To answer this question, you should turn to the history of the settlement of Slavic peoples in Eastern Europe. In addition, it should be borne in mind that today there is no clear answer to what pre-Christian Rus was, where its roots are and how it developed at that time.
One of the most common versions is that around the 5th century Slavic tribes came to the Dnieper basin. Here for several centuries, the Slavic community was divided into two large groups: Eastern Slavs and Western. At the place of settlement of the Eastern Slavs , the process of folding the Old Russian nationality began, which lasted up to 9-10 centuries. By the time it takes, this process should be considered the period of the existence of a historical phenomenon - pre-Christian Russia.
The most important and most cited source for this historical period is The Tale of Bygone Years - an outstanding monument of world cultural heritage sets the geographical limits of the settlement of the Slavs, on which pre-Christian Russia was formed. This range extended from Taman and the Dniester in the south and west, to the Northern Dvina and the middle reaches of the Dnieper in the north and east. the origin of the term "Rus" also has many different historical interpretations. Thus, the alleged author of The Tale ..., the chronicler Nestor, indicates that this word has Scandinavian roots, because it was introduced by the Varangian horsemen and warriors, who at that time appeared in Russia due to the active movement along the path "from the Varangians to the Greeks".
This concept was undeniable until the 18th century, until the great Lomonosov put forward a version about the origin of this name from the Ross River, which flows on the southern borders of the distribution area. Another concept was proposed by O.N. Trubachev, who suggests that the basis of the words Rus and Russia is the Indo-European root, and therefore its appearance should be attributed to the period of the Great Migration of Peoples.
Until our time, very little evidence has been preserved that can shed light on the problem of how Russia appeared, how it developed, what historical factors caused this development. The most common sources are household items, some surviving drawings and images, the remains of dwellings and buildings of worship. Only a few fragments that were discovered during excavations in Novgorod, Brest, Pskov and some other places testify to the sculpture of pre-Christian Russia. And from the stone monuments until the 80s of the twentieth century, only one was known at all - the Zbruch idol. Information about pre-Christian culture is provided by excavations of the temples, which everywhere accompany the places of resettlement of the Eastern Slavs. Numerous testimonies have been found in these shrines and temples, which indicate that pre-Christian Russia is familiar with casting, ceramics, and the art of enamels.
In the field of public relations, the Rusichs sought to establish relations with other peoples, with some of these relations developed quite neighborly. One way or another, Rusich fought with other Russians, all of these circumstances contributed to the formation of statehood. Russian rulers, like others, are beginning to actively use religion and its institutions, especially the church, to maintain their power. In Russia, the Orthodox branch of Christianity was chosen as a religious support, the circumstances of the appearance of which are still still not a fully clarified fact. However, the fact that the date of Vladimir’s proposed baptism almost coincides with the date of signing a political agreement with Byzantium, which was reinforced by the marriage of Vladimir to the sister of the Byzantine emperor, makes it possible to argue that this fact should be considered a chronological boundary of the end of the pre-Christian era in Russia.
Kievan Rus, one of the most powerful and largest European states of its time, is entering the geopolitical stage.