The historical fate of Crimea was determined during the military confrontation between Russia and Turkey. The Turkish empire, which once firmly established itself on the peninsula, made efforts to secure its possessions in the Northern Black Sea Region from Russia, which, in turn, sought to gain convenient access to the Black Sea and make Crimea its property.
Fight for the peninsula
Military conflicts have arisen between Russia and Turkey more than once. In 1768, Turkey launched another war, taking advantage of a favorable situation. However, circumstances were on the side of the Russian army, which achieved impressive success both on land and at sea.
The Turks suffered one major defeat after another, but still did not stop trying to regain the lost lands.
In June 1771, Russian troops inflicted a crushing defeat on Turkish units and broke into the Crimea. The forces of both sides were pretty much undermined by a long confrontation, after which Turkey proposed a temporary truce. In fact, Turkish diplomats expected to drag out negotiations and gain time to regroup their forces and assets.
The Russian side, however, did not lose time wasting diplomatic efforts in its interests. In November 1772, Russia entered into an agreement with the Crimean Khan. In accordance with this agreement, Crimea was declared completely independent from Turkish rule and passed under the auspices of the powerful northern neighbor - Russia.
When hostilities resumed, the Russian forces took the lead and inflicted several sensitive defeats on Turkey. The result of the confrontation was the Kuchuk-Kainardzhi Treaty of 1774, according to which Russia received in the possession of Kerch and Yenikale, two Crimean cities. In fact, this meant for Russia a direct access to the sea.
