MOTHER RUSSIA

My maternal DNA reaches far into the past, finally finding a place of birth and ultimately the start of a great journey. My mother descends directly from Rurik. The Rurik Dynasty was the first and longest-ruling dynasty in Russian history, reigning for over 700 years.  Founded by Rurik, a Varangian (Viking) chieftain, in 862, they established Kievan Rus', the first unified Russian state.  The dynasty's rule extended until 1598, when it transitioned to the Romanov Dynasty. His influence centred on what we know as Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The dissolution of the USSR - namely Ukraine breaking away as an independent republic, was never going to end well. Crimea was just an inevitability. Russia has officially declared its conditions for ending the war, according to MFA Lavrov in an interview with a Brazilian newspaper:  1. Demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine;  2. Ukraine must not join NATO;  3. International recognition of the annexation of Crimea, Do...