Key Facts
- Duration
- 24 September – 6 October 1770 (12 days)
- Ottoman garrison
- 1,133 janissaries
- Artillery captured
- 65 cannons, 8 mortars, 3 howitzers
- Russian casualties
- 23 killed, 109 wounded
- Ottoman relief force defeated
- ~1,000 Crimean troops repulsed on 26 September
Strategic Narrative Overview
Brigadier Baron Igelström led a detachment of four infantry regiments, hussars, and Cossacks into Akkerman's suburbs on 24 September 1770. Captain Nolcken's advance post blocked the Dniester Estuary, repulsing approximately 1,000 Crimean troops on 26 September and driving back Ottoman relief ships with cannon fire. Russian artillery batteries bombarded the fortress continuously, suppressing the garrison of 1,133 janissaries until resistance collapsed on 6 October.
01 / The Origins
The siege of Akkerman was part of the broader Russo-Turkish War of 1768–74, in which Russia sought to expand its influence into Ottoman-held territories north of the Black Sea. Akkerman, a heavily fortified Ottoman fortress on the Dniester Estuary, controlled strategic access between the Black Sea and the interior. Russian forces under Prince Repnin's corps were directed to seize it, severing Ottoman communication lines and blocking reinforcements from Ochakov.
03 / The Outcome
The garrison surrendered on 6 October 1770, yielding 65 cannons, 8 mortars, and 3 howitzers. Russian losses totalled 23 killed and 109 wounded. Turkish troops and inhabitants were removed to Izmail, and a Russian garrison under Major Baron Fersen occupied the fortress. Under the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca (1774), Akkerman was returned to Ottoman control.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Brigadier Baron Igelström, Captain Nolcken, Major Baron Fersen.
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.