About the book: 2014 / The book is devoted to the analysis of sources and modern points of view on the issue of the formation of the Old Russian State. The entire complex of written and archaeological sources on the genesis of the East Slavic state is considered. The work presents theoretical aspects of the concept of the state, the causes and ways of its emergence. A number of problems - the role of the Scandinavian element, the hypothesis of the existence of a “northern confederation of tribes” and the “Russian Khaganate” - are examined against the broad background of international relations of the early medieval period.