Russian Capture of Chocim (1769)

In 1769, during the Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774, Russian forces under Prince Alexander Galitzine captured the Ottoman fortress of Chocim (Khotyn) in Bukovina. The elite janissary garrison held out under heavy casualties while the remainder of the Ottoman army panicked and fled the field, leaving the fortress in Russian hands.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. The Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774 was a major armed conflict in which Russian armies proved victorious against the Ottoman Empire. In January 1769, a Turkish-Tatar army of about seventy thousand men led by Crimean Khan Qırım Giray invaded central Ukraine, setting the stage for Russian operations toward the Ottoman frontier.

The Fortress of Chocim. The Ottoman Turks had amplified and enlarged the citadel at Chocim (Khotyn), making it a formidable stronghold. It had been besieged and taken by Russian forces on several occasions, including by Burkhard Christoph von Münnich in 1739, and would be taken again in 1788 and 1807 after the 1769 capture.

Aftermath. The capture of Chocim opened the way for further Russian advances. On September 17, 1769, the Russians began their initial campaign over the Dniester into Moldavia, a week after taking the fortress. The war ultimately brought Russia substantial territorial gains, though direct annexation was limited by European balance-of-power diplomacy.

People involved

Sources

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