The Mongols also cut off what later became Russia from mainstream European civilization. The Kievan Rus was integrated enough to have Vladimir the Great’s granddaughter Anna of Kiev marry King Henry I of France. So actually Felipe Vi, the current King of Spain, is a direct descendant of Vladimir the Great and therefore of Rurik. But under the “Tatar Yoke” Russian culture became more authoritarian. Ivan the Terrible saw himself as a Genghis Khsn type more than as a European King.
This post is a very good illustration of the underlying force that influences a lot of Putin’s attitude and behavior toward Ukraine and total war. It also indicates a lot of the background the Russian people bring to their attitude toward Putin.