The Russian-Kazakh Military Alliance during the Migration of the Kalmyks from Russia in January — August 1771
Stepan V. Dzhundzhuzov, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor
Orenburg State Pedagogical University, Orenburg, Russia, djund@yandex.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8937-5690
Abstract
In 1771, a significant part of the Kalmyk merchants, led by the governor of the Kalmyk Khanate, Noyon Ubashi, migrated from Russia to Dzungaria, which had been conquered by China. The route of the Kalmyk Horde ran through the territory of the Yaik Cossack Host, which was part of the Orenburg Province, and further along the Kazakh steppes to the borders of the Chinese Empire. Based on the correspondence of the Kazakh Khan Nurali with the Orenburg Governor I. A. Reinsdorp, as well as the reports from Russian officers, the article examines the military interaction between the Russian and Kazakh troops involved in the pursuit of the Kalmyks. The objective of the military expedition undertaken by the allies was not achieved. Its failure was due to a number of political and military organizational factors, including diverging objectives and the failure to establish trust between the allies. The Russian corps were sent on a campaign understaffed, with limited provisions, and the lack of experience in long campaigns far from borderlines. As a result of faster advance and successful maneuvering, the Kalmyks managed to avoid clashes with the Russian army.
Keywords
Military alliance, Dzungaria, Kazakh Nurali Khan, the Kalmyks, Orenburg governor I. A. Reinsdorp, pursuit, supply, steppe.
For citation:
Dzhundzhuzov S. V. The Russian-Kazakh Military Alliance during the Migration of the Kalmyks from Russia in January — August 1771. Vestnik of Orenburg State Pedagogical University. Electronic Scientific Journal, 2026, no. 1 (57), pp. 114—128. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32516/2303-9922.2026.57.8.
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