Of greater importance are the small streams which feed Lakes Ladoga and onega, because they connect Central Russia with the Baltic Sea by means of the Neva.
"The Story of Russia"
R. Van Bergen
Meanwhile the emperor of Constantinople was dead; his successor, John Zimisces was a very different man, who preferred having a weak Bulgarian ruler as his neighbor, instead of an empire which, even at that time, extended from Lakes Ladoga and onega to the Balkans.
"The Story of Russia"
R. Van Bergen