After Sweden's King Charles XII was defeated at Poltava in 1709, he took refuge in the Ottoman fortress of Bender.

[2] The Crimean Khanate, an Ottoman ally launched a series of raids[3] as well as an unsuccessful campaign into Ukraine in early 1711.

In the meantime, four battalions under the command of Captain Ivan Postelnikov, burned the Zaporizhian Sich, capturing four cannons.

To make matters worse 15 thousand Tatars of Bakhti-Girey went to the rear of Buturlin and hung over Sloboda Ukraine, planning to strike Poltava.

Hunger, desertion and fear of being cut off from their rear bases forced Buturlin and Skoropadsky to retreat hastily, without orders in late July.