>>Isn't it true that the actual word "Russia" comes from a viking word (for "red"?), as the vikings sailed right into what is now Russia and settled?

No. AFAIK the opposite way. Rus is the name the Slavs gives to area that was populated by the others.
Have a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia.
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>I wouldn't know. The only remaining word in Serbian is "rus" - meaning "blonde" (adj), but it's quite archaic, remained in a single folk song that I know of. But then "belorus" would mean "white blonde", and "malorus" - "little blonde" or "weakly blonde". Don't know whether this has any substance to it, just my conjecture.