Azov Cossack Host

The host was the only one in the Russian Empire whose primary task was Naval Coast Guard duties, participating extensively in the course of the Caucasus and Crimean wars.

[1] Gladky found the territory adjacent to the west of the Don Cossack Host land on the Northern coast of the Azov Sea between Berdyansk and Mariupol (modern Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine).

However, despite the success in 1839 Imam Shamil sent his naib Magomet-Amin who instead of rallying the Circassians on the northern Kuban approach, unleashed them onto the Black Sea line in 1840.

Despite the unsuccessful operation in building the line, the Russian evacuation did not affect the Azov Cossacks' role in patrolling the Black Sea Coast.

During the following years, as quoted by General M.Rayevsky The Azov Cossacks recommended themselves as a potent force and stroke fear to the captains of contraband ships and Circassian galleys.

The success of the Azov Cossacks led to a plan being drawn in 1843 to once again re-settle them to the whole Black Sea Coast from Mingrelia to the mouth of the Kuban river.

After the British and French navies penetrated the Strait of Kerch and entered the Sea of Azov, they planned to navigate up the Don River to force the Russian armies en route to re-inforce Crimea to divert the attention.

[3] However the weakly defended Strait of Kerch meant that in May 1855 a squadron of 57 English and French ships (17,400 men in total) easily overpowered the Russian garrison there and entered the Azov bassin.

The Azov Host was awarded with the highest award that a Russian military unit could earn, the Banner of St. George whose inscription read: For exceptional bravery and excellent service during the war against the French, English and Turks in 1853-1858 [3] After the Crimean War, Gladky attaining rank of General-Colonel retired and moved to Aleksandrovsk (modern Zaporizhzhia) where he died in 1866.

Originally Yevdokimov proposed to move 800 Cossack and eight officer families to the Western Caucasus with financial compensation and free transport promised to them.

The remaining Azov region was passed to the Yekaterinoslav Governorate and afterwards to the Ukrainian SSR, where the former Petrovskaya stanitsa was renamed to Volodarske in 1924 (modern Donetsk Oblast).