The cossack's invasion of Muscovy has been described by Ukrainian historian Valery Smolyi as "not the best page of Sahaidachny biography". Sahaidachy and his cossacks had been positioning themselves as supporters of the Orthodox Christianity and potential allies of Muscovy. However, they left the "bloody trace" which extended from Livny to Moscow and back to Kaluga and Kyiv. In research of Russian, Ukrainian and American historians Cossacks have been blamed for destroying and robbing of Orthodox churches, cities, villages, killing children and women, who belonged to Orthodox (Greek) Christianity.