Execution of the Russian Empire's strategic objectives in Circassia

Abstract

The Caucasus and its conquest are the subject of the most wri­tings about Russian colonial expansion in the 19th century. The writers, historians, journalists, military experts, contemporaries, and others were writing about the war. Research on the issue is still being done extensively because it is relevant nowadays (History of the Cau­casus, 2023:93).

According to V. Lapin, the war for the conquest of the Caucasus began at Peter I's campaign in the Caspian Sea and lasted more than 150. The Russian military historian General - Major R. Fadeyev considers that, the war began in 1801, when Russia abolished the Kartli-Kakheti Kingdom and joined Eastern Georgia. This meant the start of the empire's boundary extension and the conquest of other Caucasus lands. The Caucasian War, according to some Soviet and contemporary Russian historians I. Gordin, M. Bliev, V. Degoev, N. Sladkova, etc., was from 1817 to 1867. It continued until the end of Circassian organized resistance. This date is more or less under­stan­dable, since it was precisely to this period that the process of military actions in the North Caucasus was mainly confined, ending with the inclusion of the Caucasus into the Russian Empire (History of the Caucasus, 2023:93-94). In this article, we will focus on Circassia.