Siege of Velyaminovsky

Since the early 1830s, the Russians had been landing on the Black Sea coast of Circassia and building fortifications. Velyaminovsky Fort was built in 1838 on the eastern shore of the Black Sea, at the mouth of the Tuapse River, 150 meters from the coastline. It was part of the Black Sea Coastal Line. Qizbech Tughuzhuqo aimed to capture this fort. He had scouted the fort and its surroundings prior to the siege. According to Gavrilov, a Russian soldier held captive by the Circassians for 7 years, the Circassians began gathering 2 weeks before the siege. According to him, they numbered 8 thousand in total, "from young to old." Other sources range from 7 to 12 thousand. Russian agents had given advance warning of the attack. At the end of February, many Circassians approached the Velyaminovsky fort and, through an envoy, demanded that the Russians surrender. If the Russians did not surrender, they threatened to "capture the fortification and slaughter the garrison to the last man." The military commander of the fort, Captain Papakhristo, refused to surrender and stated that they would fight to the end. In the military council before the attack, the Circassians decided not to evacuate their own dead and wounded until they had completely captured the fortification. == The siege ==

On the night of 12 March 1840, the Circassians secretly approached the Yekaterininskaya valley and deployed there, ready for battle. Near dawn, a group of Circassians secretly infiltrated the ship supplying goods to the fort and set it on fire. Not understanding what was happening, the enemy soldiers in the fort began running towards the ship. At that moment, Qizbech Tughuzhuqo and his army, hiding in the forest, sprang out and attacked the Russian troops. 20 other Russians were also taken prisoner. Qizbech Tughuzhuqo, who was severely wounded during the siege, subsequently died from these wounds. According to another view, he did not die in this siege, but died earlier or later. According to oral sources, two more people were buried next to his grave, in accordance with his will. His final words are recorded: == References ==