March 30, 1885 near the Kushka River, flowing through the territory of modern Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, there was a battle between the Russian corps and the Afghan units, supported by British military advisers. The victory in the battle was won by a detachment of the Russian army. The events on Kushka, according to historians, actually fixed the southern border of the Russian Empire and did not allow Britain to establish control over the Turkmen lands.

Big game

In the second half of the XVIII century, Britain, previously engaged in commerce in South Asia, switched to direct colonial conquests. Values ​​exported from India and other countries of the region increased the welfare of the English elite and allowed to finance the implementation of the industrial revolution in the country.

Having captured the Hindustan Peninsula, the British began to expand their influence in other regions. This led to a clash of interests between the British and Russian Empires in the Caucasus and Central Asia.

“London zealously reacted to the advance into Asia of powers that had armies and fleets of a European standard. They began to try to surround India with a security belt, consisting of semi-dependent states. The process of rivalry between the British and Russia over Asian territories was called “The Big Game” in historical literature, ”said Oleg Ayrapetov, Ph.D. in History, an associate professor at Lomonosov Moscow State University, in an interview with RT.

Unable to displace the Russians from the Caucasus at the beginning of the 19th century, the British concentrated their attention on Central Asia.

“Russia was moving south primarily not for economic reasons, but in an effort to protect its territories from raiding groups and protect trade routes. St. Petersburg was interested in establishing peace in Central Asia, ”said Reserve Member Colonel Andrei Koshkin, full member of the Academy of Military Sciences.

According to the expert, the Russian Empire, in particular, sought peace in the region by negotiating with the Afghan authorities. This process was not liked by the British, who were not satisfied with either strong Afghanistan or its allied relations with St. Petersburg, which eventually resulted in a series of Anglo-Afghan conflicts. As a result of the war of 1878-1880, Afghanistan became a British protectorate.

  • The Second Anglo-Afghan War of 1878-1880
  • © Wikimedia commons / Richard Keyton Woodville

Mervsky knot

As far back as the early 1840s, the outposts of the British army that fought in Afghanistan advanced far deeper into Central Asia. This worried the Russian authorities, who stepped up military and diplomatic activities in the region.

“Russia held a series of negotiations and completed a series of military campaigns in Central Asia. Often, representatives of the local population, who suffered from the attacks of warlike nomads, themselves asked the tsar to take them under his protection, ”said Andrei Koshkin.

According to him, in 1868, the Bukhara Emirate recognized vassal dependence on Russia, in 1873 the Khiva Khanate became a protectorate of St. Petersburg, and in 1876 the Kokand Khanate was annexed to Russia.

In 1883, General Alexander Komarov was appointed head of the Trans-Caspian region of Russia. He was disturbed by the fact that several gangs were operating in the area of ​​the city of Merv, terrorizing vast territories in Central Asia. Komarov sent a diplomatic mission to Merv, offering citizens to accept Russian citizenship. The inhabitants of Merv accepted the offer and in 1884 sent a delegation to Komarov with a corresponding petition addressed to the emperor.

“After the accession of Merv, the need arose to demarcate the border with Afghanistan, which is under the protectorate of Great Britain. And given the fact that in Central Asia the borders have been drawn for centuries, it was fraught with political difficulties. Few previously known in the world of Merv became the site of the intersection of forces. The authorities of Afghanistan, under the influence of the British, insisted that they be handed over to the banks of the Kushka River that had left Russia earlier. The British encouraged the Afghans to take tough actions, ”said Oleg Ayrapetov.

  • "Parliamentarians"
  • © Vasily Vereshchagin

According to Andrei Koshkin, representatives of England were interested in exacerbating the confrontation, so they handed over artillery to the Afghans and sent military advisers to the Kushka region.

“Turkmens living around Merv would be very surprised if they heard British politicians call Merv“ the key to India, ”Airapetov added.

Political Context Fight

In early 1885, Komarov sent four companies of the Trans-Caspian riflemen, the 3rd Turkestan Line Battalion, the Caucasian Cossack Regiment, the Temporary Merv Police and the 21st mountain battery, consisting of four guns, to protect the border. Russian units camped on the left bank of Kushka, near the bridge passing through the river.

In turn, Afghan troops began to surround Russian positions with field fortifications. Komarov demanded that the Afghans withdraw their forces from the banks of Kushka, but his demands were ignored.

“Representatives of Britain and Afghanistan took the diplomatic efforts of the Russian side for the manifestation of weakness. Moreover, against about 1.8 thousand Russian military on the banks of Kushka stood about 4 thousand emir troops, ”said Andrei Koshkin.

On the morning of March 30, 1885, the Russian corps advanced towards the Afghan positions, without opening fire. However, the Emir’s troops fired at the Russians, thus laying the foundation for the battle.

  • General Alexander Vissarionovich Komarov
  • © Wikimedia commons

The Russian military stopped the attack of the Afghan cavalry and put it to flight. Turkmen police chased the enemy and captured a bridge over Kushka.

The servicemen of the Russian corps proceeded to storm the fortified Afghan camp. The infantry bayonet attack knocked the Afghans out of the trenches. Under the control of the Russian troops, the height prevailing over the area passed. The Emir’s detachment was partially destroyed, partially taken into the ring, and partially scattered around. Russian soldiers seized an artillery battery from the enemy, including guns transferred by the British.

The empire’s troops lost about 500 killed, the Russian - only nine. Several dozen Russian soldiers were injured. Komarov’s corps captured two banners, eight guns, a convoy and a significant number of prisoners in battle. Intelligence revealed that the Afghans hastily withdrew their troops from the shores of Kushka.

“Sometimes the events on Kushka are called a battle, but this is not so. The corresponding scale of hostilities was not there. It was about a border clash, the scale of which was greatly exaggerated due to the political context, ”said Ayrapetov.

Nevertheless, according to him, the events on Kushka caused a strong political uproar in England. “Merv and Kushka were called the key to Herat, Herat the key to Afghanistan, and Afghanistan the key to Delhi. British politicians have already seen how Russian soldiers descend from the mountains and enter India, ”said the expert.

“In fact, of course, Russia did not plan to invade anywhere and did not intend to seriously fight at all. The corps located on the border was not numerous, and it lacked a rear - in Turkmenistan there was no production necessary for the supply of weapons, ammunition and provisions. And for transporting them from the center of Russia, railways have not yet been laid. However, in London they were still shouting about the need to protect “poor Afghanistan”, forgetting about how just a few years earlier, Britain had sent its troops against it, ”continued Ayrapetov.

In his opinion, in the conflict of 1885, the Russian authorities were guided by the principle of "enter - we will not enter, but a parrot." Nevertheless, by the end of the year, the crisis was generally overcome - London was never able to find potential allies in continental Europe to fight Russia.

“In 1885, the southern border of the Russian Empire was fixed on Kushka, and the British were forced to put up with it. The British were given a firm understanding that they would not be able to advance their influence in this part of Central Asia. At the same time, the Russian military demonstrated outstanding courage and skill. Official St. Petersburg at the same time recognized London's acquisitions in southern Asia and its interests in Afghanistan. However, despite the resolution of the crisis through diplomatic means, relations between Russia and Britain remained strained until the threshold of the First World War, when they united in the Entente against Germany, ”Andrei Koshkin summed up.