[1] After the Chesma victory in 1770, the Russian navy continued its operations freely in the Aegean Sea without being threatened by the Ottoman navy, but the attacks they launched first on Lemnos (1770) and then on Lesbos (1771) were defeated by the Ottoman forces that Cezayirli Gazi Hasan Pasha was able to muster.

The Russian navy, which was operating on the coasts of Syria and Egypt in 1772, focused on the Aegean Sea again under the command of Admiral Spiridov in 1773.

[2] On August 10, 1773, Admiral Elmanov bombarded Bodrum Castle at around 19:00 and landed 1,000 soldiers, then an additional 1,500 at around 04:00.

However, Admiral Elmanov, not counting the 5,000-man garrison on the island (including the militia), sent two more regiments and seven mortars to reinforce his weak forces, but was defeated by the Turkish attack on 18 August and withdrew from the island with heavy losses.

[5] The Russian army left behind thousands of dead, seven cannons, 10 tons of gunpowder and a large amount of siege equipment as it retreated.