Russian capture of Kars during the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) led to its formal annexation at the Treaty of Berlin, shifting regional power in the Caucasus.
Key Facts
- Date of battle
- November 17, 1877
- Duration of assault
- Single night
- Conflict
- Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)
- Outcome
- Russian victory; city and garrison captured
- Formal annexation treaty
- Treaty of Berlin
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, Russian forces sought to seize the heavily fortified Ottoman city of Kars in the Caucasus. Despite widespread skepticism in Russian high command about the feasibility of an assault—given the strength of Ottoman defenses and fears of prohibitive casualties—General Loris Melikov and allied commanders devised a coordinated plan of attack.
On the night of November 17, 1877, Russian forces launched an assault on Kars. After a prolonged night of intense fighting, they broke through Ottoman defenses and captured both the city and a large portion of its defending garrison. The preparatory fighting had begun earlier in the summer, but the decisive engagement was resolved in a single night.
The Ottoman defeat at Kars had widespread regional consequences. Russia formally annexed the city under the terms of the Treaty of Berlin, consolidating Russian control over a strategically significant Caucasian fortress and altering the balance of power between the Russian and Ottoman empires in that region.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Loris Melikov.
Side B
1 belligerent