Short answers, pulled from the story.
Rus trading activities along the Volga trade route began as early as the end of the 8th century. The route lost its importance by the 11th century due to the decline of silver output in the Abbasid caliphate.
Varangian settlers established a community called Ladola near the Volkhov River entry into Lake Ladoga in the early 9th century. This settlement served as the northern anchor for a vast commercial network stretching southward to the Caspian Sea.
Merchants brought furs, honey, and slaves through territory held by Finnic and Permian tribes down to the land of the Volga Bulgars. Many experts believe that the Volga trade route provided the Vikings with valuable crucible steel from the Middle East.
The capital Atil of the Khazar Khaganate was a busy entrepot on the shore of the Caspian Sea. Merchants continued their journey from there via the Volga to reach the Khazar Khaganate during the 9th and 10th centuries.
The Volga trade route lost its importance by the 11th century due to the decline of silver output in the Abbasid caliphate. The trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks gained more weight during this period.