Russians in general have a muddled and dangerous view of their own history, in particular the origin of their nation and state. Until very recently, this view was generally accepted in Britain and almost everywhere. It was unquestioned when I was learning Russian 50 years ago.
🧵 This view elides Russia’s history with that of the Russian Orthodox Church, which was founded by Grand Prince Volodymyr the Great in Kyivan Rus 1,000 years ago. When Kyiv declined, to fall under Lithuanian and Polish rule, Russian Orthodoxy’s HQ moved to Vladimir and then Moscow.