Geopolitical Challenge and Imperial Response: Mechanisms for Stabilizing the Orenburg Borderland in the Context of Russian-Kazakh Relations (1801—1867)
Igor R. Prokhorov, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Researcher
National Archive of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Astana, Kazakhstan, prohorov1974@mail.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5952-3867
Abstract
The article examines the role of the Junior Zhuz Kazakhs (after the abolition of khan power in 1824 — the Orenburg Kazakhs) in the Central Asian policy of the Russian Empire. Based on the analysis of archival materials, the author argues that Russia’s advancement deep into the region was not only an expansionist plan but also a forced reaction to the destabilization of the borderlands by the Khiva and Kokand Khanates. The study examines the mechanisms for protecting the Kazakhs from the oppression of the khanates, issues of ensuring economic security, and the legitimization of military force as the only remaining tool for restoring order. Drawing on archival records from the Orenburg Border Commission and the General Staff, the author analyzes how the nomadic population of the steppe frontier transformed from an object of policy into an active participant in the geopolitical confrontation between Russia and the Khiva and Kokand Khanates. The article also reveals mechanisms for recruiting the Kazakh nobility into Russian service, preventing inter-clan conflicts, and the role of the Kazakhs in ensuring the success of imperial campaigns.
Keywords
Russia, Junior Zhuz, Kazakhs, Orenburg, Khiva, Kokand, V. A. Perovsky, Central Asia.
For citation:
Prokhorov I. R. Geopolitical Challenge and Imperial Response: Mechanisms for Stabilizing the Orenburg Borderland in the Context of Russian-Kazakh Relations (1801—1867). Vestnik of Orenburg State Pedagogical University. Electronic Scientific Journal, 2026, no. 3 (59), pp. 201—219. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32516/2303-9922.2026.59.13.
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