The book offered to the reader is devoted to one of the most difficult issues in the formation of Kievan Rus - the question of the calling of the Varangians and their ethnic origin. The author analyzes primary sources and comments on the works of his predecessors, in particular N. M. Karamzin, and also presents the results of his own research on this topic. He provides evidence that the Varangians were Slavs and came from beyond Lake Ilmen, where they moved from the Southern Baltic region long before. As appendices, the book includes articles in which the author examines the history of the Northern Slavs before the time of Rurik, referring to Nestor’s “Tale of Bygone Years,” Icelandic sagas and other sources, touches on the problem of the “Slavs” of the Huns, and also examines some other particular issues. The book It is recommended both for specialist historians, especially Slavists, and for a wide range of readers interested in ancient Russian history.