Per Wikipedia, Valentin Yanin (1929 – 2020) was a leading Russian historian who authored 700 books and articles whose expertise was especially Novgorod the Great, where he had headed archaeological digs beginning in 1962. Somehow, Wikipedia is shy to mention that in his works Yanin proves that Novgorod is at least a century younger than Moscow tries to present it to be. If he is correct, the story of Rurik coming to this city becomes fiction and the whole Normanist theory of the origin of Kyiv Rus crumbles. Surprisingly, even the greatest authority in linguistics, Vladimir Dahl, arrived exactly at the same conclusion that it was Kyiv that created Novgorod.
That is the reason Novgorod was the Democratic Republic – it had the same spirit of the Veche supplanted in it by Kyiv. That freedom angered autocratic Muscovy and it simply annihilated the whole city with its population. They Fought Each Other for Unity Oxymoron >
Those looking for more facts and details, read ‘Kyiv Rus in Heimskringla Sagas and Byzantine Texts‘ book a shorter version ‘Gardariki, Ukraine‘ e-book.
