Mr. Shoumatoff makes a tiresome mistake in an otherwise excellent, detailed and well-written article. Neither Moscow nor Russia existed at the time of the Kievan Empire. The Muscovites under Peter I appropriated the name Rus from their elder neighbour Ruthenians in the early 18th century—-along with a coveted chunk of their history and culture. There is no justifiable basis for the continuity the author is stretching for.
