What do Russian and Old Slavonic have in common?

Is Old Slavonic a direct ancestor of the Russian language? What are its origins and who spoke it? We debunk all the myths that you might frequently meet in Slavophile internet sources and discussions. Judging by how often online users engage in discussing the complexities, subtleties and the future fate of the Russian language, the latter presents quite a lively interest for its speakers. Sometimes, there are quite heated debates about its history, as well. At the same time, not all participants in these discussions have the relevant education or remember what they were taught in Russian lessons at school, so there is often some confusion in concepts and terms. Most people have heard of the ‘Old Slavonic’ language and since it is “old” and “Slavonic” (like Russian itself), they assume that it must be the direct ancestor of the “great and mighty” Russian language. There are also those who believe that Old Slavonic is the language of church books that are used in church services to this day. Let’s find out what the real relationship between Russian and Old Slavonic is.