Vikings in the East

""How did Viking raiders in the ninth century shape the geopolitics of the twenty-first? As this lively but carefully researched book shows, the origins of what are now both Russia and Ukraine are to be found in the often larger-than-life adventures and ambitions of Norse freebooters who even raided as far as distant Constantinople."" Professor Mark Galeotti, author of A Short History of Russia, Forged in War: A Military History of Russia from its Beginnings to Today and Putin's Wars: From Chechnya to Ukraine ""In this timely and important book, Martyn Whittock makes the history of the Kyivan Rus - the Vikings of the East of his title - accessible for the first time to a wider audience. In engaging prose, he brings to life the deep historical roots of present conflicts over Ukraine and Crimea. This is essential reading for anyone interested in the medieval history of the region and how this has been manipulated in the hands of modern politicians."" Professor Levi Roach, University of Exeter ""When DNA testing became more available in Eastern Europe, many were amazed to find that they had Icelandic progenitors. This was the Viking/Slav inheritance, wickedly invoked by Vladimir Putin as a reason for war to reunite Russia and Ukraine. The story of the Rus settlement at Kiev and all the raiding, pillaging and enslaving that followed is a fascinating tale but serves as the foundation myth of Mother Russia. Here it is told with verve and accuracy, in a book that casts light on a dark corner of the globe."" Geoffrey Robertson KC, author of The Trial of Vladimir Putin