The article is devoted to the Baptism of Rus and the role of Prince Vladimir. The author argues that spiritual reasons behind the Baptism were key. Furthermore, the author argues that there was no fusion of Christianity with paganism; rather, in medieval Russian society separate cultural strata co-existed. The author highlights the unique aspects of the veneration of Sts. Boris and Gleb in Rus. According the author, the image of Prince Vladimir in the chronicles to a large extent dependent on the political and didactic motives of the chroniclers.