Vasily Vasilievsky, who was the first to publish this manuscript in the 19th century, reasoned that the core of the narrative might stem from the Early Middle Ages, reflecting a vague memory of some 10th-century Russo-Byzantine conflict.
Among those historians who view Bravlin as a historical figure, Nikolay Belyaev attempted to trace in his fanciful name some allusion to the Battle of Bravalla (770).
Anyway, the name Bravlin is obviously of non-Slavic origin and may be attributed only to Vikings who at that time represented a serious force on ancient Slavic lands.
Alexander Vasiliev discarded the account of this campaign as a typical pious legend, whose interest is purely literary rather than historical.
Constantine Zuckerman casts further doubts on the historicity of Bravlin and his raid against the Crimea.