The Seven Main Opponents in Russian History: Who Are the Ones We Have Fought Most Frequently?
Throughout its long history, Russia has experienced numerous wars, with a total of about 138 armed conflicts, large and small. The reasons behind these conflicts are varied, but in my opinion, the core factor is one —— territory. After all, most of the wars we have initiated were defensive in nature, aimed either at protecting our own security or safeguarding weaker allies.
As times changed, alliances came and went, rulers changed repeatedly, and the state system underwent several transformations, but this main theme of defensive warfare never changed. From ancient times to the present, there have always been people who attempted to invade Russia from the West or the East. So, who is the opponent that Russia has fought the most frequently throughout its history? Who is our main historical rival?
People usually think of lists such as France, the United States, Germany, and so on. But the list I have compiled, which includes five countries, turns out to be surprising!
No. 7 Lithuania
Today, Lithuania is just a small country on the Baltic coast, occasionally visited by some European retirees for vacations. Only the statements of the current government of Lithuania sometimes mention the past confrontation with Russia, but these statements are no longer taken seriously.
But in the past, the situation was completely different — especially between the 15th and 16th centuries, when Lithuania was in a prolonged state of war with Russia. It was often either the instigator of the war or an ally of the aggressor, although Russia also launched military campaigns against Lithuania. The triggers for their wars varied: there were territorial disputes (such as the Smolensk region), political conflicts (Lithuania's alliance with the Crimean Khanate), and even personal grudges (the sister of the Russian Grand Prince Vasily III was imprisoned in a Lithuanian prison).
Later, in order to strengthen its power, Lithuania merged with Poland to form a powerful state — the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which happened in 1569. In the six military conflicts between the two countries, Moscow won four times, and the outcomes of the other two wars were difficult to determine.
From a strategic perspective, however, Lithuania was undoubtedly the loser. In 1795, it was incorporated into the Russian Empire, and remained part of Russia until the empire's collapse.
No. 6 Germany
Leaving aside the conflicts during the Northern Crusades and the clashes with orders like the Teutonic Knights, the relationship between Russia and Germany has long been neutral, and sometimes even very friendly. You might ask why Germany appears on this list? The answer is — the 20th century completely changed everything.
This century witnessed two of the bloodiest world wars in human history. The First World War could still be seen as a geopolitical game among powers, but the Soviet-German front (i.e., the Great Patriotic War) in the Second World War was an invasion war launched by Nazi Germany aimed at destroying the Soviet Union. In my view, after this war, Germany was forever nailed to the list of Russia's historical enemies.
Map of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
No. 5 Poland
Long before the time of the Kievan Rus, Poland could already be considered a geopolitical rival of Russia. Their first conflict dates back to the period of confrontation between the Moscow Principality and Lithuania (as mentioned earlier). After the establishment of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the tension between the two countries continued to escalate. Within just one century in the 17th century, Russia and Poland had engaged in three wars!
Poland's inclusion on this list is not accidental. Later, the conflict extended to the region now known as Ukraine. I refer to the Bohdan Khmelnytsky uprising — at that time, Russia sided with the Cossacks. Ultimately, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was defeated and partitioned by Austria, Prussia, and Russia.
But the Poles did not stop there. After the dissolution of the Russian Empire, they immediately declared war on the newly established Soviet regime. Then, Poland tried to curry favor with Hitler and even factually assisted him in occupying Czechoslovakia (Poland refused to allow Soviet troops to pass through to aid Czechoslovakia). However, Hitler's cunning far exceeded the Poles' expectations. In the autumn of 1939, Nazi German forces marched into Warsaw.
Evidently, to this day, the Poles have not settled down, as can be seen from their diplomatic rhetoric.
No. 4 Iran
Iran made it onto this list purely because of the number of wars it has fought with Russia. Since the 17th century, Moscow and Iran (then known as Persia) have fought seven wars. Russia won five of them, and the results of the other two are controversial, which can be considered "draws."
No. 3 Sweden
Like Lithuania, today's Sweden is a quiet country in Northern Europe — it surrendered without a fight to Nazi Germany during World War II, and its overall image shows no interest in military conflicts at all.
But historically, Sweden was not like that. Just in the 16th century, Russia and Sweden fought six wars! In fact, Sweden had already fought against Moscow during the time of the Novgorod Republic. For approximately 300 years, the two countries fought a total of ten wars. It must be said that this is an astonishing number!
In these ten wars, Russia won five times, lost two times, and three others had questionable results.
Peter Danilovich Martin's "The Battle of Poltava" (1726)
The largest of these was the Great Northern War (1700–1721). The trigger for this war was the struggle for control over the Baltic Sea. By winning this war, Russia not only gained access to the Baltic Sea and its coastal territories but also officially became an empire in 1721.
No. 2 Britain
Although the number of open wars between Russia and Britain is not particularly high, I can be certain that the British definitely deserve a place on this list. The three open wars between Russia and Britain are as follows:
- The Russo-British War (1807–1812) — This war ended with Napoleon's invasion of Russia.
- The Crimean War (1853–1856) — In this war, Britain was merely a member of the coalition of belligerents.
- The Foreign Intervention in the Russian Civil War (1918–1921) — Britain sent troops to support the White Army against the Bolsheviks, but ultimately failed.
Although there were few direct confrontations on the battlefield, the British preferred to achieve their goals through intrigue and cunning diplomacy. I believe the Second World War is a highly convincing example.
Thanks to its unique geographical position, Britain abandoned its European allies, stayed isolated on the island, initially only resisting air raids by the German Air Force. Later, while the main German forces were being destroyed or tied down on the Eastern Front, Britain joined forces with the United States to land in Normandy and seize a share of the post-war benefits.
After defeating Germany, Churchill immediately formulated a plan against the Soviet Union ("Operation Unthinkable"), and Britain subsequently joined the Cold War camp.
This is Britain — a cunning and treacherous historical adversary.
During the foreign intervention in the Russian Civil War, the Allied forces held a parade in Vladivostok in 1918
No. 1 Turkey (Ottoman Empire)
If Britain is Russia's top historical rival in schemes and subterfuge, then in terms of the number of open military conflicts, Turkey is undoubtedly the number one.
Their enmity dates back to the Ottoman Empire era, when both sides fought for control over the Caucasus and Crimea, using guns and swords as "negotiation tools." Afterward, the wars continued, and Turkey often allied with Western powers to counter Russia.
Even in the 20th century, Turkey was no exception. During the First World War, Turkey openly opposed Russia. During the Second World War, Turkey once considered joining the Axis Powers, but finally gave up due to the Nazi Germany's setbacks on the battlefield.
Russia and Turkey (including the Ottoman Empire) have fought a total of 12 military conflicts: Russia won 7 times, lost 3 times, and 2 others can be considered "draws."
Original text: toutiao.com/article/7598453749060780598/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.