Right-bank campaign (1674)

The right-bank campaign of 1674 was the military actions of Moscow and Ukrainian troops under the leadership of the left-bank Hetman Ivan Samoilovych and Grigory Romodanovsky against the forces of the right-bank Hetman Petro Doroshenko, aimed at spreading royal power to right-bank Ukraine.^[1]

The right-bank campaign
Part of The Ruin (Ukrainian history)
Map of right-bank Ukraine
Date 1674 Location Right-bank Ukraine, (modern day Ukraine) Result See Aftermath
Belligerents
Right-bank Hetmanate Ottoman Empire Crimean Khanate	Russia Left-bank Hetmanate
Commanders and leaders
Petro Doroshenko Andrei Doroshenko (WIA) Kara Mustafa Pasha Dżambet Garej	Grigory Romodanovsky Ivan Samoylovych

Background

The Treaty of Buchach 1672

With the signing of the Treaty of Buchach in 1672, a Cossack state on the right bank of the Dnieper was recognised and Moscow sought to extend its influence there.^[2] Left-bank hetman Ivan Samoilovych was instructed to negotiate with right-bank hetman Petro Doroshenko for Moscow's protection, but he feared losing his power. Doroshenko was willing to accept Moscow's supremacy under certain conditions, including armed assistance and maintaining Cossack freedoms, but Moscow preferred having separate hetmans for each bank and refused to meet all of Doroshenko's demands. Over time, Moscow grew frustrated with Doroshenko's insistence on ceding territory for loyalty and,^[1] by 1674, felt ready to act against him, especially as support for Doroshenko had weakened among his allies. This led to Samoilovych, fearing that he would be replaced as hetman by Doroshenko, saw this as a good opportunity to invade right-bank Ukraine.^[3]

Campaign

Hetman of right-bank Ukraine, Petro Doroshenko

At the beginning of 1674, Prince Romodanovski and the Hetman Samoylovich crossed to the right bank of the Dniepr. Doroshenko, having no forces,^[4] quickly lost Cherkassy, Kanev and other towns.^[5][6] Soon after, Doroshenko's capital, Chyhyryn, was put under siege. But with the help of the Ottomans and the fact that Chyhyryn was well fortified Romodanovsky and Samoilovich decided to lift the siege and withdraw across the Dnieper.^[3] In the summer, Russian troops took further action and on June 19, 1674, in the battle on the Tashlyk River near Smiala, they defeated the Cossack-Tatar troops led by Andrei Doroshenko (Pyotr's brother). The wounded Andrei fled to Chyhyryn. Right-bank Ukraine once again fell under Muscovite rule.^[7]

Aftermath

With the end of the military campaign,Samoylovich returned, deputies of ten right-bank regiments came to the council in Pereyaslav and recognized Samoylovich as the hetman of the right-bank Ukraine.^[8]