Slavery and Bondage in Central Asia and Russia

Over the long run, the history of bondage in Russia and Eurasia provides useful insights on the link between overall forms of bondage and war captives, on the one hand, and slavery on the other hand. Two main sources are usually mentioned in studies on ancient, medieval and modern slavery: debt (widely conceived as a form of individual and/or social obligation) and capture by war parties or belligerent armies. Roughly speaking, the first is somewhat internal to a given society while the second is generated through transgression of territorial boundaries. ²