Siege of Izmail
| Storming of Izmail | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792) | |||||||||
The capture of Izmail by Russian troops under the command of General-in-Chief A. V. Suvorov on 11 December 1791, Mikhail Ivanov | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
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Southern Army Black Sea Rowing Flotilla | |||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
28,000–32,000
500 to 600 guns, including flotilla |
40,000–42,000
265 guns | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 4,582 to 10,000 killed & wounded |
up to 41,999
up to 400 standards | ||||||||
The siege of Izmail (Turkish: İzmail Kuşatması), also called the storming of Izmail (Russian: Штурм Измаила), was a military action fought in 1790 on the Danube near the Black Sea during the Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792) and simultaneously the Austro-Turkish War (1788–1791). The Russians were led by Alexander Suvorov, who had defeated the Ottoman Turkish forces at Kinburn, Focsani, and Rymnik, as well as participating in the siege of Ochakov. The Black Sea rowing flotilla was commanded by the Spanish admiral José de Ribas (Iosif Deribas) who was in the service of the Russian Empire. In preparation for the storming, Suvorov personally trained his soldiers and, approaching Izmail Fortress at a distance of a gunshot, explained to senior officers how and where to act during the assault. It is regarded as one of Suvorov's finest victories and one of the greatest deeds in world military history.
The fortress was considered to be impregnable and was referred to as "a fortress without weak points", and was commanded by one of the best and most experienced Ottoman generals, Aydoslu Mehmed Pasha, who did not allow the Russian commanders Ivan Gudovich, Alexander Samoylov, Pavel Potemkin, and Deribas (November, 1790) to capture Izmail in the previous beleaguering. The Ottoman commander Hassan Pasha, after his defeat by Nikolai Repnin at Salcia, repelled Repnin's attempt to take Izmail in 1789; however, in this case, the blame lies largely with Repnin's own indecision.