To: Maurice Winn who wrote (105315 ) 3/29/2014 11:47:37 AM From: Haim R. Branisteanu Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 219983 Always believe RT, it is a tradition since Kiev Rus, Rurik dynasty times to tell only the truth. - See how the Ruriks conquered by trickery the settlement of Kiev at the time in response to your post, to my previous post, It seems that it was also my mistake of expression – I meant that character traits are hereditary, and so are heritage and national pride (which to me plain idiotic) instilled by the ruling group controlling a country. In his speech Putin recalled Kiev as the “place where Russia was born” – well kind of a Jerusalem for Jews and Beith Lehem for Christianity. Well as a reminder Kiev was conquered by trickery by the Rurik clan by Oleg the varangian with Igor son of Rurik en.wikipedia.org and en.wikipedia.org for the simple reason to force the Slavic tribes in the region to pay “tribute” to the Rurik clan and enable them to plunder the surrounding villages all the way to the Volga and to the Caspian sea,(which was the Khazar state at that time en.wikipedia.org ) and later her son en.wikipedia.org the neighboring countries and grandson en.wikipedia.org who under his reign the medieval Rus' saw persecutions against Christians. At the end he was the one establishing the Russian Orthodox Church. Killing for power between siblings was common practice within the Rurik Dynasty Starting with Sviatoslav 3 sons Oleg , Yaropolk ,and Vlodimir The Drevlians (a Slavic tribe) sent twenty of their best men to persuade Olga to marry their Prince Mal and give up her rule of Kievan Rus. She had them buried alive . The founders of the Kiev Rus which unfortunate are so reveled by today Russians (please read carefully again what type of people are admired in today Russia) Ivan the Terrible en.wikipedia.org was also of the same Rurik dynasty about 600 years later (having 7 or 8 consecutive wives) and due to intermarriage of the clan many offspring’s of the Rurik clan where born with various deficiencies like Ivan son Feodor Ivanovich who was intellectually disabled. If I recall he murdered his own ohter son and installed the Oprichnina the predecessor of Cheka, NKVD, KGB, and now FSB