Final answer:
The city at the center of the origins of the Russian Empire and the present-day capital of Ukraine is Kiev. It was the capital of Kievan Rus', and played a fundamental role in the cultural and political formation of what later became Russia, with Moscow succeeding Kiev as a power center.
Step-by-step explanation:
The origins of the Russian Empire can indeed be traced to the city which is the present-day capital of Ukraine. The correct answer to the question is a) Kiev.
Kiev was the capital of the medieval state of Kievan Rus', which laid the cultural and political foundations for the Russian Empire. Although the city of Moscow emerged later as the new center of power, particularly after achieving independence from the Mongols under Ivan III, the 'Great', the beginnings of a unified Russian identity started in Kiev with the rule of Vladimir the Great. Vladimir's conversion to Orthodox Christianity and his centralization of power played crucial roles in this development.
Moreover, Moscow's increasing view of itself as a successor to the Byzantine Empire, with the marriage of Ivan III to Sophia Palaiologina, reinforced the city's claim as the 'Third Rome', establishing a continued legacy of Eastern Christianity and imperial authority. The assertion of Russian control over the historical legacy of Kievan Rus', despite territorial disputes, is reflective of this deeply intertwined history.