Concise Russian history for a traveler

Ancient Russia
The decline of Kiev. The hegemony of the prince of Kiev depended on the importance of the southern trade, which began to decline in the late 11th century. By the middle of the 12th century, the major principalities, owing to the prosperity and colonization of the Kievan period, had developed into independent political and economical units.

In 1223, when the first Mongol reconnaissance into former Kievan territory led to the disastrous defeat of the local army, the Rurikid principalities had for generations been intermittently at war. Kiev was in ruins, and Vladimir-Suzdal, apparently the leading principality, was unable to resist the finely organized and skillful mounted bowmen of the steppe, the greatest military force of the age. While the former capitals were destroyed by the Golden Horde, new centers, such as Moscow, hardly mentioned in any source before the Mongol period, arose and came to a position of preeminence during the 14th century and were best equipped to enter the struggle for the political inheritance.

In the early 15th century Moscow emerged as the leader of the Russian territory.
Rurikid Moscow

Ivan III. The "gatherings of the Russian lands," as it has been traditionally known, became under Ivan a conscious and irresistible drive by Moscow to annex all East Slavic lands – the Belorussian and Ukrainian regions. Ivan’s son Vasily, who came to the throne in 1505, greatly strengthened the monarchy. He completed the annexation of Russian territories with absorption of Pskov and Ryazan and began the advance into non-Russian territories (Smolensk).