Under his command, the Zaporozhian Cossacks were disbanded and subjugated to the Imperial authority in 1775, without spilling a single drop of blood, for which he received the Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky from Empress Catherine the Great.

The Tekeli family emigrated to the Kingdom of Hungary from the village of Tekija in eastern Serbia (then part of the Ottoman Empire), long before the Great Serb Migrations.

After his military successes in suppression of the Rákóczi's War for Independence, he was granted a hereditary nobility title by Emperor Joseph I.

Tekeli contributed to the Russian capture of Berlin in 1760, where he was able to destroy a retreating rearguard of Prussian General Hülsen (de) under Spandau.

As the war drew to a close, Tekeli took part in the capture of Kolberg under the command of General Pyotr Rumyantsev, and was promoted for his service to the rank of colonel in 1763.

After Empress Catherine the Great took to the throne, Colonel Tekeli was soon back in combat against the Bar Confederation (1764–1768); for his distinctions he was awarded the rank of brigadier.

After numerous other distinctions, he was promoted to a lieutenant general and awarded with the Order of St. George (3rd degree) upon the war's victorious conclusion.

[6] Tekeli divided his forces into five detachments, and send them along roads which would lead them to fully surround the Sich, which was successfully deployed by dawn of June 4.

The lack of any combat in past few years had the effect that the vigilance of Zaporozhians was low, and their guards were asleep upon Tekeli's arrival.

Petro Kalnyshevsky, the Kosh otaman, found out that the Sich is surrounded and besieged only after the Russian envoy arrived to call him to meet with Tekeli.

By evening Russian guards were placed in all internal and external positions, and next morning the Zaporozhians officially surrendered all their arms and lowered their battle banners.

Tekeli allowed joint visits and gave permissions to the former Cossacks to leave the besieged Sich for personal reasons.

For his role in quelling the Zaporozhian Cossacks without spilling a single drop of blood, Tekeli was awarded the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky.

Peter Abramovich's representation helped - Ivan Horvat was amnestied by Catherine II on December 3, 1775, his military rank, his estates were restored and he was allowed to live in them.

At the beginning of the second Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792), he was in command of a Russian garrison stationed to defend the eastern shore of the Black Sea.