Principality of Smolensk
The Russians, the most numerous cultural descendants of the ancient Rus', retain the name ("russkie") for their ethnicity, while the name of their state, "Rus'," was gradually replaced by its Greek transliteration "Rossia." The Russian population dominates the former territory of Muscovy, Vladimir Rus', the Grand Principality of Smolensk, the Novgorod Republic, and the Pskov Republic; they also constitute a significant minority in Ukraine and Belarus.