INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITIES OF RUSSIAN GENERAL A. N. KUROPATKIN IN ISTANBUL

Abstract

Connecting the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, the Turkish Straits have always been of great importance in terms of economy, military and politics. To own the Turkish Straits and ?stanbul was one of the primary desires of Russians. In the 19th century, Russia considered the weakening of Ottoman Empire as an opportunity and thought that it is now the time to take firm actions. To that end, they established a navy in the Black Sea and took some measures. Especially after the war of 1877-1878, this issue had never fell of the agenda of Russian government. The Russian government had sent spies at periodically in order to calculate the possible success rate of an attack against the Bosporus and ?stanbul and the extent of military force required for that and to determine the most suitable locations for assault. General A. N. Kuropatkin, one of these spies, visited ?stanbul in 1886 with a false name and gathered intelligence. This study will cover the explorations made by A.N. Kuropatkin in the Bosporus and their consequences based on his own memories.