The article describes the main stages of the life of the Grand Duke of Kiev Svyatoslav Igorevich an outstanding commander of the Russian early middle Ages. In many ways, thanks to his military and military leadership activities, the military security of Kievan Rus was ensured and conditions were created for its formation and development as one of the leading States of the world community of that time. The most important activity of Svyatoslav was participation in campaigns and wars. Having

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... ed in 964 965 years the Khazar khanate, which for centuries threatened the security of the old Russian state, Svyatoslav in the framework of his famous Danube campaigns tried to establish the state jurisdiction of Kievan Rus in the Balkan Peninsula, entering into confrontation with the Byzantine Empire. This was the cause of another RussianByzantine war. For a number of reasons the purpose of the trips was not achieved, and Svyatoslav was compelled, in agreement with the Byzantine Emperor I. Tzimiskes, to stop military actions in Bulgaria and to withdraw Russian troops from the Balkan Peninsula. The peace Treaty concluded at the same time fully took into account the interests of Kievan Rus in the Balkans. All this testified to the role and importance, which gained the old Russian state during the reign of Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich, named N. Karamzin Alexander the great of ancient Russian history. And only the tragic death of Svyatoslav in April 972 on the Dnieper rapids did not allow to take full advantage of the results of his military and political activities. Nevertheless, his plans to expand the territory of the old Russian state were further developed in the policy of collecting land, which became from the beginning of the XV century an imperative for the development of Russian statehood. This is the most important role of the state activity of the Grand Duke of Kiev Svyatoslav