Did Vikings found the Russian state?

NARRATOR: In the 11th century Nestor, a monk, wrote down the legend of the founding of Russia. In his chronicle he maintains that a Viking named Rurik was the first king of Russia, an unbelievable and almost heretical notion. To date no archaeological evidence has been found that would confirm Rurik's existence. However, in Sweden archaeologists have come across clues that hint at a connection between Scandinavia and Russia at that time. Did a Viking found of the Russian state? Historians term this argument the Normanist Theory.

VOLODYMYR KOVALENKO: "In the Soviet Union the Normanists had a gag order put on them. Today, on the other hand, no serious historian doubts the Scandinavian origins of the Rurik dynasty. The Vikings were instrumental in the founding of that state. At that time there was no Iron Curtain, no borders. Europe was simply one large land mass, people could care less where they lived."

NARRATOR: The archaeologists find a woman's corpse in Sweden. Her head is facing downwards as if someone had pushed it into the earth. The archaeologists asks themselves if this was done to silence her forever. The position of her limbs is also noteworthy. Her arms are crossed behind her back. Was she perhaps bound and buried? This find raises many questions for the researchers.

Researchers study the back teeth from the woman's corpse in the lab. They contain traces of her DNA. They hope to ascertain her origins using her genetic code. The results are a sensation. The dead woman is not a Scandinavian but of Russian extraction. Reference data from the Volga region correspond exactly to her DNA. Does this prove the Normanist Theory? Did Rurik the Viking, founder of the Russian state, really exist? What drove the Norsemen to the east, a journey into a vast and unknown land? Why did they venture out onto the dangerous seas to get to Russia?

EVGENI NOSOV: "The initial aim for the Scandinavians, for the Swedes who came to this region, it was silver, to be nearer to the sources of silver, to be nearer to the trade with the east, to be nearer in this exchange."

NARRATOR: The Monastery of the Caves in Kiev - martyrs and saints were buried in these underground catacombs. The monk Nestor is among those buried here. After his death other monks continued his chronicle. The annals also mention two Christian Vikings who were buried here. Perhaps this is the place where the final piece of the Normanist Theory puzzle rests.