PALEOCLIMATE AND CULTURAL GENESIS IN EASTERN EUROPE AT THE END OF THE 3rd MILLENNIUM BC
At the end of the 3<sup>rd</sup> millennium, a block of post-catacomb cultural units emerged on the genetic basis of Catacomb cultures in Eastern Europe. It consisted of the Babino cultural circle and the Lola one. The former developed due to the migration impact from Central Europe and the Carpathian-Danube region, the emergence of the latter was stimulated by the migration of pastoralists of the Northeast Caucasus to the Ciscaucasian steppe. In turn, the movement of population groups from Europe resulted in the emergence of the original Middle Volga Abashevo culture of Central European appearance. Large-scale migration in Eastern Europe of the 23<sup>rd</sup>/22<sup>nd</sup> centuries BC coincided with the aridization peak in the Old World. These two phenomena are in a causal relationship.