The Russo-Turkish war of 1768-74 became the fifth military conflict between Russia and the Ottoman Empire.
The main contradiction remained the same - the possession of free access to the Black Sea. And the formal reasons for the Russian-Turkish war can be called the following: the Russian authorities, led by Catherine II, began to actively intervene in the political affairs of Poland, where at that time there was a war of oppositionists from among the Barsky Confederation and the ruling king Stanislav Ponyatovsky. Russian troops fought on the side of the king.
Chasing the opposition forces, a Russian detachment of Cossacks invaded Turkish lands and occupied the small town of Balta. The Turkish authorities, having concluded an alliance with the Polish Confederates and secured the support of Austria and France, declared war on Russia on September 25, 1768. So officially began the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-74.
In this war, Turkey set out to expand its possessions, capturing Kiev, Astrakhan and the Sea of Azov; France and Austria hoped to weaken Russia's influence and restore the former borders of Poland, and the Polish Confederates expected to finally seize power in the country.
Until the end of 1768, the parties did not conduct active military operations, but only gathered their forces and prepared for war. The army, led by General Golitsyn, slowly advanced, occupying the territory around the Dniester, towards the Khotin fortress. And the second Russian army, commanded by General Rumyantsev, was supposed to protect the territory of Ukraine from the Crimean-Turkish raids.
The fighting began in the winter of 1769, when the equestrian army of the Khan of Crimea-Girey invaded Ukrainian lands. As expected, this attack was repelled by the army of Rumyantsev. At the same time, Russian troops captured Taganrog, cleared the access to the Sea of Azov and began the creation of the Azov flotilla.
The Russo-Turkish war of 1768-74 was significant in that during it the troops of the Ottoman Empire did not manage to win a single any interesting victory. At the same time, the Turkish army suffered its most devastating defeats in the Battle of Chesme and in the battle of Cahul.
The Chesme battle took place at the end of June 1770, when the Russian squadron commanded by Admirals Spiridov and Greig, as a result of a brilliant operation, was able to lock enemy ships in the bay near Chesmoy and completely destroy the Turkish fleet. As a result of this battle, Turks lost 10 thousand, and Russians had only 11 people.
And in the land battle on July 21, 1770 at Cahul, the future Field Marshal Rumyantsev distinguished himself. His 17,000th army was able to defeat the 100,000th army of Khalil Pasha. This happened thanks to the brilliant offensive tactics that Rumyantsev applied. At some point, when the Turkish troops were especially violently crowding Russian troops, Rumyantsev himself rushed into battle and deployed his soldiers to attack, who began to retreat. The Janissaries after the first attack saved, began to lose ground and scatter.
As a result of the battle, one and a half thousand people were lost from the Russians, and more than 20 thousand from the Turks. After the greatest Cahul victory, the Turkish fortress Izmail and Kiliya surrendered.
From 1770 to 1774 in the Ottoman Empire, the crisis intensified. In the Caucasus and in the Black Sea region, active military operations were carried out in which Russian troops won victories over and over again. The Turks practically did not receive the promised help from Poland, Austria and France. Therefore, in 1772, the Turkish authorities decided to start armistice negotiations. The main point on which the parties did not agree was the fate of Crimea. The Russian side insisted on the independence of the Crimea, and the Turks in every possible way refused this. Therefore, without agreeing in the general opinion, the parties resumed hostilities.
In 1773-74, Russian troops were able to occupy the Crimean peninsula. The army under the command of Suvorov was especially distinguished, which won brilliant victories near Girsov, Kozludzha and Turtukay.
In Georgia at that time, military operations were also conducted with the Turks, though not as successfully as in Moldova and the Crimean steppes. In 1771, Catherine II ordered the withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgia, since their stay there deemed further useless. Nevertheless, the events in the Caucasus distracted the forces of the Turks from the central theater of operations, which also had its positive influence on the course of the war.
Finally, the Turkish authorities were forced to sign a peace treaty and fulfill all the conditions that Russia put forward. So ended the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-74. This happened in the small Bulgarian town of Kuchuk-Kainardzhi in July 1774.
The results of the Russian-Turkish war can be called the following: The Russian Empire gained territory between the Dnieper and the Bug, including the sea coast and Crimean fortresses. The Crimean Khanate was declared an independent state, while the Russian merchant fleet received the right to freely pass through the straits. Thus, Russia was able to fulfill its maximum plan set in the Russian-Turkish war.