Contemporaries described Ivan as a pacific, apathetic ruler, who didn't flinch even when Algirdas of Lithuania captured his father-in-law's capital, Bryansk.
Contemporanii l-au decsris pe Ivan ca pacifist, conducător apatic, care nu a clipit chiar și atunci când Algirdas al Lituaniei a capturat capitala socrului său, Briansk.