From wiki, about origins of the "Rus people" etc. Kiev was the center of the Kievan Rus culture, said to be the origin of Russian culture, over 1000 years ago. There are various versions of the history, but most agree that people from Sweden, Vikings, were involved. The very term "Russia," from "Rus" is derived from Scandinavian influence.
"Slavic sources[edit]
According to the earliest East Slavic record, the Primary Chronicle, the Rus' were a group of Varangians among others like Swedes and Gutes who lived on the other side of the Baltic Sea, in Scandinavia and as far as the land of the English and the French.[9] The Varangians were first expelled, then invited to rule the warring Slavic and Finnic tribes of Novgorod:
The four tribes who had been forced to pay tribute to the Varangians—Chuds, Slavs, Merians, and Krivichs drove the Varangians back beyond the sea, refused to pay them further tribute, and set out to govern themselves. But there was no law among them, and tribe rose against tribe. Discord thus ensued among them, and they began to war one against the other. They said to themselves, "Let us seek a prince who may rule over us, and judge us according to custom". Thus they went overseas to the Varangians, to the Rus. These particular Varangians were known as Rus, just as some are called Swedes, and others Normans and Angles, and still others Gutes, for they were thus named. The Chuds, the Slavs, the Krivichs and the Veps then said to the Rus, "Our land is great and rich, but there is no order in it. Come reign as princes, rule over us". Three brothers, with their kinfolk, were selected. They brought with them all the Rus and migrated.
—The Primary Chronicle[11]
Later, the Primary Chronicle tells us, they conquered Kiev and created the state of Kievan Rus' (which, as most historians agree,[citation needed] was preceded by the Rus' Khaganate). The territory they conquered was named after them as were, eventually, the local people (see Etymology of Rus and derivatives for further details)."