольшой ручей, которого не отыщешь ни на какой карте, и который впадает в реку в Полиссу, соединяющуюся с озером Ильмень рекою Ловатью. От сего ручья прозвался стоящий на нём город Старая Русса, славяне не могли получить название „Русь“ от какого-то там (захудалого) ручья? Всё это есть новейшие подделки!» ^[50]

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Современные работы

В 1919 году А. А. Шахматов высказывал предположение, что Хольмгардом скандинавы называли Старую Русу ^[51] . Согласно его гипотезе, Руса была первоначальной столицей древнейшей страны. И из этой «древнейшей Руси…вскоре после» 839 года началось движение скандинавской руси на юг, приведшее к основанию в Киеве около 840 года «молодого русского государства» ^[52] .

В 1920 году академик С. Ф. Платонов отмечал, что будущие изыскания соберут, конечно, больший и лучший материал для уяснения и укрепления гипотезы А. А. Шахматова о варяжском центре на Южном берегу Ильменя, и что эта гипотеза уже теперь имеет все свойства доброкачественного научного построения и открывает нам новую историческую перспективу: Руса — город и Руса — область получают новый и весьма значительный смысл ^[53] . Эту же гипотезу поддерживал краевед профессор И. Н. Вязинин. Разрабатывая её, он доказывал, что Руса расположена на острове ^[54] , омываемом реками Порусьей , Полистью и солёным ручьём Войе . На этом острове был построен Спасо-Преображенский монастырь и основан посёлок солеваров. В связи с установлением торговых связей поселение Остров стало называться Осередок , а потом и Середка (название одного из пяти концов города).

Гипотеза о появлении города ещё до призвания варягов как поддерживалась многими исследователями (в том числе А. Васильев, Л. В. Падалка, Г. В. Вернадский ) , так и активно отрицалась ( А. Л. Шлёцер , Г. Ф. Миллер , Н. М. Карамзин , Г. С. Лебедев ).

Защитники древностей Старой Руси указывали, что в « призвание варягов » от 862 года участвовали представители русского Южного Приильменья согласно летописному тексту «реша Русь (то есть, по их мнению, Старая Руса), Чудь, Словени и Кривичи».

В 1951 году А. Н. Насонов в монографии «Русская Земля…» отмечал, что Старая Русса была центром княжой, «русской» силы, силы киевских князей. Взвад (устье Ловати), где князья гнали зверя; сама Руса, где были княжеские варницы. «Руса оставалась в значительной степени княжеской; её главные силы: „засада“, огнищане и гридьба, то есть княжеская организация. Княжий характер Старорусской области подтверждается археологическими данными: мы разумеем признаки более ранней и быстрой христианизации края, выразившейся, по мнению Н. Рериха, в быстром переходе к жальническим погребениям на территории зарусской половины Шелонской пятины. Центром этой территории, всей или части её, была Руса» ^[55] .

В 1973 году в книге «Название народов СССР» топонимист А. И. Попов констатировал, что «До киевского периода термин „Русь“ по-видимому, был связан с северной областью — около Русы (Старая Русса), — в полном согласии с имеющимися письменными источниками и топонимическими данными» ^[56] .

Согласно Г. С. Лебедеву , Старая Русса входит в ареал архаических топонимов в Приильменье, где «прозвася Руская земля новугородьци» ^[57] . Археолог датировал возникновение Старой Руссы рубежом X—XI веков.

Гипотеза географа Г. И. Анохина «Рюрик солевар из Русы» ^[58] вступает в противоречие с гипотезой академика Шахматова, поскольку Русь (Руса) Южного Приильменья по мнению Шахматова — это Русь прежде всего Аскольда , а не варяга Рюрика. Видный историк русского зарубежья Г. В. Вернадский также связывал князя Аскольда со Старой Руссой ^[59] .

A. Yu. Laptev explains the extreme “scarcity” of references to ancient Rus in the annals with the words of academician A. A. Shakhmatov, but with reference to “rushanin (a native of Staraya Russa)” - Prince Askold: “The Russian chronicle clearly remembers the names of the first princes of Kiev: this is Askold and Deer ... in general, the whole story about Oleg’s plague in Kiev and the elimination of Askold and Deer is very tendentious ... Askold and Deer are represented by some usurpers of power; there can hardly be any doubt that the whole story of the annals is consistent with the well-known dynastic interests of the ruling princely house; Rurik’s descendants seem to be the only rightfully bearers of power ... ” ^[60] . Earlier, A. Yu. Laptev noted that “perhaps the ban on the mention of the city of Staraya Russa in the annals (in the early stages of the emergence of Russia) is primarily associated with the name of Prince Askold, treacherously murdered in Kiev, so as not to annoy the ruling prince once again with“ remorse ” clan of the Rurikovich ” ^[61] .

According to the examination report of the Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences (author V.V. Fomin ) dated 12/11/2008, the question of the time of the appearance of the name Rus (Rus) in Southern Priilmenye can still not be considered resolved, since the volume of archaeological excavations in the city is extremely miserable. The lower threshold (oldest) of the likely occurrence of Staraya Russa was established by the 8th century. "A very early resettlement of Russia to the named area was caused by the fact that in ancient times salt that provided for the needs of the vast territory of Northwest Russia was mined only in South Priilmenye ... With resettlement flows (and their impulses are traced from the end of the 7th to the first half of the 8th centuries. ), coming from the Baltic Pomerania at the end of the 8th – 10th centuries, the foundation of Staraya Russa could be connected. It could also be that at the time of Rurik's calling, the region of Staraya Russa was already inhabited by some Rus, by the name of which she was nicknamed ... Together with topics are given those that indicate the possibility of arriving in South Priilmenye Rus (Alanian) from the south of Eastern Europe ^[62] .

“The“ Tale of Slovene and Rus ”, as applied to our days, probably contains a clue where to look for the oldest part of Staraya Russa (between two rivers by a salty student). The research expertise of the Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences dated January 11, 2007 points to this section of the city (where to dig). According to K. A. Averyanov, it is necessary to search for the oldest part of the city of Staraya Russa between the streets of Velikaya and Enlightenment, where there could be a tribute collection point in the Yemetsky end. And the name of the Emetsky end (according to Averyanov) could come from the word “Emets” from the time of “Russian Truth” and designating a tribute collection official! ” ^[63] .

In 2010, V. V. Fomin considered it possible to correlate with representatives of exactly Old Russian Russia according to the report of “Ibn-Khordadbeh, who spoke no later than the 840s.” Russian Slav merchants who “carry beaver furs, black fox furs and swords from the most remote [lands] of the Slavs to the Rumian Sea .... The great prince of Kiev Svyatoslav could also, in 969 explaining his decision to leave forever in Pereyaslavets on the Danube, where, according to him, blessings from different countries are flowing, but from Russia “speed and wax, honey and mankind”, to bear in mind all that "Old Russian Russia, which deals with it, due to the presence of salt in its hands, and in the forests of a fur-bearing animal, which was hunted in abundance by local tribes of hunters." At the same time, V.V. Fomin makes an extremely important clarification:

In the opinion of V. V. Fomin, “Askold and Dir, who were forced to leave Priilmenye, as soon as Rurik was established there, representing Varangian Russia, which initially settled in Ladoga,” were connected with Old Russian Russia ^[64] .

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