Russo-Turkish War (1828–1829)
| Russo-Turkish War | |||||||||
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| Part of Russo-Turkish Wars | |||||||||
 Battle of Akhalzic (1828), by January Suchodolski |
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Russian Empire
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 Ottoman Empire
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Nicholas I Peter Wittgenstein Ivan Paskevich Hans Karl von Diebitsch
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Mahmud II Reşid Mehmed Pasha
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| Strength | |||||||||
| 100,000 | Unknown | ||||||||
The Russo-Turkish War of 1828–1829 was sparked by the Greek War of Independence. The war broke out after the Sultan closed the Dardanelles to Russian ships and revoked the Akkerman Convention in retaliation for Russian participation in the Battle of Navarino.
At the start of hostilities the Russian army of 100,000 men was commanded by Emperor Nicholas I, while the Ottoman forces were commanded by Hussein Pasha. In April and May 1828 the Russian commander-in-chief, Prince Peter Wittgenstein, moved into Romanian Principates Wallachia and Moldavia. In June 1828, the main Russian forces under the emperor crossed the Danube and advanced into Dobruja.
The Russians then laid prolonged sieges to three key Ottoman citadels in modern Bulgaria: Shumla, Varna, and Silistra. With the support of the Black Sea Fleet under Aleksey Greig, Varna was captured on 29 September. The siege of Shumla proved much more problematic, as the 40,000-strong Ottoman garrison outnumbered the Russian forces. As the latter were harassed by Turkish troops and ill-equipped, many of its soldiers died of disease or exhaustion. The campaign turned to be an embarrassing one for Russia, considered a great military power, as its troops had to withdraw to Moldavia with heavy losses without having captured Shumla and Silistra.
As winter approached, the Russian army was forced to leave Shumla and retreat back to Bessarabia. In February 1829 the cautious Wittgenstein was replaced by the more energetic Hans Karl von Diebitsch, and the Tsar left the army for St Petersburg. On 7 May, 60,000 soldiers led by Field Marshal Diebitsch crossed the Danube and resumed the siege of Silistra. The Sultan sent a 40,000-strong contingent to the relief of Varna, which was defeated at the Battle of Kulevicha on 30 May. Three weeks later on 19 June, Silistra fell to the Russians.
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Wikipedia