The Settlement Policies of Russia in the Late of 18th Century and Migration of Ottoman Greeks to Russia

The 18th century had been the period when the first massive migration wave took place in Ottoman history. In these migrations, the policy of Russian Tsarist to change the demographic structure of the region comprising Crimea and its surrounding territory, which Russian Tsarist captured from the Ottoman Empire, was also influential. Russian Tsarist in order to put this policy into practice had to first ensure the security of the region and in this context she had encouraged the migration of the Ottoman Greeks who supported Russia during the Ottoman-Russian War of 1768-1774 to obtain their independence from the Ottoman Empire, to this region. Thus, Russia would benefit from those Greeks who be placed in the region as both militarily power and their maritime and trade experience in the Black Sea. The Greeks indeed until the beginning of the 1800's served as an important military force df Russia in the region of the Ochakiv (Ozi) and Aksu where they had been settled while Russia annexed and kept the north of the Black Sea and Crimea. Theses Ottoman Greeks later played important role in the establishment of the first commacial centres df Russia such as Odessa and Kerson when the Black Sea was openedr to international trade.