Red Army in the Balkans 1944
The Soviet command saw the possibility of encircling and destroying the German troops concentrated in the Chisinau area by the forces of the 2nd Ukrainian and 3rd Ukrainian fronts.
The liberation of Karogrod (Constantinople, Istanbul) from the yoke of the evil Mohammedans, control over the sea straits of the Bosporus and the Dardanelles and the unification of the Orthodox world under the leadership of the "Great Russian Empire" are a standard set of foreign policy goals for all Russian rulers.
A radical solution to these problems was associated with the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, which from the middle of the 1853 century became the main enemy of Russia. Catherine II strongly supported the project of the complete expulsion of the Turks from Europe in alliance with Austria, the division of the Balkan Peninsula, the creation of the Danubian principalities of the state of Dacia and the revival of the Byzantine state headed by the empress. grandson Konstantin. Her other grandson - Nicholas I - in order to fulfill this dream (with the only difference that the Russian tsar was not going to restore Byzantium, but only wanted to make the Turkish sultan his vassal) got involved in the ill-fated Eastern (Crimean) war against 1856-XNUMX.
Mikhail Skobelev, the "white general", made his way to the Bosphorus through Bulgaria in 1878. It was then that Russia dealt a mortal blow to the Ottoman Empire, after which Turkish influence on the Balkan Peninsula could no longer be restored, and the separation of all South Slavic countries from Turkey was only a matter of time. However, hegemony in the Balkans was not achieved - there was a struggle between all the great powers for influence on the newly independent states. In addition, the former provinces of the Ottoman Empire immediately decided to become great themselves and entered into irresolvable disputes among themselves; At the same time, Russia could neither take sides nor evade the solution of the Balkan problem.
The strategic importance of the Bosporus and the Dardanelles, important for the Russian Empire, was never lost sight of by the ruling elite. In September 1879, the most important dignitaries gathered in Livadia under the chairmanship of Tsar Alexander II to discuss the possible fate of the straits in the event of the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. As a participant in the conference, Privy Councilor Pyotr Saburov, wrote, Russia could not allow the permanent occupation of the straits by England. The task of conquering the straits was set in case circumstances led to the destruction of Turkish rule in Europe. The German Empire was considered an ally of Russia. A number of diplomatic steps were taken, reconnaissance of the future theater of operations was carried out, and a “special reserve” of sea mines and heavy artillery was created. In September 1885, Alexander III sent a letter to the Chief of the General Staff, Nikolai Obruchev, in which he defined the main goal of Russia - the capture of Constantinople and the straits. The king wrote: As for the straits, of course, the time has not yet come, but one must be on the alert and have all means at the ready. Only under this condition I am ready to wage war on the Balkan Peninsula, because it is necessary and really useful for Russia. In July 1895, a "special meeting" was held in St. Petersburg, which was attended by the ministers of war, maritime affairs, foreign affairs, the ambassador to Turkey, as well as the highest commanding staff of the Russian army. The resolution of the conference spoke of complete military readiness for the occupation of Constantinople. It was further stated: by taking the Bosphorus, Russia would fulfill one of her historical tasks: to be the mistress of the Balkan Peninsula, to keep England under constant attack, and she would not have to be afraid of her from the Black Sea side. The plan for the landing of troops in the Bosphorus was considered at a ministerial meeting on December 5, 1896, already under the leadership of Nicholas II. The composition of the ships involved in the operation was determined, and the commander of the landing corps was appointed. In the event of a military conflict with Great Britain, the Russian General Staff planned to attack India from Central Asia. The plan had many powerful opponents, so the young king decided not to make a final decision. Soon, the events in the Far East captured all the attention of the Russian leadership, and the Middle East direction was "frozen". In July 1908, when the youthful revolution broke out, the Bosphorus Expedition was reconsidered in Petersburg with the aim of capturing the advantageous positions of Constantinople on both sides of the strait and holding them in their hands to concentrate the forces necessary to achieve the political goal.
