The book offered to the reader is devoted to one of the most difficult issues of the formation of Kievan Rus - the question of the vocation of the Varangians and their ethnic origin. The author analyzes the 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 cites evidence that the Varangians were Slavs and came from behind Lake Ilmen, where they moved from the South Baltic states long before that. As appendices, the book includes articles in which the author analyzes the history of the northern Slavs until the time of Rurik, referring to Nestor's Tale of Bygone Years, Icelandic sagas and other sources, touches on the problem of the "Slavic" Huns, and also considers some other private issues.