Having conquered the entire Middle East and China, Genghis Khan sent three of his tumens, under the command of Subaedey and Jochi Khan, to scout the areas beyond the Caucasus. The Tatar-Mongolian detachment clashed there with the Polovtsian troops that were defeated by him. The remnants of the Polovtsy retreated beyond the Dnieper, where they turned to the Russian princes for help.
In the spring of 1223, a large council of princes was assembled, at which a decision was made to provide military assistance to the Polovtsian Khan Kotyan. The princes of the remote, northern regions of Russia refused to support the Polovtsy. The battle was decided to give on Polovtsian land. The result of this decision was the battle of Kalka. The United Russian regiments were led by Mstislav Kievsky, Mstislav Udaloy and Mstislav Chernigovsky. With the advanced Mongolian troops, the first battles began immediately after crossing the Dnieper. The Mongols did not enter the battle and retreated for eight days. When the path of the Russian army was blocked by the small river Kalka, a military council was organized, during which the opinions of the leaders diverged. Mstislav Kievsky claimed the need for defense, and Mstislav Udaloy sought to fight.
The Battle of Kalka began on May 31, 1223. Prince
Mstislav Udaloy, having examined the Mongolian camp, decided that he alone would cope with the enemy. Initially, the course of the battle was unfolding towards the Russians, but the Mongols struck the main blow not in the center, where the Galician prince stood with his squad, but on the left Polovets wing. The nomads, unable to withstand the powerful onslaught, began to randomly retreat. The running Polovtsian cavalry confused the ranks of Russian combatants, ready for action, which the Mongols immediately began to press. The situation could still be saved by the Kiev prince, but, driven by resentment against the Galician prince, he did not strike the Tatars on the flank. The Russian troops outnumbered the Mongol ones, but the fragmentation of the detachments and the shameful flight of the Polovtsy led to the crushing defeat of Russia.
Mstislav Kievsky fortified himself on a hill, where for three days he successfully repelled all the attacks of the Tatar troops. Then the Mongols went on a trick, the leader of the wanderers, Ploskin, kissed the cross in front of the Kiev prince, assuring him that the Tatars would let everyone go home if they lay down their arms. Yielding to persuasion, Mstislav surrendered, but the Mongols did not keep their word. All ordinary soldiers were taken into slavery, and the princes and military leaders were put under the floor on which they sat down to feast, noting the victory. The battle of Kalka was over within three days.
The Mongolian troops tried to continue the offensive on the lands of the Chernigov Principality, but having encountered the first fortified city - Novgorod Seversky, they retreated back to the steppes. Thus, the battle of Kalka allowed the Mongols to conduct a thorough reconnaissance in battle. They appreciated the Russian army, but in their report to Genghis Khan, the lack of unity in the Russian princes was particularly noted. During the invasion of Batu Khan to Russia in 1239, the fragmentation of Rus into principalities was widely used by the Mongols.
The battle on the Kalka River showed what inconsistency could lead to. Russian troops suffered huge losses, no more than a tenth of the soldiers returned home. Many noble warriors and princes perished. The battle of Kalka demonstrated to the Russian princes the power of a new enemy, but the lesson was not learned and the invasion of the Mongol-Tatar hordes on Russian soil after 16 years slowed down the development of Russia by almost two and a half centuries.