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# Svyatoslav's druzhina, the first professional army of Rus, in Putin's address
- URL: https://theparnassian.com/en/v-svoem-obrashchenii-putin-vspomnil-druzhinnikov-sviatoslava-i-vladimira-monomakha/
- Published: 2022-05-09T07:36:24.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-02T18:58:14.000Z
- Author: Alexandr Radayev
- Tags: Observations, Society

In his address Putin recalled the druzhina of Sviatoslav and Vladimir Monomakh. What made Sviatoslav's druzhina famous? In essence, it was the first professionally organised military formation of Rus'. Moreover, Sviatoslav recruited his retainers on the Spartan principle: they joined the druzhina from their earliest years, grew up and were hardened together, and what chiefly set them apart, besides the absence of any trace of a militia, was their lack of fuss and their readiness to move at a moment's notice. The chronicle says of Sviatoslav's druzhina: "And stepping lightly, like a pardus (i.e. a leopard), he waged many wars." Indeed, Sviatoslav's army moved quickly, was not weighed down with provisions and tents, and had many victories behind it, beginning with the conquest of the Khazars.