Annales Bertiani ei mainitse Venäjää eikä viikinkejä. Heikki Kirkinen lienee tulkinnut mainitut rhosit venäläisiksi tai viikingeiksi.Veikko Palvo kirjoitti: Prof. Heikki Kirkinen sanoo Venäjän historiassaan ( s.37 ) "Varhaisin kirjallinen tieto Venäjän viikinkirusseista on Annales Bertiniani - kronikassa, joka kertoo, että v.839 Bysantin lähetystö vei mukanaan Ludvig Hurskaan luo Venäjältä saapuneen lähetystön, jonka jäsenet kertoivat olevansa r u s s e j a, mutta ei alkuaan Venäjältä." Ludvig Hurskaan kirjoitetaan suhtautuneen ´russiviikinkeihin´ väheksyvästi pitäen heitä vain jonkinlaisina tiedustelijoina, olivathan viikingit tehneet ryöstöretkiä mm. nyk. Pariisiin ja Länsi-Eurooppaan.
Englanninnos Brertian Annals-tekstistä kuuluu näin:
"Envoys from the Greeks also came, sent by the Emperor Theophilus, namely Theodo- sius, bishop and metropolitan of Chalcedon, and the [imperial] swordbearer Theophan- ius, who together with the worthy gifts from the Emperor also delivered a letter...
Along with them he also sent some men who called themselves, i.e. the people to whom they belonged, Rhos. Their king, by the name of Chagan, had sent them to him out of friendship, so they said; and he in the said letter asked that they with the good permission and support of the [Frankish] Emperor be allowed to return home through his realm with- out danger, since the roads by which they had come to Constantinople had led through barbarian and most ferocious peoples and he did not want them to use these on the return journey lest they expose themselves to danger. Through a more thorough investigation of the reasons for their journey the Emperor found that they belonged to the people of the Swedes (eos gentis esse Sueonum); and as it seemed to him that they were spies in his and our realm rather than peace envoys, he decided to keep them by him until it could be ascertained for sure whether they had come in earnest purpose or not. This he at once in- formed Theophilus of in a letter through his envoys, and also that he out of friendship for him would gladly take care of (susceperit) these men, and leave them to go home with his support, as soon as they proved themselves dependable and an opportunity arose for re- turning to their fatherland. Otherwise, he would send them back to him together with en- voys from us, in order that he himself decide what to do with suchlike."
Kuvauksen perusteella rhosit eivät sanoneet olevansa svealaisia, vaan rhoseja. Frankit epäilivät heidän olevan svealaisia ja vakoilijoita. Frankit lupaavat päässä rhosit menemään kun heidän luotettavuutensa selviää, joten vakoilu ja svealaisuus ei ollut varmaa.
Termi "Through a more thorough investigation" saatta viitata poltinrautoihin ja venytyspenkkeihin, jotka käsittääkseni olivat aikakauden tavallisia kuulusteluvälineitä, ja joiden avulla kuulusteltava saadaan tunnustamaan mitä tahansa.