Hi!
I happened to notice an article of Hildegard Scylding. It describes the Norse people whitch operated in Great Svitjud and then some of them was hired as elit soldiers by the East Roman Emperor under name of Varangians.
In my opinion we still don´t know who the Rus was for sure. The only sure is that they were norse. But notice that the Rus rule in Great Svitjud was ended in the middle of the 1000th century by another elite-family. We don´t know who they were too, but Pritsak in his book claims that they should be of Norwegian Carismatic origin, and may be bystanded of a familyelement in eastern Sweden someware. You have to notice that the name Rus is probably the name of the specific elite-family who led the Norse when the Norse started controling Great Svitjud. As I remember it, the cronicles separate the Norse from the Rus.
Note that when Ruric get the offer from the probably slavic group of leaders, Ruric and his family already lives in an area south of the Lake of Peijpus, as some of the chronicles is said. Interesting is that in the specified place there is a lot of elite graves (of curgan type) and they contains archeoligical remains which rather look like graves from island of Gutland in the Baltic sea.
In the article of Hildegard Scylding is mentioned the word Varangians after the name of Norse elite soldiers hired by the East Roman Emperor. Those soldiers was by the way probably at the time the best trained soldiers in Europe. From various cronicles put together in the former Norse ruled towns, it is said, but still not really proved, that from about 950 every 4 year about 6000 soldiers arrived to the Kiev rulers disposal, probably but not proved, from the Baltic area and Norway. When they arrived in Kiev area, another group of 6000 left Kiev and went on to the East Roman Emperor to be hired for 4 years. Well trained in battles in Great Svitjud. It is documented in Constantinopl that they was training every day, which not ordinary soldiers did. Also notice that at the time it starts, in about 950, the Norse in Great Svitjud had threatened Constantinopl with a great fleet.
At the time the biggest town in Europe was Constantinopel, and the second town after was Kiev, ruled by the Norse. And at least the nine greatest towns in Europe, next to Constantinopel and Kiev was situated in Great Svitjud and ruled by the Norse. Rome was a small town compare to those towns, not mentioning London, Paris, Cologne, Venetzia, Genua and likewize. And the economies ofcourse was of a dignity compared to mentioned towns at the time.
Varangians in Swedish stands for Varjag or Väring. But interesting is that there seems to exist a people ( it is said that there is remains of about 1500 settlements in the area) in northerrn Norway round the Varanger bay which should be called The Varangians if the name of the bay is so old you may suppose it is. There is also an old trade town about 40 km south of present town of Archangelsk. I have seen an information that this town is started som time about 400, but have never got it confirmed. If it is true, that place is the oldest townlike place in the Norse region (Baltic sea). Look at a map and notice how near the way from Varanger is to the great markets in Great Svitjud and Constantinopel area further south, compared with the atlantic alternative. Excavations is in progress. If you follow the river further south and cross the land to pass over to those river systems leading southwest (Novgorod Area) or east (Volga river area), you will pass through a lot of those places Ruric is said to take controle over when the Rus start their ruling at first. One of those places is by the way Moscow, and under Kremlin the first castle is of Norse typ with a lot of Norse remains (confirmed by excavations).

If you look at the overall archeological remains in the hole Norse region from an ECONOMIC perspective, there is only one region up to the time of 1200, which present serious economic remains, and that i the island of Gutland. Even if official Swedish historians claim that "The Gutic Coasts", as they called themselves in official agreements with the GERMAN EMPEROR, his dukes and so on and other states (and NOT the Swedish government at the time), that Gutland is ruled by the Swedes. They were defeted by a danish king in 1361 and after that their economic strenght declined and they were occupied several times by Danish or Swedish troops and became Swedish some time round 1600. The first nordic trade republic probably from about 700, when a lot af trade posts over all Baltic see area is started by Gutic people.