Who did the Vikings encounter in what we know as the Ukraine?🇺🇦

Vikings in Ukraine—commonly called Varangians or the Rus—primarily encountered East Slavic tribes, such as the Polyans, Severians, and Drevlians, along with nomadic Turkic peoples, including the Pechenegs and Khazars.

Specific groups they met include:
East Slavs:
The largest group in the region. The Vikings traded with, ruled over, and eventually blended with these tribes to form the medieval state of Kyivan Rus'.
The Drevlians:
A powerful Slavic tribe. They had a tense relationship with the early Rus'. They famously killed the Viking ruler Prince Igor of Kyiv in 945 over a dispute about taxes.
The Pechenegs:
A fierce nomadic Turkic group that controlled the southern Ukrainian steppes. The Vikings frequently fought them to keep vital trade routes to the Black Sea open.
The Khazars:
Another powerful semi-nomadic Turkic people. Early Viking rulers of Kyiv, like Prince Oleg, fought and defeated the Khazars to gain control of local trade.
Finno-Ugric Tribes:
Indigenous groups living in the northern and eastern fringes of the region. They were integrated into the early Kyivan Rus' federation alongside the Vikings and Slavs.

To learn more, you can read more about the early days of Kyivan Rus and how the Vikings transformed the region.