Territorial evolution of Russia
The Great Stand on the Ugra River in 1480 marked the formal end to centuries of Tatar rule over Russia. Ivan III and Vasili III consolidated a centralized state following the annexation of the Novgorod Republic in 1478. They absorbed Tver in 1485, the Pskov Republic in 1510, Volokolamsk in 1513, Ryazan in 1521, and Novgorod-Seversk in 1522. This period saw the transition from fragmented principalities into a unified empire under the Romanovs after the Time of Troubles between 1598 and 1613. The expansion-colonization process continued as Western Europe colonized the New World while Russia expanded overland to the east, north, and south.
Geographical expeditions mapped much of Siberia during the first stage of North-East expansion from the Urals to the Pacific between 1582 and 1650. The second stage from 1785 to 1830 looked South to areas between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, focusing on Armenia and Georgia. By 1829, Russia controlled all of the Caucasus as shown in the Treaty of Adrianople of 1829. The third era from 1850 to 1860 jumped to the East Coast, annexing the region from the Amur River to Manchuria. The fourth era from 1865 to 1885 incorporated Turkestan and northern approaches to India, sparking British fears of a threat to India in the Great Game.
Qing China defeated Russia in early Sino-Russian border conflicts, though the Russian Empire later acquired Outer Manchuria through the 1858 Treaty of Aigun. During the Boxer Rebellion, the Russian Empire invaded Manchuria in 1900, and the Blagoveshchensk massacre occurred against Chinese residents on the Russian side of the border. After its defeat in the Russo-Japanese War, Russia ceded Manchuria, southern Sakhalin, Russian Dalian, and Port Arthur to Japan with the Treaty of Portsmouth. Peter the Great gained Livonia, Estonia, Ingria, and Karelia from Sweden following the Great Northern War and the Treaty of Nystad in 1721.
After the October Revolution of November 1917, Poland and Finland became independent from Russia and remained so thereafter. The Russian SFSR was established on much of the former empire's territory, with effective direct control varying greatly during the Russian Civil War of 1917 to 1922. In 1922, the revolutionary Bolshevik government joined the Russian SFSR to Belarus, Transcaucasia, and Ukraine as constituent republics of the USSR. By the end of World War II, the Soviet Union had annexed territories including the Kresy from Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania occupied in August 1940, and Bessarabia from Romania after an ultimatum in 1940.
The dissolution of the Soviet Union led to the creation of independent post-Soviet states, with the Russian SFSR declaring its independence in December 1991 and changing its name to the Russian Federation. The Chechen Republic of Ichkeria existed as a secessionist government between 1991 and 2000, ending with Russia recognizing the new government in January 1997 before invading again in 1999. The Russian Federation has been involved in territorial disputes with neighbors including Japan over the Kuril Islands, settled in 1997 with Latvia, and China over parts of Tarabarov Island and Bolshoy Ussuriysky Island, settled in 2001.
In 2014, pro-Russian Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych was deposed in the Revolution of Dignity, leading to Russian troops occupying Ukraine's Crimean peninsula. After a hasty referendum, the Kremlin annexed Crimea and Sevastopol, though this move was not recognized by Ukraine or most other members of the international community. On the 21st of February 2022, Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognizing the independence of two Donbas republics in Ukraine and invaded the region. Two days later, Russian troops openly invaded Ukrainian-held territory, aiming to seize eastern and southern Ukraine right through to Transnistria, a breakaway territory in Moldova.
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Common questions
When did the Great Stand on the Ugra River end Tatar rule over Russia?
The Great Stand on the Ugra River in 1480 marked the formal end to centuries of Tatar rule over Russia. Ivan III and Vasili III consolidated a centralized state following this event.
What territories did Peter the Great gain from Sweden after the Great Northern War?
Peter the Great gained Livonia, Estonia, Ingria, and Karelia from Sweden following the Great Northern War and the Treaty of Nystad in 1721. This expansion secured Russian access to the Baltic Sea.
Which regions were annexed by the Soviet Union before the end of World War II?
By the end of World War II, the Soviet Union had annexed territories including the Kresy from Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania occupied in August 1940, and Bessarabia from Romania after an ultimatum in 1940. These acquisitions expanded Soviet borders significantly.
How did the dissolution of the Soviet Union affect the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria?
The Chechen Republic of Ichkeria existed as a secessionist government between 1991 and 2000, ending with Russia recognizing the new government in January 1997 before invading again in 1999. The conflict concluded with the reintegration of the region into the Russian Federation.
When did Vladimir Putin sign the decree recognizing the independence of two Donbas republics?
On the 21st of February 2022, Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognizing the independence of two Donbas republics in Ukraine and invaded the region. Two days later, Russian troops openly invaded Ukrainian-held territory, aiming to seize eastern and southern Ukraine right through to Transnistria.