Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Paphlagonian expedition of the Rus' refers to a raid on cities along the Propontis and the coastal region of Paphlagonia described in the Life of Saint George of Amastris. This event marks the first known contact between the Rus' and the Byzantine Empire according to historical records.
Scholars have variously dated the Paphlagonian expedition of the Rus' to the 830s, with specific proposals including the years 825 or 830 by Vasily Vasilievsky. Other researchers argue for dates as early as 818 or 819 while some suggest it occurred later during the period of Iconoclasm before 842.
Vasily Vasilievsky published the text in 1893 and attributed it to Ignatios the Deacon who lived between ca. 775 and ca. 848. Alexander Vasiliev argued that Emperor Theophilus provided safe conduct for the Rus' through Frankish lands via his embassy to Louis the Pious of 839.
The expedition targeted cities on the Propontis which is also known as the Sea of Marmara before turning eastward to raid Paphlagonia. When the Rus' fell upon the city of Amastris the intercession of St. George helped the inhabitants survive the raid.
This hagiographic work serves as the primary historical record for the Paphlagonian expedition of the Rus'. It stands as the earliest written record of the migration of the Rus' into southeastern Europe and provides the only substantial evidence for the existence of this specific campaign.