The Ukrainian defensive line was a Russian heavily fortified defensive line on the territory of modern Ukraine built between 1731–1764 on the lands of the Zaporozhian Sich and the Cossack Hetmanate. Built by imperial Russia, it strengthened the defense of the southern borders from Tatar incursionsSerhii Plokhy. "Ukraine and Russia: Representations of the Past", 2008, p. 60 and established military bases in approximation to the Crimea. It was designed by a Russian general Johann Bernhard Graf Weißbach from Bohemia. 285 kilometers in length, it comprised 16 newly-constructed forts and 4 old forts repaired. The first stage was built from 1731–40 and subsequent construction began in the 1740s.
History of construction
Following the defeat at the Pruth Campaign, Russia was forced to surrender some of its territorial acquisitions in Ukraine and around the Sea of Azov. In January 1711, the Crimean Tatar khan Devlet Giray, in support of the Zaporizhian Sich, went to Sloboda Ukraine with his main forces (approximately 50,000 members of the Crimean horde) and several hundred Cossacks.Д. И. Эварницкій: «Исторія запорожскихъ казаковъ», С.-Петербургь 1897, т. III, стор. 494.
The Russian Empire began to prepare actively for the next war with the Ottoman Empire to secure the return of Azov and the Northern Azov Sea Region (Pryazovia). According to official Russian legend, the Ukrainian line was built to prevent the Tatar incursion into the Poltava territory of the Hetmanate and the Kharkiv territory of Sloboda Ukraine.Brian Davies. "Empire and Military Revolution in Eastern Europe: Russia's Turkish Wars in the Eighteenth Century. Continuum International Publishing Group", 2011., p. 172 The line proved to be of limited success given the distance between the fortresses and that the Crimean Tatars excelled in asymmetrical warfare by raiding through gaps in the Russian defense lines.Brian Davies. "Empire and Military Revolution in Eastern Europe: Russia's Turkish Wars in the Eighteenth Century. Continuum International Publishing Group", 2011., p. 205 The bulk of the work on the construction was done by Ukrainian Cossacks and peasants in 1731–1732. Every year, 20 thousand Cossacks and 10 thousand peasants of the Hetmanate worked on the line, who were obliged to work with their own inventory and supplies, every 10th with an ox, and the Cossacks with their weapons. Thousands of Ukrainians lost their lives in the construction of the line. After signing the Treaty of Belgrade in 1739 and the transfer of the Russian-Turkish border from the territory between the Samara and Oril rivers on the Azov Sea, work on the line was terminated, and with the construction of the Dnieper line in 1770–1783, the Ukrainian line lost its military defensive value.
Structure of the Line The line ran from the Oril river to the Siverskyi Donets River. The Ukrainian line consisted of 16 forts and 49 redoubts.
Locations
Fortress Name Other Name Nearest settlement Years Coordinates from Dnieper Borisoglebskaya fortress Kr. Boriso Glebskaia Rudka 1731–1742 48.803148, 34.330804 Livenskaya fortress Kr. Majatska Livenske 49.109136, 34.519317 Gorodetskaya fortress Kr. Nechworoschenka 1731–1736 49.137300, 34.666800Kozlivska fortress Kr. Krutojatska Skalonivka 1731 49.189962, 35.169081 St. Theodore fortress Kr. Nova Saczataja Zaliniine 1731 49.168657, 35.093911 Bilevska fortress Kr. Desiataja Berestyn 49.369017, 35.452845 St. John (Ioanivska) Fortress Kr. St. Iohanna Ivanivske1731–1742 49.440044, 35.585453 Orel fortress Kr. Dewiataja Diachkivka 1731–1742 49.472411, 35.722404 St. Paraskeva fortress Kr. St. Paraskewi Paraskoviia 1731–1742 49.517610, 35.868816 Efrem fortress Kr. Troitzatich Bujerack Yefremivka 1731–1742 49.441978, 36.064019 St. Alexis fortress Kr. Beretzka Oleksiivka1731–1742 49.392243, 36.264049 St. Michael fortress Kr. Kisel Mykhailivka 1731–1742 49.321668, 36.446030 Slobodskaya fortress Kr. Losowoi Pavlivka 1731 49.215590, 36.578546 Tambov fortress Kr. Busowoi Marivka 1731 49.136049, 36.741880 St. Peter fortress Kr. Donetzka Petrivske 1731 49.163730, 36.890191 Ryazhskaya fortress Riaske 49.173816, 34.916266 Vasylivska fortress Nekhvoroshcha 1731–1736 49.164035, 34.752155 to Siversky Donets For defense there were 20 regiments of land militia, (14 cavalry regiments, and six infantry regiments) with about 22 000; it had 180 artillery guns and 39 mortars. In 1740 there were 18 forts and 140 redoubts. Bilevska castle was the center of the line. Until 1764, a land militia office was located there.
References