The statement that is TRUE of the Russian Empire is: "Russian society was highly influenced by the Byzantine Empire and Orthodox Christianity."
The other statements are incorrect:
- Ivan IV, also known as Ivan the Terrible, was not known for being kind and benevolent; rather, he was known for his brutal reign and expansion of the empire through military conquests, not trade negotiations.
- The Russian Empire was not decimated by the Mongols in the 1500s; the Mongol influence and rule over Russia had actually declined by that time.
- The peasants were not known as boyars; boyars were the noble class in Russia, and they did not democratically elect leaders to advise Tsars.
Thus, the first statement about the influence of the Byzantine Empire and Orthodox Christianity on Russian society is the correct one.