COMPETITIONS OF SICKLE EVERYTHING PIGEONS (OCHAKOVSKY) P. Sochinsky, V. Vorozhbit, V. Tkachev from Ochakov developed a scale in which the main, most important qualities sickleback pigeons for assessing sickleback pigeons (Table 15). Table 15. Sickleback assessment scale

The times of Ochakovsky and the conquest of Crimea
From the comedy “Woe from Wit” (1824) by A. S. Griboyedov (1795-1829). Chatsky's words (act. 2, appearance 5):
Who are the judges? - For the antiquity of years
Their enmity towards free life is irreconcilable.
Judgments are drawn from forgotten newspapers
The times of the Ochakovskys and the conquest of Crimea.
“The Times of Ochakov” - about the time when the Turkish fortress and city of Ochakov was besieged and taken by Russian troops under the command of G. A. Potemkin and A. V. Suvorov.
Ironically: about something hopelessly outdated, dating back to ancient, immemorial times.

Encyclopedic dictionary of popular words and expressions. - M.: “Locked-Press”. Vadim Serov. 2003.

See what “The Times of Ochakovsky and the Conquest of Crimea” is in other dictionaries:

Adj., number of synonyms: 13 at lunch a hundred years (13) long-standing (30) long-standing (25) ... Dictionary of synonyms

- (foreign language) about the long past, forgotten, and now abandoned, abandoned Wed. And who are the judges: due to the antiquity of years, Their enmity towards free life is irreconcilable; Judgment is drawn from forgotten newspapers from the times of the Ochakovskys and the conquest of the Crimea. Griboyedov. Woe from the mind. 2,… …

The time of the Ochakovskys and the conquest of the Crimea (foreign) about the long past, forgotten, and now abandoned, abandoned. Wed. And who are the judges: for the antiquity of years, Their enmity is irreconcilable towards a free life; Judgment is drawn from forgotten newspapers of the Times... ... Michelson's Large Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary (original spelling)

See former, long-standing, former, old from ancient times... Dictionary of Russian synonyms and expressions similar in meaning. under. ed. N. Abramova, M.: Russian dictionaries, 1999. long-ago, long-ago, recent, old, ancient, former, past, ... ... Dictionary of synonyms

Cm … Dictionary of synonyms

Antique, classic; ancient, old, ancient, former, long-past, immemorial, ancient, ancient, ancient, long-standing, immemorial, centuries-old, grandfather's, great-grandfather's, ancient-grandfather's; centuries-old, past, archaic, a hundred years old,... ... Dictionary of synonyms

Simple, homely morning dress Wed. Negligee with courage and carelessness (in clothing); courage. Wed. She will come out all in white or in a fawn negligee... and look at her all day long. Leskov. Deception. 8. Wed. Sorry about the negligee. You see in front of you, so... ... Michelson's Large Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary

From the comedy “Woe from Wit” (1824) by A. S. Griboedov (1795 1829). Chatsky's words (act. 2, appearance 5). Who are the judges? for the antiquity of years, their enmity is irreconcilable towards a free life, Judgments are drawn from forgotten newspapers of the times of Ochakovsky and the conquest of the Crimea. ABOUT… … Dictionary of popular words and expressions

Long-standing, elderly, old-previous, old, ancient, a long time ago, distant, long gone, from the time of the Ochakovskys and the conquest of the Crimea, ancient, a hundred years ago, distant, long-standing Dictionary of Russian synonyms. at lunch a hundred years adj., number of synonyms: 13 ... Dictionary of synonyms

Distant, distant, distant. Prot... Dictionary of synonyms

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“About the times of Ochakovsky and the conquest of Crimea”

Sergey Venedov

Independent expert, Geneva

On March 7, 2014, residents of Crimea voted for reunification with their motherland. This was an act of historical justice. Peaceful. Democratic. But politicians in the West greeted him with hostility, and many ordinary people- with surprise and dissatisfaction. Why? Yes, because for US and EU leaders, the annexation of Crimea by Russia thwarted NATO's long-cherished plans to station its forces and bases on the peninsula to control the Black Sea. And because they generally do not like the independent policy of the Kremlin. And ordinary people - because they simply do not know the true story Russian Crimea. Let us briefly recall its main milestones.

Capture of Ochakov after five month siege Turkish outpost, surrounded by a ditch and rampart, had a significant impact on the further course of the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791. And she went, first of all, for Crimea.

The reason for the war was the imprisonment in Istanbul of the Russian envoy Yakov Bulgakov, who in August 1787 was captured and imprisoned in the main prison Ottoman Empire- Seven-tower castle. This was the Sultan’s reaction to Russia’s refusal to return Crimea to the Turks. The incident in the Turkish capital did not come as a big surprise. The previous Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774 with the Ottoman Empire also began with the imprisonment of Ambassador Alexei Obreskov. Its results were summed up by the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Peace Treaty, according to which Russia received Kabarda, the fortresses of Kerch, Yenikale, Kinburn and the right to build military navy on the Black Sea. Russian merchant ships had the right to freely pass through the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, and the Sultan had to pay a large indemnity for military expenses. The treaty recognized the right of St. Petersburg to protect the interests of the Christian population in the Ottoman Empire. Crimean yurt (that was the self-name then Crimean Khanate), located in vassalage from the Turkish Sultan, was declared independent.

Thus, in 1774, the peninsula formally became a draw. Such a precarious and uncertain state of Crimea could not last long. Moreover, the Turks did not give up hope for revenge. Therefore, very soon the independence of Crimea resulted in a struggle for power between the proteges of the two empires. Catherine II confirmed Shagin-Girey on the Khan's throne. The Sultan made a bet first on Devlet-Girey IV, then on Salim-Girey III. In such difficult situation much depended on the politics of St. Petersburg in southern Russia. Its initiator and guide was the favorite of the Russian Empress Grigory Potemkin, smart and decisive statesman. Important role In particular, Potemkin’s notes “On Crimea” played a role in the development of Russia’s policy in the southern direction. Potemkin contrasted the strategic plans of his palace opponents, who were oriented towards an alliance with the northern countries, with his plan for advancing Russia to the south and possessing north coast Black Sea. Catherine II supported this plan and on April 19, 1783 signed a manifesto on the inclusion of the Crimean Khanate, the Taman Peninsula and Kuban into the Russian Empire. A year later, a port and a fortress were founded there, which Catherine II called Sevastopol, which translated from Greek meant Majestic, magnificent city.

On June 28, 1783 - on the 21st anniversary of the accession to the throne of Catherine II - on the top of the Ak-Kaya rock (White Rock), Potemkin took the oath of allegiance from the Tatar nobility and clergy, representatives of other segments of the population To the Russian state. The Crimean Khanate ceased to exist, which was marked by cannon salutes, horse races, games and treats. In February 1784, the Tauride region was established. Potemkin became the governor of the annexed territories of Novorossiya and Taurida. Catherine II granted the Crimean nobility rights and benefits Russian nobility, and declared the unprivileged classes to be state peasants. Liberated from Turkish domination, Crimea needed an influx of workers, and Potemkin began resettling not only Russian state peasants and retired soldiers in Crimea and Novorossiya, but also immigrants from the Ottoman Empire and European countries- Germans, Poles, Bulgarians, Greeks, Serbs, etc. They settled on free lands, abandoned by the Tatars who fled to Turkey. The Tatars who wished to remain in Crimea retained their lands, and rural communities - “jimats” - continued to perform the functions of self-government.

The Tatar population was mainly engaged in cattle breeding and settled in the central, steppe regions of Crimea, while Russians and Ukrainians settled mainly along the coast, in port cities and villages, along roads. They were engaged in construction, worked in shipyards and factories, as well as grain farming. Serfs who had fled from the landowners also rushed to Crimea. Potemkin, thinking about the speedy settlement of Novorossia and the Crimean Peninsula, prohibited the extradition of their fugitives former owners. He put forward an entire program for the development of territories annexed to the empire, which included not only their settlement by colonists, but also the construction of new cities, canals, shipyards, ports, piers and fortifications, the establishment of arable farming in Crimea, elite sheep breeding, etc. Foreign specialists in the fields of horticulture, viticulture, sericulture and forestry began to be invited to the peninsula. Forests began to be planted, and their felling was banned in Crimea.

Soon, thanks to the titanic efforts of Potemkin and his assistants, major cities and ports - Kherson, Sevastopol, Melitopol, Odessa. The cities of Bakhchisarai, Feodosia, Evpatoria and others grew rapidly. In order to quickly settle, Sevastopol, Kherson and Feodosia were proclaimed open cities for all friendly nations. In 1785, the ports of Crimea were exempted from paying customs duties for a period of five years. Russian trade turnover on the Black Sea has increased sharply. New enterprises began to open in Crimea. Housing was also built at the same time. For short term a fleet was built, which became the master of the situation on the Black Sea. A naval cadet corps was founded in Kherson. Potemkin, who began to build Ekaterinoslav on the Dnieper (now Dnepropetrovsk), saw it as the southern capital of the empire. On May 20, in Ekaterinoslav on the Dnieper, Catherine II and the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph II laid the first stone for the foundation of Catherine’s Cathedral.

Frightened by rapid development southern regions Russia, etc. Crimea, the Western powers were already persistently pushing Turkey towards war with Russia. The Porte's desire to return Crimea found support in Great Britain, France, Prussia and Sweden. The British did not miss the opportunity to once again put a spoke in Russia’s wheels by prohibiting entry into their ports for the Russian squadron that was preparing to sail from Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean. The Poles did not lag behind them, categorically refusing to allow Russia to transport weapons for the army through their territory.

The Turks landed at the Kinburn fortress located at the entrance to the Dnieper estuary. The landing force met a 4,000-strong garrison of the fortress led by General Alexander Suvorov. With artillery fire, the Russians forced the Turkish fleet to retreat, and then quickly attacked the enemy. The attack was led by Suvorov himself, who was wounded during the battle. The enemy landing force was defeated. This victory was the first major success of the Russians in the war with the Turks. Soon the Turks made a second attempt to capture Kinburn, but it also failed.

In 1788, having taken the Romanian Khotyn, the Russian army under the command of Potemkin besieged Ochakov and soon attacked the fortifications. During the battle, our losses amounted to less than three thousand killed and wounded. General Mikhail Golenishchev-Kutuzov was seriously wounded in the head. In honor of the capture of Ochakov, a golden cross “For Service and Bravery” was issued for the officers who took part in the battle, and for lower ranks - silver medal“For the courage shown during the capture of Ochakov.” In the summer of 1789, the Turks tried to seize the initiative. Osman Pasha's 30,000-strong corps crossed the Danube and moved towards Focsani. Russia's allies, the Austrians, requested help. And then Suvorov’s 10,000-strong corps, which covered 60 kilometers in a day, immediately attacked Osman Pasha’s camp. The Turks put up stubborn resistance, but then retreated.

On September 22, 1789, on the Rymnik River (the right tributary of Siret in the east of modern Romania), Suvorov defeated Yusuf Pasha's four-times superior Turkish army, for which he subsequently received his title of Count of Rymnik. In December 1790, it was Ishmael’s turn, it would seem impregnable fortress on the left bank of the Danube, rebuilt by German and French engineers. Victories accompanied Russia at sea as well. First, the Black Sea Fleet under the command of Admiral Ushakov thwarted plans for a Turkish landing in the Crimea, defeating the enemy squadron in the Yenikal Strait. And in August 1790, in the battle of Fr. Tendra, the Russian naval commander, used a novelty: without stopping to form ships into battle formation, he launched an attack on the enemy. The enemy was defeated. The war ended in December 1791 with the signing of the Treaty of Jassy. The articles of the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Peace Treaty were confirmed. In addition, the lands between the Bug and the Dniester went to Russia. The Porte undertook to compensate for damages for raids in the North Caucasus, recognized Russia's protectorate over Georgia and pledged not to remove the rulers of Moldavia and Wallachia without the consent of the Russian government. And most importantly, Türkiye recognized Crimea as possession of Russia.

We must also remember that the first people appeared on the Crimean peninsula back in the distant times of the Paleolithic, as evidenced by archaeological excavations near the Staroselye and Kiik-Koba sites. In the first millennium BC, tribes of Cimmerians and Taurians settled on this land. It was on behalf of the latter that the land of the coastal and mountainous part of Crimea received its name - Tavrida, or, more commonly, Tavria. In the sixth - fifth centuries BC, the first Greek colonies. Thanks to the Greeks, majestic temples to the Olympian gods, theaters and stadiums, the first vineyards and shipyards appeared on the peninsula. As a result, the territory of the peninsula became part of two states - the Tauride Chersonese and the Bosporan kingdom.

Several centuries later, part of the coast of the Taurian land was captured by the Romans, whose power continued until the invasion of the Gothic peninsula in the third and fourth centuries AD, which put an end to the existence of Greek city-states. But the Goths did not stay in Crimea for long. Starting from the fifth century AD, Crimea fell under the rule of the Byzantine Empire for several hundred years, but from the seventh to the ninth centuries the entire peninsula (except Kherson) became the territory of the Khazar Khaganate. In 960, in the rivalry between the Khazars and Ancient Russia, the Old Russian state won the final victory. Khazar city Samkerts, on the Caucasian coast Kerch Strait, began to be called Tmutarakanya. By the way, it was here, in Crimea, in the year 988 from the Nativity of Christ Grand Duke Vladimir of Kyiv was baptized, occupying Chersonesus (Korsun).
In the thirteenth century, the Mongol-Tatars invaded Tavria, where they formed the so-called Crimean ulus of the Golden Horde. Under an agreement with its khans, Genoa received some coastal cities of Crimea (the Genoese fortress in Sudak has been well preserved to this day - pictured below).

After the collapse of the Golden Horde in 1441, the remnants of the Mongols in Crimea were Turkified. At this moment, Crimea is divided between the steppe Crimean Khanate, the mountainous Byzantine principality of Theodoro and the Genoese colonies on the southern coast. In the summer of 1475, the Ottoman Turks landed a large force in the Crimea, capturing all the Genoese fortresses and Byzantine cities. In 1478, the Crimean Khanate became a vassal of the Ottoman Empire and, with the support of Turkey, carried out constant raids on the Russian state and Poland. The main purpose of the raids was to capture slaves and resell them in Turkish markets. It was to combat the raids of the Crimean Khanate that the Zaporozhye Sich was founded in 1554.

The Crimean Khan Devlet I Giray waged constant wars with Ivan IV the Terrible, vainly seeking to restore the independence of Kazan and Astrakhan. In May 1571, at the head of an army of 40 thousand horsemen, the khan burned Moscow, for which he received the nickname Takht Algan (“who took the throne”). During the raid on Moscow State Several hundred thousand people died and 50,000 were captured. Ivan IV, like Poland, pledged to pay annual tribute to the Crimea. Payments continued until the end of the 17th century and finally stopped only during the reign of Peter I.

The Russian-Turkish War of 1768-1774 put an end to three hundred years of Ottoman rule in Crimea. and in 1783 Crimea was included in the Russian Empire. The Treaty of Jassy in 1791 finally cemented this reality.

In 1796, the region became part of the Novorossiysk province, and after 1799 its territory was divided into counties with 1,400 villages and 7 cities: Alushta, Kerch, Simferopol, Feodosia, Sevastopol, Evpatoria and Yalta. Along with the Tatars who professed Islam, in Crimea, according to the records of 1853, tens of thousands of people already professed Orthodoxy, and among the Gentiles there were Reformed, Lutherans, Roman Catholics, Armenian Catholics, Armenian Gregorians, Muslims, Jews - Talmudists and Karaites . WITH beginning of the 19th century century, viticulture and shipbuilding (Sevastopol) developed in Crimea, roads were laid, palaces began to be built, fishing and salt production, and winemaking developed. Under Prince Vorontsov, Yalta began to settle down, and south coast Crimea soon turned into a favorite health resort of the Russian aristocracy, and ordinary people.

In 1853, the combined forces of France, England and the Ottoman Empire unleashed another war with Russia, called the Crimean War. The fighting, which lasted for three long years, unfolded not only on the western and southern borders of Russia, but even in the Barents Sea and Kamchatka. But most hot spot became Crimea. The heroic defense of Sevastopol lasted almost a whole year, although in the end the Russians were forced to abandon the city. The medal “For the Defense of Sevastopol” was established especially for participants in the defense of Sevastopol, which was the first medal in Russian history that was awarded not for capture or victory, but for defense. The battles for Sevastopol were marked by unprecedented acts of heroism and courage in the ranks of the Russian army. During its defense, the famous Russian commanders Kornilov and Nakhimov died. And “Balaklava Day” forever became a black date in the military history of England - as a result of an attack by the British cavalry on the Russian position, almost all of it was killed. Many representatives of the English aristocracy remained on the battlefield. Having captured Crimea, the allies began to export local cultural and historical values ​​to their museums, and the French began to cut down vineyards in order to eliminate competing producers of Russian champagne. This, by the way, did not prevent Prince Lev Golitsyn from producing on his farm New World a batch of champagne that received Gold medal at the Paris Exhibition in 1899.

As a result of the Crimean War, Russia's influence in the Balkans was significantly weakened and it temporarily lost its Black Sea Fleet. However, Crimea remained Russian. In 1874, Simferopol was connected to the Aleksandrovskaya Railway. The resort status of Crimea increased even more after the summer royal residence of the Livadia Palace appeared in Livadia.

The beginning of the twentieth century was marked by new trials for the peninsula. During the civil war, both whites and reds came to power in Crimea. In November 1917, the Crimean People's Republic, which already in January 1918, after Soviet power was established in Crimea, ceased to exist. Throughout March and April 1918, Crimea was part of the RSFSR as the Soviet Socialist Republic of Taurida. On April 13, 1918, with the support of the Tatar police and units of the UPR army German troops invaded the republic and eliminated Soviet power, and for several months, until November 1918, Crimea was under German occupation. Then the Second Crimean Regional Government was created, which lasted from November 15, 1918 to April 11, 1919. And from July 1, 1919 to November 12, 1919, Crimea was occupied by units of the White Army under the command of General Denikin and Baron Wrangel. After the defeat of the White movement in October 1920, Crimea was conquered
by the Red Army and incorporated into the RSFSR as the Autonomous Crimean Soviet Socialist Republic. After the end of the civil war, the Soviet authorities made an unprecedented and radical decision - to evict Crimean Tatars to Siberia.

During the Great Patriotic War Crimea was occupied by the Nazis. “Crimea must be liberated from all strangers and settled by Germans,” Hitler said at a meeting at headquarters on July 19, 1941. According to his proposal, the peninsula was transformed into the imperial region of Gotenland (the country of the Goths), the center of the region - Simferopol - was renamed Gottsburg (the city of the Goths), and Sevastopol was named Theodorichshafen (the harbor of Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths, who lived in 493-526). According to Himmler's project, Crimea was annexed directly to Germany. The most fierce battles in Crimea took place again in the Sevastopol region. The defense of the city lasted about eight months. Near Sevastopol on the first and last time The Germans used the super-heavy 800-mm Dora gun, which weighed more than 1000 tons. It was secretly delivered from Germany and secretly placed in a special shelter carved into a rock mass in the Bakhchisarai area. The gun entered service at the beginning of June and fired in total, fifty-three 7-ton shells. At the beginning of July 1942 Soviet troops were forced to leave Sevastopol, and then the entire peninsula. Their losses amounted to more than 200 thousand people. For the capture of Sevastopol, the commander of the 11th Army, E. von Manstein, received the rank of field marshal. In April 1944, the liberation of Crimea began and Crimean operation ended with the complete defeat of the 17th German Army, only irrecoverable losses which during the battles amounted to more than 120 thousand people.

The war exposed interethnic contradictions in Crimea. In May 1944, 183 thousand Tatars were deported from Crimea. Mainly to Uzbekistan. Officially, the reason for the deportation was declared to be the facts of collaboration and cooperation of a large part of the Crimean Tatar population during the German occupation of Crimea. 20 thousand Crimean Tatars (every third of military age) wore the uniform of the Third Reich. For the same reasons, Crimean Armenians, Bulgarians, Greeks and Karaites were also deported. These peoples were rehabilitated after the reunification of Crimea with Russia in March 2014.

In 1945, the Ukrainian SSR was admitted to the UN as sovereign state, without Crimea in its composition. But in February 1954, the then party leader and Soviet state Nikita Khrushchev initiated the decision of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and the RSFSR to transfer the territory of Crimea to the Ukrainian SSR, citing territorial proximity, common economics, and close cultural and economic ties between the Ukrainian SSR and the Crimean region. In fact, with this step the leader of the CPSU hoped to enlist the strong support of the Ukrainian political nomenklatura. Despite the fact that Sevastopol was removed from the Crimean region back in 1948, having received a special status in the RSFSR, due to legal inaccuracies it passed to Ukraine along with Crimea. The population of Crimea in 1959, in which Russians made up the majority (858 thousand out of 268 thousand Ukrainians), was not given the legal opportunity to speak out on this matter.

The history of referendums in Crimea is interesting. The first referendum on the territory of Crimea (the very first in the history of the USSR) took place on January 20, 1991, i.e. seven months before the declaration of independence of Ukraine. And the decision to hold it was made long before that, back in Soviet era-November 12, 1990 - at an extraordinary session of the Crimean regional Council of People's Deputies. The question was put to the vote: “Are you for the re-establishment of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic as a subject USSR and a participant in the Union Treaty?" 1.441 million people (81.3%) took part in the referendum, including residents of Sevastopol. 1.343.855 million people (93.26%) responded positively. On February 12, 1992, the Supreme Council of the Ukrainian SSR adopted the law on the restoration Crimean ASSR as part of the Ukrainian SSR, and four months later the corresponding changes were made to the Constitution of the Ukrainian SSR of 1978 and the Crimean region was transformed into the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

On May 5, 1992, at a session of the Crimean Parliament, an act on state independence of the Republic of Crimea was adopted, which was to come into force after its confirmation by a general Crimean referendum scheduled for August 2. Its participants had to answer two questions: “Are you for an independent Crimea in an alliance with other states?” and “Do you confirm the act of state independence of the Republic of Crimea?” On May 13, the Supreme Council of Ukraine recognized these decisions of the Crimean parliament as contrary to the Constitution of Ukraine and suspended their action. On July 9, 1992, the Supreme Council of Crimea declared a moratorium on its own resolution on holding a referendum.

In March 1995, by decision of the Verkhovna Rada and the President of Ukraine, the Constitution of the Republic of Crimea was abolished and the post of president was abolished. Then in April, the Supreme Council of Crimea decided to hold a new all-Crimean referendum on June 25. Crimeans were asked to answer the following questions: “1. Do you approve the constitution of the Republic of Crimea, abolished by the Supreme Council of Ukraine unilaterally on March 17, 1995? 2. Do you support the law of Ukraine “On the Autonomous Republic of Crimea” of March 17, 1995?” However, on May 31, the Crimean parliament canceled its decision on the referendum, agreeing with the proposal of the Supreme Council of Ukraine to adopt the constitution of the autonomous republic on the basis of the Ukrainian law “On the delimitation of powers between Ukraine and Crimea.”

In 1998, the agenda of the session of the Supreme Council of Crimea again included the issue of holding a referendum, including on the issue of granting the status of the state language to the Russian language, as well as lifting the moratorium on referendums on the status of Crimea. However, the deputies did not come to a consensus on holding a referendum. According to the 2001 census, 1.45 million Russians, 577 thousand Ukrainians, and 245 thousand Tatars lived in Crimea. On February 22, 2006, the Supreme Council of Crimea once again attempted to hold a republican referendum on the status of the Russian language on March 26. The initiative belonged to the Party of Regions. But the Ukrainian Central Election Commission prohibited precinct election commissions in Crimea from conducting voting on this issue. On December 16, 2006, Crimeans voted against the political course of Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko to join NATO in an unofficial popular referendum. However, the Crimean authorities refused to provide premises for voting, and the organizers - the All-Crimean People's Assembly - held
referendum on the streets. 98.7% of almost 900 thousand citizens who took part in the vote spoke out against Ukraine’s membership in NATO. Legal force this referendum did not.

In February 2014, as a result of the coup d'etat in Kyiv and the measures taken there to discriminate against the Russian-speaking population, there was a sharp surge in pro-Russian sentiment in Crimea. March 11, 2014 Supreme Council Autonomous Republic Crimea and the Sevastopol City Council adopted the Declaration of Independence of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. On March 16, 2014, a general Crimean referendum was held, during which 96.77% of voters voted in favor of joining Russia in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea with a turnout of 83.9%, and in Sevastopol 95.6% with a turnout of 89.5%. The next day, on the basis of the adopted Declaration of Independence, the sovereign Republic of Crimea was proclaimed, including the city with special status Sevastopol. On March 18, 2014, an interstate Agreement was signed between Russian Federation and the Republic of Crimea on the admission of the Republic of Crimea to Russia, in accordance with which new entities were formed within the Russian Federation - the Republic of Crimea and the city federal significance Sevastopol.

The facts presented convincingly illustrate the idea expressed by one of the ordinary bloggers, like the author of these lines, that Crimea is not Abkhazia or even Transnistria, but a key, integral part of Russian consciousness. Without the peninsula, without the symbol of the Russian fleet and the heroism of the people, the hero city of Sevastopol, Russia cannot return to public consciousness national idea based on patriotism. And without an idea, there can be no talk of establishing Russia as a strong regional power. Therefore, any speculation that Crimea can be given away or exchanged will bury the career of any Russian politician and expose zealous Ukrainian leaders to ridicule. And especially short-sighted Western leaders.

Yesterday, on Sunday September 14, 20014, the first all-Russian elections were held in Crimea local authorities self-government. Russia and Crimea look confidently into the future.

The facts were selected by S. Venedov

Knowledge to the masses!

Including the events of the First World War and counting from the first Russian-Turkish war of 1568-1570, the Russians fought the Turks 12 times. Sometimes losing, but still more often winning and, at the end of the plot, turning the “Ottoman Lake” into the more familiar to us, multinational Black Sea.

And, of course, the confrontation between Russia and Turkey, as often happens in history, is a confrontation between land and sea. And land and sea converge with each other exactly where they converge. On the shoreline of the Ottoman Lake, which more and more turned into the Black Sea.

That is why the bulk of the battles between Russia and Turkey took place on the shores of the Black Sea. Where land and sea meet. Old, southern sea ​​power- Turkey faced a young Russia, which was quickly gaining strength in the north, as a maritime power at the mouth of the Dnieper and in Crimea, which had just been captured from Turkey.
However, the beginning of this process, before the naval victories of Admiral Ushakov near the island of Fidonisi (Snake) and the Tendra Spit, was usually silently passed over in Russian and Soviet historiography.
After all, back in 1788, in the second year of the war, completely different admirals, captains and sailors fought for Russia.

Here is a map of the main battles of that war:

Let's look at the mouth of the Dnieper. It was there that the events that I want to tell you about took place. And they are very sparingly remembered today in Russia, Ukraine, and, especially, in Turkey.

The Russo-Turkish War, started by the Porte on August 13, 1787, was an unpleasant war for both sides. Neither Russia nor Türkiye were prepared for this war, which is why in 1787 large-scale fighting developed only in late autumn - already in October.
In addition, do not delude yourself about Crimea, which is colored Russian-green on the map just above: the territory of the Crimean Khanate was included in Russian Empire only four years before the start of the war - in 1783.
Well, at the mouth of the Dnieper there reigned a generally terrible patchwork of Turkish and Russian possessions: Russia owned the river port of Kherson, which arose just nine years before the start of the war (1778), and Turkey firmly controlled the exit from the Dnieper estuary to Black Sea, holding the key fortress of Ochakov.
Russia could only afford to have a consolation prize in the form of a small fortification of Kinburn, which was erected following the results of the last Russian-Turkish war, in 1774.

Here is the current situation with the borders of land and sea at the mouth of the Dnieper:

But old map, which shows the disposition of the Russians and Turks before the start of hostilities in the Dnieper estuary:

As you can see, the Kinburn fortress is not very well located: the Russians were forced to place it on a flat, shootable section of the Kinburn Spit, while the old Turkish Ochakov occupies a dominant position at the exit from the Dnieper estuary.

That is why the issue of holding Kinburn and the issue of capturing Ochakov stood at the head of the main efforts of the Russian army and Russian fleet in the mess that ensued in 1787. In addition, for the Russian fleet, the question of getting out of the estuary gorge was simply a matter of survival: the Russians simply had nowhere to retreat from Kherson - many Kherson-built ships simply would not have been able to climb up the Dnieper if the Russian army had lost Kinburn and Kherson.
In short, as always in Russian history - marines resolves the issue of safety of a large naval fleet.

But who were these brave marines who defended the Dnieper estuary?
You can easily glean the logic of actions on land from the classic version of the historical plot of the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791: Suvorov in October 1787 repels the Turkish landing force that landed on the Kinburn Spit to capture the Kinburn Fortress, and already in December of the following year, 1788, Prince Potemkin takes the supposedly impregnable Turkish fortress Ochakov.
As a result, upon learning this news, Turkish Sultan Abdul Hamid I, who unleashed this Russian-Turkish war dies of a heart attack. It was his nephew, Sultan Selim III, who had to end the war with the Russians.

Potemkin is on the north bank, Suvorov is on the south. And who is in the middle? Who is fighting the Ottoman navy, which has been trying for almost a year and a half to help its infantry take Kinburn and defend Ochakov?
And this is where absolutely fantastic stories begin. Because such a motley public is fighting in Liman that we won’t see such a zoo for a very long time.
And there are still very few Russian sailors there. And the hero of the naval battles of Fidonisi Island, Tendra Spit and Kerch sea ​​battle- Russian admiral Fyodor Ushakov is not there at all.

The estuary is a shallow place, completely disastrous for the deep-drawn sea fleet. sea ​​ship in this shallow, slightly salty lake, it can maneuver with great difficulty, what can we say about a full-fledged naval battle.
The Marines are fighting here. Here is her flag:

“This banner for the army of Her Imperial Majesty’s grassroots was made by the infantry of the same army fighting in the Black Sea as well as along the Dnieper and Danube rivers.”

In Liman, throughout 1788, the Liman flotilla, staffed by the “faithful”, successfully beat the Turkish navy. Zaporozhye Cossacks who swore allegiance after liquidation Zaporozhye Sich Catherine II in 1775.
The leaders of the flotilla are two rear admirals with completely Russian names and surnames: John Paul Jones and Karl Heinrich Nassau-Siegen.

John Paul Jones and the Prince of Nassau-Siegen.
Russian rear admirals in the Russian-Turkish war.

If in the first battle, which took place on June 7, the actions of the Russians were purely defensive in nature, then on the morning of June 17, both sides were already active offensive actions. Nassau-Siegen and Paul Jones decided to forestall the enemy by going out to meet him. This time the Turks fielded ten battleships, six frigates and 44 rowing vessels. The battle became fierce. Nassau-Siegen again outplayed the Turkish flagship. Taking advantage of the shallow draft of his rowing ships and his captains' knowledge of the fairway, he lured the Turks aground in the Liman and turned their sailing hulks into "sitting ducks."

Having lost two battleships as a result of an artillery duel, the Turks retreated. The Russians captured the flag and pennant of the Turkish flagship. In addition, apparently, his old Chesme experience played a bad joke on the Turkish commander-in-chief: he now saw a fire-ship in any Russian boat.

The frigate Nikolai, under the command of Lieutenant Commander Pyotr Danilov, forced the surrender of a 64-gun enemy ship. But Nassau-Siegen did not like that Turkish ship captured not by his galley, but by Paul Jones's frigate. He ordered to open fire on the ship, which had already lowered its flag. This drove the Turks into such despair that they decided to die rather than surrender. The firefight again became stubborn. Another Turkish ship sitting aground also opened fire. Both Turkish battleships eventually had to be burned.

Having lost the initiative, the Turks eventually decided to withdraw from the Dnieper estuary. On the night of June 18, they began to weigh anchor. Their maneuver was noticed from the batteries of the Kinburn Spit and, without wasting time, they opened aimed fire. Dodging the nuclear bombs, some Turkish ships ran aground. At dawn, the Turkish fleet was again attacked by the Nassau-Siegen Liman Flotilla. The attack was so unexpected that the Turks did not have time to form battle formations. The cannonade thundered for four hours. The Turks lost five battleships, two frigates, two xebeks, a bombardment ship, a galley and a transport ship. One 50-gun Turkish ship was captured undamaged this time. It will then join the Russian Black Sea Fleet under the name Leonty Martyr. The remaining ships fled. The Turks lost about six thousand people, and almost two thousand were captured. On the Russian squadron, 67 people were injured and 18 died.

For this battle, Catherine II promoted Nassau-Siegen to vice admiral.
In a letter to Nassau-Siegen, Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov wrote the following: “Hurray! What glory to you, brilliant prince! Tomorrow I have a thanksgiving service.”

About these events the commander ground forces galley squadron Nikolai Korsakov from the ship “Vladimir” wrote to the future founder of Odessa, Joseph Mikhailovich Deribas: “After your absence, we drove out the enemy twice and burned seven ships and frigates from him, took two, received up to 1200 prisoners with little loss on our part; the rest of their large ships all survived from the Liman.”
The thing is that Deribas in the Battle of Liman commanded... a small flotilla of gunboats that fought under the command of Nassau-Siegen. They were undecked oared (10 - 14 oars) longboats, the armament of which consisted of a single bow cannon.
Deribas took an active part in the events of June 7 - and only a severe attack of rheumatic fever did not allow him to enjoy the victories of June 17 and 18, which he had to learn about from Nikolai Korsakov’s letter.

The statement attached to the report dated June 21 listed the number of captured and sunk Turkish ships:

« June 7.
1 bombardment ship with one mortar and two cannons.
1 gunboat with two guns.
1 xebec.

June 17.
1 ship captain-pashinsky with 64 guns.
1 battleship, also about 64 guns.

June 18.
2 ships of the line, each with 60 guns.
3 ships, from 40 to 50 guns each.
Due to the action of the Kinburn battery placed on the spit and rowing ships, the following were sunk:
1 bombardment ship.
2 frigates, each with 34 guns.
2 xebeks, with 28 cannons each.
1 galley.
1 transport ship.
One ship with 54 guns was captured, which is suitable for repair and armament to the rank of 60-gun ships.”

Like this fun company smashed the Turks in the Dnieper Estuary - right between the troops of the illustrious Prince Potemkin and the future Russian Generalissimo, and then only Chief General Suvorov.

On July 29, the Turkish fleet, consisting of fifteen ships, ten frigates and 45 rowing vessels, again appeared in the Dnieper estuary. By this time, due to constantly arising disagreements, Potemkin was forced to send Nassau-Siegen and Paul Jones back to St. Petersburg, giving them recommendations for arranging Baltic Fleet. Mordvinov again took command of the Liman flotilla. However, he clearly lacked the courage and scope of Paul Jones and Nassau-Siegen.

Potemkin demanded that the commander of the Sevastopol squadron, Voinovich, immediately go to sea to distract the enemy from Ochakov. But the latter hesitated, citing either the unpreparedness of the ships or bad weather.
Didn't undertake active actions and Mordvinov, motivating this approach by the inequality of forces in the Liman, which did not frighten his predecessors at all - the pirate Paul Jones, the mercenary Nassau-Siegen and their most motley charges.

Only after a repeated order did Voinovich attempt to go to sea, but two days later he returned to the Sevastopol base due to nasty winds. Now he complained to Potemkin about the dilapidation of the ships and poor supplies, to which Potemkin replied to the indecisive flagship: “In dealing with the enemy, especially the Turks, art helps a lot; the enemy is not always defeated by battles, and often prudent dispositions will make him more harm, rather than a brave attack. Observe his movements, find a favorable time for defeat and use it to inflict a sensitive blow on him. You can do this without risk. As for your idea of ​​the difficulty of attacking a united enemy, it is unreasonable to expect him to begin to share without being forced to do so. The movement of the fleet entrusted to you may lead it to this division.”

Potemkin was irritated by the inactivity of Voinovich and Mordvinov. In the end, the Sevastopol squadron moved towards Ochakov, but Hasan Pasha had already abandoned his position, having lost hope of saving the fortress blocked by Potemkin from land, remote and northern for the Turks.

On December 6, 1788, the Russians took Ochakov by storm, which was the considerable merit of all the heroes of our story.