This episode starts a short series considering the early Rus with a look at where Rus began.

The final part of this mini-series looks at the first tentative steps of Scandinavian travelers into the East.

Read the blog post here: https://therussianempirehistorypodcast.com/episode-123-before-the-rus-part-iii-scandinavians-in-the-northern-forest

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An introduction to one of the biggest controversies in Russian and Ukrainian history - who were the Rus?

Continuing our survey before the Rus with a look at the eastern part of the region. The Bulgars reach the central Volga, Magyars move south, Khazar power preventing new incursions from the steppe starts to crumble.

Read the episode blog post: https://therussianempirehistorypodcast.com/blog/episode-121-before-the-rus-part-ii-bulgars-chuvash-pechenegs-magyars

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This episode begins a look across the region as it transitions from antiquity to the early medieval period. 

Read the episode blog post: https://therusianempirehistorypodcast.com/blog/episode-20-before-the-rus-part-i

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The Khazars began as Byzantium’s closest allies, sealed with the marriage of the khagan’s daughter to the emperor’s son. But one decision by the Khazars turned them into enemies.

Read the episode blog post: https://therussianempirehistorypodcast.com/blog/episode-119-from-friends-to-enemies

I’m joined in this episode by Russian historian Alexander Etkind, author of the 2013 book Internal Colonisation to discuss whether the Russian Federation actually could, or, indeed, should break up.

Read the episode blog post here: https://therussianempirehistorypodcast.com/blog/special-episode-4-the-russian-federation-could-it-will-it-should-it-break-up-with-alexander-etkind

The Khazar Khaganate was the first steppe empire in the west that had an economy capable of self-sufficiency. In this episode, we look at the development of agriculture by Slavs and steppe settlers in the black earth region of the forest-steppe belt, and other regional economies of Khazaria.

Read the episode blog post at https://therussianempirehistorypodcast.com/blog/episode-118-time-to-settle-down-the-domestic-economy-of-the-khaza

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With the collapse of the Western Turk Empire, a new Khaganate appears. Soon they will face the might of the expanding Caliphate.

Read the episode blog post here: https://therussianempirehistorypodcast.com/blog/episode-117-the-rise-of-the-khazars-and-the-arab-khazar-wars