Oleg existed only for one aggrandizement of his country, which he sought to accomplish without scruple, so far as means to his end were concerned. He had but one purpose at heart, and that was to make a greater Russia. He was a tyrant, a soldier and brute.
His capital was at Novgorod, called "The Great," but as he observed that the city of Kief had a milder climate and was farther advanced in civilization, he decided to move.
There was a little difficulty in the way, because it did not belong to his dominions, being under the rulership of another family of princes. He resolved to remove them from his path. Under a pretense of making a treaty, he drew them into an ambuscade and, capturing them, had them put to death. Proud of this nefarious crime, he issued a proclamation in which he declared, "Let Kief henceforth be the mother of all Russian cities." In accordance with his words it remained the capital of the empire for three hundred and fifty years.
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From General Nelson A. Miles
Thrilling Stories of The Russian-Japanese War, 1904
