Russian chronicles often mention the people who lived on the borders of the southern Russian principalities - along the Sea of Azov and the Don. These people were called "wanderers". And they were constant participants in conflicts between princes, as well as clashes with the Polovtsy.
Generally speaking, the Brodniks are mentioned not only in the Russian chronicles of the XII-XIII centuries, but also in the works of Byzantine authors, as well as in European documents. But it is clear that in Russia they knew much more about them, since the roaming people were neighbors. However, the mention of other peoples in the documents may indicate that for some time they played a significant role in the politics of that time.
The most famous episode associated with this people relates to the Battle of Kalka in 1223. The Brodniks, led by their leader Ploskyny, went over to the side of the Mongols. It was Ploskynya who persuaded the Kiev prince Mstislav Romanovich to leave the fortified camp, which the Mongols could not take for several days.
It is difficult to say whether Ploskynya was deceiving, or whether he sincerely believed that the Mongols would not break their promises not to touch the prince and his squad. One way or another, Mstislav Romanovich and his soldiers were killed immediately after they left the camp.
Nothing is known about the reasons that prompted the Brodniks to go over to the side of the Mongols. The further fate of Ploskin and his people is also unknown.
Generally speaking, some researchers believe that it was a Slavic-Turkic ethnos. Apparently, the wanderers led a nomadic lifestyle. They did not leave any material and written traces after themselves - with the exception of mentions in the annals of neighboring peoples. And the rise of the Golden Horde had fatal consequences for the rovers. After the XIII century, this people is no longer mentioned in historical chronicles.