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129-638: The Tobolsk Viceroyalty was established by the personal decree of Catherine II from the territory of the dissolved Tobolsk province. In 1780–1782, the three-story stone Palace of the Tobolsk Viceroys was rebuilt in Tobolsk. The palace was located on the site of the old clerk's chamber, built by Semyon Ulyanovich Remezov , on a high ravine between the Pryamskoy Vzvoz (gatehouse of the Tobolsk Kremlin ) and

258-673: A League of Armed Neutrality , designed to defend neutral shipping from being searched by the British Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War . From 1788 to 1790, Russia fought a war against Sweden instigated by Catherine's cousin, King Gustav III of Sweden, who expected to overrun the Russian armies still engaged in war against the Ottomans and hoped to strike Saint Petersburg directly. But Russia's Baltic Fleet checked

387-518: A pleuritis that almost killed her. She credited her survival to frequent bloodletting ; in a single day, she received four phlebotomies . Her mother's opposition to this practice brought her the Empress's disfavour. When Sophie's situation looked desperate, her mother wanted her confessed by a Lutheran pastor. Awaking from her delirium, however, Sophie said, "I don't want any Lutheran; I want my Orthodox father [clergyman]". This increased her popularity with

516-480: A "Northern Accord" between Russia, Prussia, Poland, and Sweden to counter the power of the Bourbon – Habsburg League. When it became apparent that his plan could not succeed, Panin fell out of favour with Catherine and she had him replaced with Ivan Osterman (in office 1781–1797). Catherine agreed to a commercial treaty with Great Britain in 1766, but stopped short of a full military alliance. Although she could see

645-639: A "revolution" in her teenage mind as Tacitus was the first intellectual she read who understood power politics as they are, not as they should be. She was especially impressed with his argument that people do not act for their professed idealistic reasons, and instead she learned to look for the "hidden and interested motives". According to Alexander Hertzen , who edited a version of Catherine's memoirs, Catherine had her first sexual relationship with Sergei Saltykov while living at Oranienbaum, as her marriage to Peter had not yet been consummated, as Catherine later claimed. Nonetheless, Catherine would eventually leave

774-480: A 1749 Russian military plot to crown Peter (together with Catherine) in Elizabeth's stead. As a result of this plot, Elizabeth likely wanted to deny both Catherine and Peter any rights to the Russian throne. Elizabeth, therefore, allowed Catherine to have sexual lovers only after a new legal heir, Catherine and Peter's son Paul , survived and appeared to be strong. After this, Catherine carried on sexual liaisons over

903-699: A 1790 letter to Baron de Grimm written in French, she called the Qianlong Emperor " mon voisin chinois aux petits yeux " ("my Chinese neighbour with small eyes"). In the Far East, Russians became active in fur trapping in Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands . This spurred Russian interest in opening trade with Japan to the south for supplies and food. In 1783, storms drove a Japanese sea captain, Daikokuya Kōdayū , ashore in

1032-653: A Polish anti-reform group known as the Targowica Confederation . After defeating Polish loyalist forces in the Polish–Russian War of 1792 and in the Kościuszko Uprising (1794), Russia completed the partitioning of Poland, dividing all of the remaining Commonwealth territory with Prussia and Austria (1795). The Qianlong Emperor of China was committed to an expansionist policy in Central Asia and saw

1161-603: A cannon shot, a military team of 1,000 people arrived at the Tobolsk Kremlin. At 7:00 a.m. following another cannon shot, commanding officials began to arrive at the Viceroy’s Palace, to be met by Governor General, Lieutenant General of the Life Guards, and Prime Major Yevgeny Petrovich Kashkin. Another cannon shot at 8:00 a.m. signalled the beginning of a church service led by Archbishop of Tobolsk and Siberia, which

1290-430: A cold, abusive woman who loved gossip and court intrigues. Her hunger for fame centered on her daughter's prospects of becoming Empress of Russia, but Joanna also infuriated Elizabeth , who eventually banned her from the country for allegedly spying for King Frederick. Elizabeth knew the family well and had intended to marry Joanna's brother Charles Augustus (Karl August von Holstein). He died of smallpox in 1727, before

1419-497: A continuing rivalry between the two cities. Omsk received a new life because of World War II . Because it was both far from the fighting and had a well-developed infrastructure, Omsk provided a perfect haven for much of the industry evacuated away from the frontlines. Contingency plans were made to transfer the provisional Soviet capital to Omsk in the event of a German victory during the Battle of Moscow (October 1941 to January 1942). At

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1548-594: A drawing was sent "On the structure of the Omsk fortress beyond the Omya river prison and courtyards in a line." In 1722, this drawing was used by the captain-engineer, Paul de Grange, in the plan's development of the fortress on the right bank of the Om. At the end of the summer of 1717, Gagarin ordered the production of six bells for the Yamyshevskaya and Omsk fortresses. Bells were made by

1677-713: A lot of time and effort to trade with China . And above all, he organized the trade route to this country. The main route passed from Tobolsk , down the Irtysh, then up the Ob, then along the Ket portage to the Yenisei, and on to the border with China. The journey was long, difficult, and expensive. There was also a second option - up the Irtysh, twice shorter and much easier. Kalmyk, Kyrgyz-Kaisak and Chinese chiefs were interested in this route as they all had their share of international trade. However, above

1806-524: A major obstacle to smooth government operations and city development. Omsk is in the south of the West Siberian Plain , along the banks of the north-flowing Irtysh , at its confluence with the Om River . The city has an elevation of 87 meters (285 ft) above mean sea level at its highest point. Omsk is an important railroad hub and is the junction point for the northern and southern branches of

1935-467: A new war against Persia in 1796 after they, under the new king Agha Mohammad Khan , again invaded Georgia and established rule in 1795, expelling the newly established Russian garrisons in the Caucasus. The ultimate goal for the Russian government, however, was to topple the anti-Russian shah (king), and to replace him with his pro-Russian half-brother Morteza Qoli Khan , who had defected to Russia. It

2064-512: A population to be considered a city, it required a special letter from Catherine II— creating a self-governing city society with rights as a legal entity—as well as the highest approved coat of arms and city plan. From 1788 until the early 1790s, general city dumas were organized in eight cities of the Tobolsk Viceroyalty: Tobolsk, Tomsk, Tyumen, Tara, Turukhansk, Yeniseisk, Narym, and Omsk. The following cities were re-established in

2193-709: A record two months and weighed 2.3 kg (5.1 lbs). From 1762, the Great Imperial Crown was the coronation crown of all Romanov emperors until the monarchy's abolition in 1917. It is one of the main treasures of the Romanov dynasty and is now on display in the Moscow Kremlin Armoury Museum . During her reign, Catherine extended the borders of the Russian Empire by some 520,000 square kilometres (200,000 sq mi), absorbing New Russia , Crimea ,

2322-574: A regent or as a usurper , tolerable only during the minority of her son, Grand Duke Paul. Catherine was crowned at the Assumption Cathedral in Moscow on 22 September 1762. Her coronation marks the creation of one of the main treasures of the Romanov dynasty, the Great Imperial Crown of Russia , designed by Swiss-French court diamond jeweller Jérémie Pauzié . Inspired by Byzantine design,

2451-440: A representative of the municipal government elected by Omsk residents. Here are all the laurels and applause to the head of the region. At […] the event, a trend was clearly outlined, a fashionable tone set by the former governor Leonid Polezhayev - the separation of the city and the region. Although, in poor budgets, Nazarov and Dvorakovsky, on the contrary, should have worked "in one bundle." According to Vyacheslav Dvorakovsky,

2580-521: A synagogue, the governor-general's mansion, and a military academy. But as the frontier receded and its military importance diminished, the town fell into disarray. For that reason, Omsk became a major center of the Siberian exile. From 1850 to 1854, Fyodor Dostoyevsky served his sentence in an Omsk katorga prison. Inside the Omsk settlement (the city of Omsk), a military settlement - the Omsk fortress - lived on its own for approximately 150 years. By 1845,

2709-866: A system of government fully controlled by the Russian Empire through a Permanent Council , under the supervision of her ambassadors and envoys . Fearing that the May Constitution of Poland (1791) might lead to a resurgence in the power of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the growing democratic movements inside the Commonwealth might become a threat to the European monarchies, Catherine decided to refrain from her planned intervention into France and to intervene in Poland instead. She provided support to

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2838-870: A time when the Russian Empire was expanding rapidly by conquest and diplomacy. In the south, the Crimean Khanate was annexed following victories over the Bar Confederation and the Ottoman Empire in the Russo-Turkish War . With the support of Great Britain , Russia colonised the territories of New Russia along the coasts of the Black and Azov Seas . In the west, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth —ruled by Catherine's former lover, King Stanisław August Poniatowski —was eventually partitioned , with

2967-468: A war with Austria and Germany, impossible without her foreign policy. Omsk Omsk ( / ˈ ɒ m s k / ; Russian : Омск , IPA: [omsk] ) is the administrative center and largest city of Omsk Oblast , Russia . It is situated in southwestern Siberia and has a population of over 1.1 million. Omsk is the third largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk and Krasnoyarsk , and

3096-640: Is home to many institutions of higher learning and several universities: As a prominent educational center, Omsk has several museums, theaters, music venues, and educational institutions. Among Omsk's museums, the most notable are: Theaters include the Omsk Opera, The Omsk Theater of Drama, The Omsk Circus, the Omsk State Music Theater, and several smaller venues. Omsk is represented nationally by professional association football and hockey clubs. The socio-political life of Omsk has long been known for

3225-493: Is no information about whether the quadrangular fort and the triangular redoubt were built. However, it is known that the fortress (defensive structure) was built pentagonal, although not as regular as in the drawing. This is clear from the plans of 1745 and 1755. The entire settlement (Omsk fortress, including the Cossack settlement and the main defensive structure) had the shape of an irregular, broken quadrangle. In 1768 Om fortress

3354-742: Is served by the Tsentralny Airport , which offers access to domestic and international (primarily, German and Kazakh) destinations, making the city an important aviation hub for Siberia and the Russian Far East . It is about 450 km (280 mi) north of Kazakhstan's capital Astana , and 600 km (370 mi) west of Siberia's largest city, Novosibirsk . Omsk has a humid continental climate ( Köppen Dfb ) characterized by dramatic seasonal shifts in weather: winters are long, dry, windy and very cold, and summers are short but sunny and warm, sometimes hot. Average daily temperatures, taken over

3483-560: Is the Omsk City Council, elected for five years and consisting of forty deputies. The acting City Council is of the sixth convocation, elected on 10 September 2017, 20 deputies were elected from party lists, the remaining 20 deputies from single-mandate constituencies. Vladimir Valentinovich Korbut, a member of the United Russia party, has been the chairman of the Omsk City Council since 27 September 2017. Gazprom 's Omsk Refinery

3612-513: The Aleutian Islands , at that time Russian territory. Russian local authorities helped his party, and the Russian government decided to use him as a trade envoy. On 28 June 1791, Catherine granted Daikokuya an audience at Tsarskoye Selo . Subsequently, in 1792, the Russian government dispatched a trade mission to Japan, led by Adam Laxman . The Tokugawa shogunate received the mission, but negotiations failed. Nicholas I, her grandson, evaluated

3741-706: The Cossacks , designed by Vasily Stasov and consecrated in 1840. It contains various relics of the Siberian Cossacks. Also, an important sigh-seen of the city is the Achair Women's Monastery in the name of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord. It is known for a mineral spring (+37 degrees) on its territory alleged to have healing properties, which was consecrated on September 14, 1993, by Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow . Omsk

3870-668: The Enlightenment , Russia experienced a renaissance of culture and sciences, which led to the founding of many new cities, universities, and theatres, along with large-scale immigration from the rest of Europe and the recognition of Russia as one of the great powers of Europe. In her accession to power and her rule of the empire, Catherine often relied on her noble favourites, most notably Count Grigory Orlov and Grigory Potemkin . Assisted by highly successful generals such as Alexander Suvorov and Pyotr Rumyantsev , and admirals such as Samuel Greig and Fyodor Ushakov , she governed at

3999-471: The North Caucasus , right-bank Ukraine , Belarus , Lithuania , and Courland at the expense, mainly, of two powers—the Ottoman Empire and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth . Catherine's foreign minister, Nikita Panin (in office 1763–1781), exercised considerable influence from the beginning of Catherine's reign. A shrewd statesman, Panin dedicated much effort and millions of rubles to setting up

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4128-656: The Red Army , which viewed it as a major focus of their Siberian campaign and eventually forced Kolchak and his government to abandon the city and retreat along the Trans-Siberian eastward to Irkutsk . Bolshevik forces entered the city in 1919. The Soviet government preferred the young Novonikolayevsk (later known as Novosibirsk ) as the administrative center of Western Siberia, prompting the mass transfer of administrative, cultural, and educational functions from Omsk to Novonikolayevsk. This directive stunted Omsk's growth and sparked

4257-641: The Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774 . Russia inflicted some of the heaviest defeats ever suffered by the Ottoman Empire, including at the Battle of Chesma (5–7 July 1770) and the Battle of Kagul (21 July 1770). In 1769, a last major Crimean–Nogai slave raid , which ravaged the Russian held territories in Ukraine, saw the capture of up to 20,000 slaves for the Crimean slave trade . The Russian victories procured access to

4386-563: The Russo-Turkish War of 1787–1792 . This war was another catastrophe for the Ottomans, ending with the Treaty of Jassy (1792), which legitimised the Russian claim to the Crimean peninsula and granted the Yedisan region to Russia. In the Treaty of Georgievsk (1783), Russia agreed to protect Georgia against any new invasions and further political aspirations of their Persian suzerains . Catherine waged

4515-605: The Trans-Siberian Railway . The city also serves as a major hub for the regional highway network. River-port facilities handle both passengers and freight, giving the city access to navigating the extensive waterways of the Irtysh and Ob River . The waterways connect Omsk with the coal and mineral-mining towns further up the river in Kazakhstan , as well as with the oil, natural gas and lumber operations of northern Siberia. Omsk

4644-503: The Vogul ancestors, Prince Taishin of the Principality of Obdorsk, and other Ostyak princes. Celebrations in Tobolsk began on August 21, 1782. In the evening, Major Yakov Meibom, who was appointed mayor, second-major, and collegiate secretary Matvey Yurlov, 6 horse trumpeters and 12 hussars , informed Tobolyakov and guests of the city about the upcoming festivities. At 4:00 a.m., after

4773-479: The ode "To Siberia" of his own composition at the celebrations from the seminary. In 1785, the Tobolsk Viceroyalty consisted of two regions: Tobolsk Oblast and Tomsk Oblast. The oblast (region) is an intermediate link in territorial administration between the namestnichestvo (vicegerency) and the uezd (county). By that, the administration of Empress Catherine II adapted the governing system to

4902-455: The 1790s. In 1768, she formally became the protector of the political rights of dissidents and peasants of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, which provoked an anti-Russian uprising in Poland, the Confederation of Bar (1768–1772), supported by France. After the rebels, their French and European volunteers, and their allied Ottoman Empire had been defeated, she established in the Commonwealth

5031-573: The Black Sea and allowed Catherine's government to incorporate present-day southern Ukraine, where the Russians founded the new cities of Odessa , Nikolayev , Yekaterinoslav (literally: "the Glory of Catherine") and Kherson . The Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca , signed 21 July 1774 (OS: 10 July 1774), gave the Russians territories at Azov , Kerch , Yenikale , Kinburn and the small strip of Black Sea coast between

5160-806: The Buholz detachment abandoned the Yamyshev fortress and moved down the Irtysh to the territory of the Tarsky district. Gagarin assessed the situation and gave instructions to Lieutenant Colonel Buholz and the Tara commandant to build a fortress at the mouth of the Om and sent recruits to reinforce them. By the end of 1716, the first fortress (fortified place) was built in the modern river station. It comprised an earthen pentagonal fortress, powder and food stores, barracks for soldiers, and houses for officers. The first Omsk fortress (fortified place)

5289-525: The Crimean state and maintain friendly relations with Russia. His period of rule proved disappointing after repeated effort to prop up his regime through military force and monetary aid. Finally, Catherine annexed Crimea in 1783. The palace of the Crimean Khanate passed into the hands of the Russians. In 1787, Catherine conducted a triumphal procession in the Crimea, which helped provoke the next Russo-Turkish War. The Ottomans restarted hostilities with Russia in

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5418-539: The Empress and her court as a whole. Elizabeth doted on Sophie and saw her as a daughter after this. Sophie's father, a devout German Lutheran, opposed his daughter's conversion to Eastern Orthodoxy . Despite his objections, on 28 June 1744, the Russian Orthodox Church received Sophie as a member. It was then that she took the new name Catherine (Yekaterina or Ekaterina) and the (artificial) patronymic Алексеевна (Alekseyevna, daughter of Aleksey), so that she

5547-579: The Great of Prussia took an active part. The objective was to strengthen the friendship between Prussia and Russia, to weaken the influence of Austria , and to overthrow the chancellor Alexey Bestuzhev-Ryumin , a known partisan of the Austrian alliance on whom the reigning Russian Empress Elizabeth relied. The diplomatic intrigue failed, largely due to the intervention of Sophie's mother, Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp . Historical accounts portray Joanna as

5676-458: The Ismailovsky Regiment to go to the Semenovsky Barracks, where the clergy was waiting to ordain her as the sole occupant of the Russian throne and began her reign as Empress of Russia as Catherine II. She had her husband arrested and forced him to sign a document of abdication, leaving no one to dispute her accession to the throne. On 17 July 1762—eight days after the coup that amazed the outside world and just six months after his accession to

5805-399: The Omsk fortress, like other Upper Irtysh fortresses, was caused by the urgent need to strengthen the trade route to China. The credit for their arrangement belongs entirely to the Siberian governor, Prince M.P. Gagarin. However, he also bears a large share of the responsibility. Gagarin, being the governor in Nerchinsk and then the head of the Siberian order and the Siberian province, devoted

5934-399: The Omsk garrison under the command of Stupin went to the upper Irtysh to build fortresses. Lieutenant Colonel Ivan Buholz categorically refused to lead a new expedition. In March 1717, he was sent from Tobolsk to the capital. There is very little information about the foundation of the Omsk settlement and the construction of the second fortress. One of the most valuable sources of information is

6063-453: The Omsk mayor, and Putin publicly called Dvorakovsky a "piglet". In March 2016, at an air show attended by more than 100,000 spectators, Nazarov ignored the mayor. BK55 correspondent Yelena Yarovaya noted that the mayor at this event was deprived of the right to speak: It turns out like this: for bad roads, unremoved snow, and landfills, we "beat" the mayor with a poor budget. And we celebrate holidays, all sorts of shows and pleasures, without

6192-419: The Royal Swedish navy in the tied Battle of Hogland (July 1788), and the Swedish army failed to advance. Denmark declared war on Sweden in 1788 (the Theatre War ). After the decisive defeat of the Russian fleet at the Battle of Svensksund in 1790, the parties signed the Treaty of Värälä (14 August 1790), returning all conquered territories to their respective owners and confirming the Treaty of Åbo . Russia

6321-403: The Russian Empire as a potential rival, making for difficult and unfriendly relations between Beijing and Saint Petersburg. In 1762, he unilaterally abrogated the Treaty of Kyakhta , which governed the caravan trade between the two empires. Another source of tension was the wave of Dzungar Mongol fugitives from the Qing Empire who took refuge with the Russians. The Dzungar genocide which

6450-448: The Russian Empire gaining the largest share. In the east, Russians became the first Europeans to colonise Alaska, establishing Russian America . Many cities and towns were founded on Catherine's orders in the newly conquered lands, most notably Yekaterinoslav , Kherson , Nikolayev , and Sevastopol . An admirer of Peter the Great , Catherine continued to modernise Russia along Western European lines. However, military conscription and

6579-401: The Russian language, rising late at night to repeat her lessons in her bedroom. Staying up late at night in the harsh Russian cold caused her to fall ill with pneumonia , though she survived and recovered. In her memoirs, she wrote that she made the decision then to do whatever was necessary and to profess to believe whatever was required of her to become qualified to wear the crown. Although she

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6708-519: The Russian protectorate since the reign of Peter I, but he did not intervene into the problem of political freedoms of dissidents advocating for their religious freedoms only. Catherine did turn Russia into a global great power, not only a European one, but with quite a different reputation from what she initially had planned as an honest policy. The global trade of Russian natural resources and Russian grain provoked famines, starvation and fear of famines in Russia. Her dynasty lost power because of this and of

6837-513: The Siberian governor did not expect the military expedition to reach Yarkand. It was almost impossible and unnecessary. The fortresses along the trade route would remain. The tsar believed in the governor and signed a decree organizing an expedition under the command of a former captain of the Guards, Army Lieutenant Colonel Ivan Bukholts, about the construction of fortresses along the Irtysh above Yamyshev. On January 2, 1716, Matvey Petrovich Gagarin took up his governor's duties and actively took up

6966-598: The Tobolsk Oblast: Omsk , from the Omsk fortress; Ishim, from the Korkina settlement; Kurgan , from the Kurgan settlement (Tsarevo Gorodishe settlement); and Yalutorovsk , from the Yalutorovsky ostrog. The Tobolsk Viceroyalty had an area of 5 million square verst . It contained 16 cities, 16 ostrogs and suburbs, 42 pogosts , 43 slobodas , 124 villages; 10 fortresses; 5 monasteries; 18 outposts, camps, and redoubts; 2,994 villages and winter quarters; 1,232 auls and yurts of non-Christians; 72 landowners' lodges; and 6 state-owned and 14 private manufacturing establishments. In

7095-420: The Zubovs had other plans for the army, ordered the troops to retreat to Russia. This reversal aroused the frustration and enmity of the powerful Zubovs and other officers who took part in the campaign; many of them would be among the conspirators who arranged Paul's murder five years later. Catherine longed for recognition as an enlightened sovereign. She refused the Duchy of Holstein-Gottorp, which had ports on

7224-399: The banks of the Irtysh river. In its spacious throne room, furnished with expensive carpets, was the gold-decorated imperial throne, from the steps of which the Tobolsk Viceroys received officials and foreign ambassadors. To commemorate the opening of the Tobolsk Viceroyalty, ceremonial events were held in August 1782. In attendance were the Khan of the middle Kirghiz horde with the sultans,

7353-408: The benefits of friendship with Britain, Catherine was wary of Britain's increased power following its victory in the Seven Years' War , which threatened the European balance of power . Peter the Great had gained a foothold in the south, on the edge of the Black Sea, during the Azov campaigns . Catherine completed the conquest of the south, making Russia the dominant power in the Balkans following

7482-706: The capital of the anti-Bolshevik Russian State and held the imperial gold reserves. Omsk serves as the episcopal see of the bishop of Omsk and Tara , as well as the administrative seat of the Imam of Siberia. The mayor is Sergey Shelest. The city of Omsk is named after the Om river . This hydronym in the dialect of Baraba Tatars means "the quiet one". [REDACTED] Tsardom of Russia , 1716–1721 [REDACTED] Russian Empire , 1721–1917 [REDACTED] Russian Republic , 1917–1918 [REDACTED] Provisional All-Russian Government , 1918–1919 [REDACTED] Soviet Union ( RSFSR ), 1919–1991 [REDACTED]   Russia , 1991–present The creation of

7611-505: The character of the city center. British, Dutch, and German consulates were established roughly at the same time to represent their commercial interests. The pinnacle of development for pre-revolutionary Omsk was the Siberian Exposition of Agriculture and Industry in 1910. The popularity of the World Fair contributed to the image of Omsk as the " Chicago of Siberia ." After the October Revolution , anti-Bolshevik White forces seized control of Omsk. The " Provisional All-Russian Government "

7740-412: The city is an ensemble of buildings along Lyubinsky Avenue/Lenina Street, anchored by the former Gostiny Dvor , and flanked by two chapels. The area is an eclectic mix of architectural styles, dominated by Art nouveau, Neoclassical and Second Empire. Closer to the confluence of the Om and the Irtysh are the few surviving sombre buildings of the 18th-century fortress. The largest and most opulent church in

7869-415: The city is the Dormition Cathedral , a five-domed edifice in the Russian Revival style, consecrated in 1896, demolished by the Soviets, and restored in the first decade of the 21st century. Another area of interest is Nikolsky Avenue-Krasnykh Zor Street, where a line of merchants' wooden houses still stands. The street leads to the Neoclassical cathedral of St. Nicholas , which was commissioned by

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7998-464: The city's large businesses, which had been state-owned, were fought over by members of the former party elite, the emerging nouveau riche , and fast-growing criminal syndicates. The most notorious cases involved the privatization of Sibneft , a major oil company. Until the end of the 1990s, political life in Omsk was defined by an ongoing feud between the oblast and city authorities. The resulting conflict developed into two points of view, which served as

8127-429: The city, wielding its tax rates as leverage in negotiations with municipal and regional authorities. The nearby parts of the city close to the complex were nicknamed Neftezovodskaya by refinery workers. Omsk-Severnyy (air base) , a Soviet then Russian Air Force base, is located nearby. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union , Omsk experienced a period of economic instability and political stagnation. Most of

8256-426: The coast of the Atlantic Ocean and refrained from having a Russian army in Germany. Instead, she pioneered for Russia the role that Britain later played through most of the 19th and early 20th centuries as an international mediator in disputes that could, or did, lead to war. She acted as mediator in the War of the Bavarian Succession (1778–1779) between the German states of Prussia and Austria. In 1780, she established

8385-421: The conflict between the city and regional authorities. For more than ten years, there was an information war between Governor Leonid Polezhayev of the Omsk Oblast and the city's mayors. It began with a confrontation between Polezhayev and Valery Roshchupkin (1995-2001) in 1999 and was accompanied by black PR from the media owned by the governor (for example, Channel 12) and from the media owned or supported by

8514-423: The construction of fortresses in Siberia including those on Lake Kosogol, and the Yenisei and Irtysh rivers. Between January 8-10, 1716, the prince met with the king and made him an offer as a golden collection from the ancient burial mounds plundered along the Ishim and Irtysh. At the meeting, Gagarin reported to Peter about his plans for the development of Siberia and received the tsar's permission, presumably as

8643-512: The court poet Derzhavin in his famous ode; he later commented bitterly on Zubov's inglorious return from the expedition in another famous poem. By mid-June 1796, Zubov's troops easily overran most of the territory of modern-day Azerbaijan , including three principal cities— Baku , Shemakha , and Ganja . By November, they were stationed at the confluence of the Aras and Kura Rivers , poised to attack mainland Iran. In this month, Catherine died, and her son and successor Paul I, who detested that

8772-405: The crown was constructed of two half spheres, one gold and one silver, representing the Eastern and Western Roman Empires , divided by a foliate garland and fastened with a low hoop. The crown contains 75 pearls and 4,936 Indian diamonds forming laurel and oak leaves, the symbols of power and strength, and is surmounted by a 398.62-carat ruby spinel and a diamond cross. The crown was produced in

8901-519: The economy continued to depend on serfdom , and the increasing demands of the state and of private landowners intensified the exploitation of serf labour. This was one of the chief reasons behind rebellions, including Pugachev's Rebellion of Cossacks , nomads, peoples of the Volga, and peasants. The Manifesto on Freedom of the Nobility , issued during the short reign of Peter III and confirmed by Catherine, freed Russian nobles from compulsory military or state service. The construction of many mansions of

9030-417: The end of the war, Omsk remained a major industrial center, subsequently becoming a leader in Soviet military production. Military industries that moved to Omsk included part of the OKMO tank-design bureau in 1941, and S.M. Kirov Factory no. 185 from Chelyabinsk , in 1962. The Kirov Factory and Omsk Transmash design bureau (KBTM) produced T-80 tanks from the 1970s, and handled the BTR-T , TOS-1 , and

9159-419: The final version of her memoirs to her son, the future Paul I , in which she explained why Paul had been Peter's son. Saltykov was used to make Peter jealous, and she did not desire to have a child with him; Catherine wanted to become empress herself, and did not want another heir to the throne; however, Elizabeth blackmailed Peter and Catherine to produce this heir. Peter and Catherine had both been involved in

9288-409: The first Yamyshev and Omsk fortresses was explained by the lack of fortification experience among the construction managers. At the beginning of 1717 , the dragoon captain, Ilya Gavrilovich Aksakov, was requested to make the trip from Russia. The Governor conferred a major on him and directed him to supervise the construction of a new (second) fortress at the mouth of the Om . In the summer of 1717,

9417-428: The foreign policy of Catherine the Great as a dishonest one. Catherine failed to reach any of the initial goals she had put forward. Her foreign policy lacked a long-term strategy and from the very start was characterised by a series of mistakes. She lost the large territories of the Russian protectorate of the Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania and left its territories to Prussia and Austria. The Commonwealth had become

9546-474: The governor's full support; however, in 2010, the information war unfolded again. Several pro-governor media sought the resignation of the mayor. At a press conference on 1 December 2010, Viktor Schreider said he did not intend to participate. According to another version, the information war began in November 2009 after the primaries of the Omsk branch of the United Russia party, but the prerequisites were still in

9675-507: The highest resolution. On January 27, 1716, Peter I left for Europe, where he stayed until October 1717 and ceased receiving timely and reliable information from Siberia. In January 1716, Gagarin (regarding the tsar's decree) issued his own orders for the construction of a fortress on the frontier of Kosogol Lake and in April on the construction of the fortresses on the Upper Yenisei. On April 28,

9804-401: The impetus for some improvements to the city's infrastructure and cultural life. These improvements included the construction of new leisure parks and the renovation of the city's historic center, the establishment of the annual Siberian International Marathon , and of the annual City Days Festival. Despite this, internal political competition continued to drain the city's resources and served as

9933-471: The information war is needed by people whose interests are to weaken both city and regional authorities, while both authorities have already successfully cooperated in solving the problem of kindergartens. On 30 April 2016, during a prank call from the NTV channel, the governor Nazarov sharply criticized Dvorakovsky for his inactivity concerning the city and unwillingness to accept help in critical communal tasks. At

10062-512: The inventory of documents of the Tara Chancellery, copied for Professor G.F. Miller in 1734. This inventory was mentioned by Professor V.I. Kochedamov  [ ru ] in 1960, and in 2015 it was published by the Barnaul scientists V.B. Borodaev and A.V. Kontev. However, there are no drawings and it is not known where and how the new city (fortress) was built. From Tara to the Omsk fortress,

10191-457: The likely goal of subsequently getting rid of Peter III since at least 1749. Peter III's temperament became quite unbearable for those who resided in the palace. He would announce trying drills in the morning to male servants, who later joined Catherine in her room to sing and dance until late hours. In 1759, Catherine became pregnant with her second child, Anna, who only lived to 14 months. Due to various rumours of Catherine's promiscuity, Peter

10320-426: The marriage was unsuccessful; it was not consummated for years due to Peter III's mental immaturity. After Peter took a mistress, Catherine became involved with other prominent court figures. She soon became popular with several powerful political groups that opposed her husband. Unhappy with her husband, Catherine became an avid reader of books, mostly in French. She disparaged her husband for his devotion to reading on

10449-460: The mayor. The heads of several newspapers and one television company issued a joint statement accusing the governor of violating the "media law" and the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech. Then, in 2003, the conflict between the governor and the mayor Yevgeny Belov (2001-2004) began, culminating in the change of the mayor. The new mayor Viktor Schrader (2004-2012) initially came with

10578-467: The military department, in the amount of three pieces per fortress. According to the drawing of the Omsk fortress in 1717, there was a triangular guard redoubt at the mouth of the Om, a quadrangular fort at the crossing over the Om, and a pentagonal fortress in the yard. At the beginning of 1718, seven bells were made. Perhaps the seventh was intended for the Omsk Sloboda on the right bank of the Om . There

10707-431: The mouth of the Ob, trade caravans were attacked by free detachments of Kalmyks (Oirats) and Kirghiz-Kaisaks, which their rulers could not cope with. A reliable guard was needed with its placement in stationary fortifications. In May 1714, the Siberian governor received the tsar's consent to build fortresses along the Irtysh and to the existing trade route. In his report to the tsar on May 22, 1714, Gagarin substantiated

10836-548: The need to build fortresses along the Irtysh to ensure communication and safety of the expedition going to the city of Yarkand for the golden sand. The gold deposit was behind the Tien Shan ridges, on the territory of a neighboring state, in the Taklamakan Desert . Prince Gagarin understood the consequences of this adventure. With a positive result, this would threaten a military conflict with China and Dzungaria . Of course,

10965-444: The newly formed Tobolsk Governorate . The population of the Tobolsk Viceroyalty was represented by the following national and ethnic groups: Russians , Tatars , Сhuvalshchiki quitrents (Muslim settlers from other provinces, recorded as settled foreigners and endowed with 15 dessiatins of land), Bukharians , Ostyaks , Voguls , Samoyeds , Tungus , Chapogirs (one of the Yenisei clans of Tungus), and Yakuts . In 1783, there

11094-472: The night of 8 July 1762 (OS: 27 June 1762), Catherine was given the news that one of her co-conspirators had been arrested by her estranged husband and that the coup they had been planning would have to take place at once. The next day, she left the palace and departed for the Ismailovsky Regiment , where she delivered a speech asking the soldiers to protect her from her husband. Catherine then left with

11223-574: The nobility, in the classical style endorsed by the empress, changed the face of the country. She is often included in the ranks of the enlightened despots . As a patron of the arts, she presided over the age of the Russian Enlightenment , including the establishment of the Smolny Institute of Noble Maidens , the first state-financed higher education institution for women in Europe. Catherine

11352-653: The nobility. Peter ceased Russian operations against Prussia, and Frederick suggested the partition of Polish territories with Russia. Peter also intervened in a dispute between his Duchy of Holstein and Denmark over the province of Schleswig (see Count Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff ). As Duke of Holstein-Gottorp , Peter planned war against Denmark, Russia's traditional ally against Sweden . In July 1762, barely six months after becoming emperor, Peter lingered in Oranienbaum with his Holstein-born courtiers and relatives, while Catherine lived in another palace nearby. On

11481-458: The north-west of present-day Germany near the border with Denmark) in 1739. The newlyweds settled in the palace of Oranienbaum , which remained the residence of the "young court" for many years. From there, they governed the duchy (which occupied less than a third of the current German state of Schleswig-Holstein , even including that part of Schleswig occupied by Denmark) to obtain experience to govern Russia. Apart from providing that experience,

11610-540: The one hand "Lutheran prayer-books, the other the history of and trial of some highway robbers who had been hanged or broken on the wheel". It was during this period that she first read Voltaire and the other philosophes of the French Enlightenment . As she learned Russian, she became increasingly interested in the literature of her adopted country. Finally, it was the Annals by Tacitus that caused what she called

11739-475: The palace, a prayer service was served on the occasion of the opening of the Offices. And after pronouncing many years to the Empress and the entire August House, cannons were fired. The food for the people was plentiful. There were whole roasted bulls with gilded horns, and various edible preparations were put inside the bulls. Barrels of plain wine and beer were installed. Fountains were arranged, from which grape wine

11868-436: The past three decades, are between +20 °C (68 °F) for July and −17 °C (1.4 °F) for January, although temperatures can reach +40 °C (104 °F) in the summer and drop to −45 °C (−49 °F) in the winter. On average, Omsk sees over 300 sunny days a year ( 2201 hours ). The average annual precipitation is 415 millimeters (16.3 in). The population in Omsk had been steadily rising, according to

11997-454: The prototype Black Eagle tank . Omsk Transmash declared bankruptcy in 2002. In the 1950s, following the development of the oil and natural gas field in Siberia, an oil refinery complex was built, along with an entire "town of oil workers", expanding Omsk northward along the Irtysh . It is currently the largest such complex in Russia. Gazprom Neft , the parent company, is the largest employer in

12126-415: The records: from 31,000 in 1881 to 53,050 in 1900 and to 1,148,418 in 1989 . The 2002 Census recorded that the population had declined to 1,134,016, but it rebounded marginally, according to the 2010 Census , which listed the population of 1,154,116. By 2021, the population had declined to 1,125,695. As of the 2021 Census , the ethnic composition of Omsk was: The architectural centerpiece of

12255-516: The rivers Dnieper and Bug . The treaty also removed restrictions on Russian naval and commercial traffic in the Azov Sea , granted Russia the position of protector of Orthodox Christians in the Ottoman Empire and made Crimea a protectorate of Russia. In 1770, Russia's State Council announced a policy in favour of eventual Crimean independence. Catherine named Şahin Giray , a Crimean Tatar leader, to head

12384-427: The ruling dynasties of Germany, she received her education chiefly from a French governess and from tutors. According to her memoirs, Sophie was considered a tomboy and trained herself to master a sword. Catherine found her childhood to be uneventful; she once wrote to her correspondent Baron Grimm , "I see nothing of interest in it". Although Sophie was born a princess, her family had little money; her rise to power

12513-510: The same time, Nazarov stressed that normal interaction, without a "war", with the mayor does not work even with a mutual desire for this. Within the framework of administrative divisions , Omsk is incorporated as a city of oblast significance —an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts . As a municipal division , Omsk is incorporated as the Omsk Urban Okrug. The representative body of local self-government

12642-524: The structures of the Omsk fortress were half destroyed, which prompted the engineering department of the military department to petition for the abolition of the fortress. In 1864, the fortress was destroyed. The development of the city was generated by the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway in the 1890s. This move led to the significance of Omsk as a logistic hub. Many trade companies established stores and offices in Omsk which came to define

12771-627: The summer of 2009; as a result, the entire information war was reduced to a political game. Schreider, as a result, changed the post of mayor to the place of a deputy in the State Duma, and the acting mayor T. A. Vizhevitova was appointed in his place. In 2012, the Omsk Oblast Governor Polezhayev, permanent since the Soviet era, resigned, and Viktor Nazarov , who previously held the post of general director at CJSC Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Omsk,

12900-702: The throne as Emperor Peter III and Catherine became empress consort . The imperial couple moved into the new Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg. The Emperor's eccentricities and policies, including his great admiration for the Prussian King Frederick II, alienated the same groups that Catherine had cultivated as allies. Russia and Prussia had fought each other during the Seven Years' War (1756–1763) and Russian troops had occupied Berlin in 1761. Peter supported Frederick II, eroding much of his support among

13029-499: The throne included Ivan VI (1740–1764), who had been confined at Schlüsselburg in Lake Ladoga from the age of six months and was thought to be insane. Ivan VI was assassinated during an attempt to free him as part of a failed coup against Catherine. Like Elizabeth before her, Catherine had given strict instructions that Ivan was to be killed in the event of any such attempt. The woman later known as Princess Tarakanova (с. 1745–1775)

13158-411: The throne—Peter III died at Ropsha , possibly at the hands of Alexei Orlov (younger brother to Grigory Orlov, then a court favourite and a participant in the coup). Peter supposedly was assassinated, but it is unknown how he died. The official cause, after an autopsy, was a severe attack of haemorrhoidal colic and an apoplexy stroke. At the time of Peter III's overthrow, other potential rivals for

13287-504: The time of his daughter's birth, he held the rank of a Prussian general in his capacity as governor of the city of Stettin. However, because her second cousin Peter III converted to Orthodox Christianity, her mother's brother became the heir to the Swedish throne and two of her first cousins, Gustav III and Charles XIII , became Kings of Sweden . In accordance with the prevailing custom among

13416-730: The twelfth-largest city in Russia. It is an important transport node , serving as a train station for the Trans-Siberian Railway and as a staging post for the Irtysh River . During the Imperial era, Omsk was the seat of the Governor General of Western Siberia and, later, of the Governor General of the Steppes . For a brief period during the Russian Civil War in 1918–1920, it served as

13545-772: The vast Siberian territories. Tobolsk Oblast includes 10 uezds: Beryozovsky Uezd , Ishimsky Uezd , Kurgansky Uezd , Omsky Uezd, Surgutsky Uezd , Tarsky Uezd , Tobolsky Uezd , Turinsky Uezd , Tyumensky Uezd , and Yalturovsky Uezd —the uezd-less town of Pelym (located within Turinsky Uezd), and 11 fortresses that made up the Ishim line (the southern border of Kurgansky Uezd, Ishimsky Uezd, and Omsky Uezd). Tomsk Oblast includes 6 uezds: Achinsky Uezd, Yeniseisk Uezd, Kainsky Uezd, Narymsky Uezd, Tomsk Uezd, and Turukhansky Uezd. According to Catherine II's regional reform of 1785, which transformed provincial governments into viceroyalties, for

13674-469: The vicegerency, 224 volosts of Russian settlers and 156 volosts of other faiths were organized. The management of the Tobolsk Viceroyalty was united with that of the Perm Viceroyalty under the authority of the governor-general, in whose hands all the threads of economic, police, and judicial administration were concentrated. He had full administrative and military power in the territory. E. P. Kashkin

13803-410: The wedding could take place. Despite Joanna's interference, Elizabeth took a strong liking to Sophie, and Sophie and Peter were eventually married in 1745. When Sophie arrived in Russia in 1744 at age 15, she spared no effort to ingratiate herself not only with Elizabeth, but also with Elizabeth's husband Alexei Razumovsky and with the Russian people at large. She zealously applied herself to learning

13932-501: The years with many men, including Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski , Grigory Grigoryevich Orlov (1734–1783), Alexander Vasilchikov , Grigory Potemkin , Ivan Rimsky-Korsakov and others. She became friends with Princess Ekaterina Vorontsova-Dashkova , the sister of her husband's official mistress. In Dashkova's opinion, Dashkova introduced Catherine to several powerful political groups that opposed her husband; however, Catherine had been involved in military schemes against Elizabeth with

14061-490: Was 10, she met the second cousin who would become her future husband and Peter III of Russia . She later wrote that she immediately found Peter detestable and that she stayed at one end of the castle and Peter at the other. She disliked his pale complexion and his fondness for alcohol. The choice of Sophie as wife of the future tsar was a result of the Lopukhina affair , in which Count Jean Armand de Lestocq and King Frederick

14190-461: Was a crop failure in the Tobolsk Viceroyalty. Catherine the Great Catherine II (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst ; 2 May 1729 – 17 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great , was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter III . Under her long reign, inspired by the ideas of

14319-498: Was able to learn Russian, she spoke with a heavy accent, and made grammatical mistakes. Her writing also contained numerous spelling errors. In most circumstances Catherine II spoke French in her court. In fact the use of French as the main language of the Russian imperial court continued until 1812, when it became politically incorrect to speak French in court due to the war with Napoleonic France. Sophie recalled in her memoirs that as soon as she arrived in Russia, she fell ill with

14448-561: Was another potential rival. Although Catherine did not descend from the Romanov dynasty, her ancestors included members of the Rurik dynasty , which had preceded the Romanovs as rulers of Russia. She succeeded her husband as empress regnant , following the legal precedent of Empress Catherine I , who had succeeded her husband Peter I in 1725. Historians debate Catherine's technical status, whether as

14577-509: Was appointed in his place. In the same year, early mayoral elections (due to the resignation of the previous mayor) were held, and United Russia candidate Vyacheslav Dvorakovsky, who previously served as chief engineer of the Omsk NPO Mostovik, was elected the new mayor. The information war continued, with the next round beginning during a direct line with President Putin, when an Omsk woman complained that she could not get an appointment with

14706-399: Was appointed the first governor-general of the Tobolsk Viceroyalty and Perm Viceroyalty. The Tobolsk Viceroyalty belongs to the I category (status, depending on which monetary payments were assigned to officials who served in them), uniting territories that had a more standardized administration. In 1796, the Tobolsk Viceroyalty was abolished by Paul I , and its territory was transferred to

14835-506: Was attended by all officials. They arrived at the Cathedral from the Viceroy's Palace in a special procession, proceeding along a special platform upholstered in scarlet cloth. During the prayer service, two rapid canon salutes were performed using 101 cannons. The prayer service was followed in turn by a celebratory dinner, an evening ball, and a supper after midnight. On August 23, 1782, a dinner

14964-517: Was born on 2 May 1729 in Stettin , Province of Pomerania , Kingdom of Prussia , as Princess Sophia Augusta Frederica (Sophie Auguste Friederike) von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg. Her mother was Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp . Her father, Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , belonged to the ruling German family of Anhalt . He failed to become the duke of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia and, at

15093-557: Was committed by the Qing Empire had led many Dzungars to seek sanctuary in the Russian Empire, and it was also one of the reasons for the abrogation of the Treaty of Kyakhta. Catherine perceived that the Qianlong Emperor was an unpleasant and arrogant neighbour, once saying: "I shall not die until I have ejected the Turks from Europe, suppressed the pride of China and established trade with India". In

15222-458: Was established in Omsk in 1918, headed by the Arctic explorer and decorated war hero Admiral Kolchak . Omsk was proclaimed the capital of Russia, and its central bank was tasked with safekeeping the former empire's gold reserves. These were guarded by a garrison of former Czechoslovakian POWs trapped in Siberia by the chaos of World War I and the subsequent Revolution . Omsk became a prime target for

15351-529: Was given in the throne room of the Tobolsk Viceroy's Palace. On August 30, 1782, the formal opening ceremony of the Tobolsk Viceroyalty took place. According to the description of Abramov N.A., from the words of a participant in these celebrations: At the end of the Divine Liturgy and a prayer service, a procession with holy icons was made from the cathedral to the Tobolsk Viceroy's palace. Upon arrival at

15480-507: Was in all respects the namesake of Catherine I , the mother of Elizabeth and the grandmother of Peter III. The following year, on 21 August 1745, the long-planned dynastic marriage between Catherine and Peter finally took place in Saint Petersburg . Catherine had recently turned 16. Her father did not travel to Russia for the wedding. The bridegroom, then known as Peter von Holstein-Gottorp, had become Duke of Holstein-Gottorp (located in

15609-422: Was led to believe he was not the child's biological father and is known to have proclaimed, "Go to the devil!" when Catherine angrily dismissed his accusation. She therefore spent much of this time alone in her private boudoir to hide away from Peter's abrasive personality. In the first version of her memoirs, edited and published by Alexander Hertzen, Catherine strongly implied that the real father of her son Paul

15738-456: Was moved. The original Tobolsk and the restored Tara gates, along with the original German Lutheran Church and several public buildings, are left. Omsk was granted town status in 1782. In 1822, Omsk became an administrative capital of Western Siberia and later in 1882 the center of the vast Steppes region (today the northern part of Kazakhstan ) and Akmolinsk Oblast acquiring several churches and cathedrals of various denominations, mosques,

15867-507: Was not Peter, but rather Saltykov. Catherine recalled in her memoirs her optimistic and resolute mood before her accession to the throne: I used to say to myself that happiness and misery depend on ourselves. If you feel unhappy, raise yourself above unhappiness, and so act that your happiness may be independent of all eventualities. After the death of the Empress Elizabeth on 5 January 1762 ( OS : 25 December 1761), Peter succeeded to

15996-478: Was one of the best means of advancing their interests. To improve the position of her house, Sophie was groomed throughout her childhood to become the wife of a powerful ruler. In addition to her native German, Sophie became fluent in French, the lingua franca of European elites in the 18th century. The young Sophie received the standard education for an 18th-century German princess, concentrating on etiquette, French, and Lutheran theology . In 1739, when Catherine

16125-512: Was poured into the framed barrels. Everywhere there was expanse and fun. At night, the city was gracefully lit. A magnificent illumination was arranged, shining with different colors of lights, at the Tobolsk Viceroy's palace, where a majestic picture depicting Empress Catherine II was installed. This description of the celebrations possibly belongs to Pyotr Slovtsov, a 15-year-old student of the Tobolsk Theological Seminary who read

16254-414: Was practically a copy of the fortress erected in 1715 near Yamyshevskoye Lake. However, it also had a significant drawback: the fortifications were scattered and the outer fence was weak. When the enemy attacked, the entire garrison would have to defend the fortress with objects separate from each other. This actually happened in 1716 during the defense of the Yamyshevskaya fortress. The unsuccessful layout of

16383-484: Was supported by her mother Joanna's wealthy relatives, who were both nobles and royal relations. The more than 300 sovereign entities of the Holy Roman Empire, many of them small and powerless, made for a highly competitive political system in which the various princely families fought for advantages over one another, often by way of political marriages. For smaller German princely families, an advantageous marriage

16512-465: Was to stop any involvement in the internal affairs of Sweden. Large sums were paid to Gustav III and peace ensued for 20 years even in spite of the assassination of Gustav III in 1792. In 1764, Catherine placed Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski , her former lover, on the Polish throne . Although the idea of partitioning Poland came from Frederick II of Prussia, Catherine took a leading role in its execution in

16641-400: Was widely expected that a 13,000-strong Russian corps would be led by the seasoned general Ivan Gudovich , but the Empress followed the advice of her lover, Prince Zubov , and entrusted the command to his youthful brother, Count Valerian Zubov . The Russian troops set out from Kizlyar in April 1796 and stormed the key fortress of Derbent on 21 May (OS: 10 May). The event was glorified by

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