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Ok, sorry if the title is strange, I just couldn't word it right.

I'm not knowledgeable about the Slavic expasion in the 7th/10th centuries, but my impression was that the Eastern Slavic peoples (which became the Russians, Belarusians, Ukranians, etc.) assimilated the indigenous Finno-Ugric peoples in what today is northwestern Russia - Mordvins, Samoyeds, Permians, and even Karelians (which seemed to be the most populous group). Today, with the obvious exception of Hungary and Finland, they are minorities inside Slavic states (mainly Russia)

So, with any PoD you want between 600 - 1100 C.E., how can I get those native peoples to form significant and lasting independent polities? I mean, forming kingdoms and perhaps expading south and west. Did they had populational constraints in comparison with the Slavs? I suppose the climate was extremely unfavorable for populational development.

My bet is the curbing of the expansion of Kievan Rus' and Novgorod, which formed the dominant powers in the region. After this, we how could we get expressive Finnic polities in the Volga and the Baltic regions (which I imagine are the most fertile and welcoming regions)?

I'm not sure what to do with Finland regarding the Swedish expansion. Perhaps Sweden instead of outright annexation prefers a soft hegemony?

If you want a map reference:

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