Russo-Turkish War of 1768–74

The Russo-Turkish War of 1768–74 was an armed struggle between Russia, under Catherine II, and the Ottoman Empire (Turkey). They fought for an outlet on the Black Sea. It was a continuation of the 1735-1739 war, through which he Ottoman Empire tried to expand its possessions along the Black Sea and in the Caucasus and seize Astrakhan. Turkey also opposed the growth of Russian influence in Poland, where the Russian protégé, Stanisław August Poniatowski, had become king in 1764. The immediate cause of the war was Russia’s rejection of a Turkish ultimatum calling for the withdrawal of Russian forces from Poland, where in 1768 they began to conduct military operations against the Confederation of Bar. Subsequently, on September 25, 1768, Turkey, supported by France and Austria, declared war on Russia.

The Russian strategic plan of war for 1769 provided for an offensive against Khotin by the main forces, and General A. M. Golitsyn’s First Army (80,000–90,000 men). General P. A. Rumiantsev’s Second Army (35,000 men) supported the main forces by covering the southern boundaries from the Dnieper to the Don against the Crimean Tatars. The Baltic Fleet was sent to the Mediterranean Sea to blockade the Dardanelles and support the national liberation movement in Greece. In early 1769 the Second Army repulsed an intrusion by the Crimean Tatars and reached the shore of the Sea of Azov. Although two assaults on Khotin by the First Army in April and June were unsuccessful, the Turkish garrison abandoned the town in September because of a shortage of provisions. In September, Iaşj was captured by the First Army, of which Rumiantsev had been appointed commander.

In the plan of action for 1770, the main objective was the capture of the fortress of Bendery. This mission was assigned to General P. I. Panin’s Second Army, while the First Army was to cover it from the south against the main forces of the Turkish-Tatar army. However, General Rumiantsev, commander of the First Army, decided to carry out his mission with aggressive actions. His troops routed the Turkish-Tatar detachment of the Crimean khan, Kaplan-Girei, at Riabaia Mogila on June 17 and on the Larga River on July 7 and defeated the main Turkish forces, commanded by Grand Vizier Halil Hamid Paşa, on the Kagul River on July 21. In September, the Second Army stormed the fortress of Bendery. Subsequently, the Turkish fortresses of Izmail, Kiliia, Akkerman, and Brăila surrendered. Reaching the Aegean Sea, a Russian Navy's squadron defeated the Turkish Fleet in the battle of Çheşme on July 7, 1770, and blockaded the Dardanelles.

According to the plan of military operations for 1771, the First Army was to hold the Danube River line, while the main objective, the capture of the Crimea, was assigned to General V. M. Dolgorukov’s Second Army, with support from Vice Admiral A. N. Seniavin’s Azov flotilla. In June the Second Army took Perekop and quickly occupied the Crimea. The First Army, operating on a broad front despite insufficient forces (45,000 men), succeeded in repulsing enemy attacks and thwarting attempts to break through and establish a bridgehead on the left bank of the Danube in July and October.

These Russian victories forced Turkey to begin peace negotiations, which ended in the signing of an armistice in Giurgiu in May 1772. However, negotiations for a peace treaty, which were held from July in Focşani and later in Bucharest, ended in a stalemate. On November 1, 1772, Russia and the Crimean khan, Sahib Girei, concluded a treaty, under which the Crimea was proclaimed independent of Turkey and placed under Russian protection. However, the war would continue the following year.

In early June 1773, Russian troops crossed the Danube and besieged the fortress of Silistra, but, owing to insufficient forces, Rumiantsev was compelled to withdraw across the Danube. Attempted moves by Russian forces against Varna and Shumen in September and October also produced no results. Both sides were exhausted. Despite the limited forces at his disposal (52,000 men), Rumiantsev was assigned the mission of speeding up the war by decisive actions. In June the main forces of the Russian Army crossed the Danube. On June 9, General A. V. Suvorov’s 18,000-man corps routed a 40,000-man Turkish corps at Kozludzha. On the same day a 15,000-man Turkish detachment was routed at Turtukai by General I. P. Saltykov. Russian forces blockaded the fortresses of Shumen, Ruse, and Silistra, and A. I. Zaborovskii’s forward detachment crossed the Balkans.

The Turkish government agreed to peace negotiations, which successfully culminated with the signing of the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca on July 10, 1774, thus, putting an end to the war. Under the treaty Russia received the territory of southern Ukraine and the Southern Bug, as well as free access to the Black Sea, with the fortresses of Kinburn, Kerch, and Enikale.

An 18th century painting depicting the Battle of Chesme of 1770, during the Russo-Turkish Wars. In this naval engagement, the Turkish fleet was completely destroyed by the Russian Navy.