What role did the Mongol Tatar invasion and the Mongol Tatar yoke play in Russian history?

The Mongol invasion threw the development of Russia back several centuries. At the same time, many crafts were forgotten, prosperous cities were abandoned. Russia itself suffered great human losses. However, the invasion had a positive effect: in the struggle against the Mongols, a center was defined, around which a gradual collection of lands began. Under feudal fragmentation, the process of unification could have gone completely differently. In addition, the Mongol-Tatars brought their culture, traditions to the lands of the present Volga region, and diversified the gene pool.