Abstract. The article is devoted to a comprehensive study of the Hunnic invasion of the III–IV centuries A.D. as a key factor in the transformation of the ethnopolitical map of Eastern Europe. The relevance of the research is due to the need to understand the underlying causes of the decline of the ancient structures of the region and the subsequent rise of the Slavs. The purpose of the study is to identify the mechanisms of mutual influence of the Hunnic expansion, the disintegration of multiethnic communities and the subsequent consolidation of East Slavic tribes. The object of the study is the processes of destruction of multiethnic communities, migration of nomadic and settled tribes. The methodology is based on a comparative analysis of archaeological data, written sources and historiographical concepts. The results of the study show that the invasion of the Huns led to serious consequences: the defeat of the Alans and Goths, the destruction of trade routes and cities, the disintegration of archaeological communities and the formation of a ‘cultural vacuum” in the Dnieper region. This destroyed the ties of Roman influence in the region and the ancient multiethnic structures, but created the conditions for the emergence of proto-state associations of the Eastern Slavs. Cultural synthesis with the Varangians and the legacy of the pre-Hunnic cultures laid the foundation of Ancient Russia. The legends about the founding ancestors testify to the Slavs' awareness of their common origin. The conclusions emphasize the crucial role of the Hunnic invasion in the formation of Russian statehood.

Keywords: statehood, proto-state, invasion of the Huns, Slavs, Goths, Sarmatians, Normans, Ancient Rus, archetype, Chernyakhovskaya culture.