The confrontation between Russia and Japan for control of Manchuria, Korea, and the ports of Port Arthur and Dalny was the main reason for the outbreak of the tragic war for Russia.

The fighting began with an attack by the Japanese fleet, which on the night of February 9, 1904, without declaring war, launched a surprise attack on the Russian squadron near the Port Arthur naval base.

In March 1904, the Japanese army landed in Korea, and in April - in southern Manchuria. Under the blows of superior enemy forces, Russian troops abandoned the Jinzhou position in May and blocked Port Arthur 3 by the Japanese army. In the battle of June 14-15 at Wafangou, the Russian army retreated.

In early August, the Japanese landed on the Liaodong Peninsula and besieged the Port Arthur fortress. On August 10, 1904, the Russian squadron made an unsuccessful attempt to break out from Port Arthur; as a result, individual ships that escaped were interned in neutral ports, and the cruiser Novik near Kamchatka was lost in an unequal battle.

The siege of Port Arthur lasted from May 1904 and fell on January 2, 1905. Japan's main goal was achieved. The battles in Northern Manchuria were of an auxiliary nature, because the Japanese did not have the strength and means to occupy it and the entire Russian Far East.

The first major land battle near Liaoyang (August 24 - September 3, 1904) led to the retreat of Russian troops to Mukden. The oncoming battle on October 5-17 on the Shahe River and the attempt of Russian troops to advance on January 24, 1905 in the Sandepu area were unsuccessful.

After the largest Battle of Mukden (February 19 - March 10, 1905), Russian troops retreated to Telin, and then to Sypingai positions 175 km north of Mukden. Here they met the end of the war.

Formed after the death of the Russian fleet in Port Arthur, 2 Pacific made a six-month transition to the Far East. However, in the many-hour battle at Fr. Tsushima (May 27, 1905) it was fragmented and destroyed by superior enemy forces.

Russian military losses, according to official data, amounted to 31,630 killed, 5,514 died from wounds and 1,643 died in captivity. Russian sources estimated Japanese losses to be more significant: 47,387 people were killed, 173,425 were wounded, 11,425 died from wounds and 27,192 from disease.

According to foreign sources, the losses in killed, wounded and sick in Japan and Russia are comparable, and there were several times more Russian prisoners than Japanese prisoners.

Results of the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905.

For Russia . She ceded the Liaodong Peninsula to Japan along with a branch of the South Manchurian Railway and the southern half of the island. Sakhalin. Russian troops were withdrawn from Manchuria, and Korea was recognized as Japan's sphere of influence.

Russia's positions in China and throughout the Far East were undermined. The country lost its position as one of the largest maritime powers, abandoned the “oceanic” strategy and returned to the “continental” strategy. Russia has reduced international trade and tightened domestic policies.

The main reason for Russia's defeat in this war is the weakness of the fleet and poor logistics support.

Defeat in the war led to military reforms and a noticeable improvement in combat training. The troops, especially the command staff, gained combat experience, which later showed itself in the First World War.

Losing the war became the catalyst for the first Russian revolution. Despite its suppression by 1907, the Russian empire did not recover from this blow and ceased to exist.

For Japan . Psychologically and politically, Japan's victory demonstrated to Asia that it was possible to defeat the Europeans. Japan has become a great power at the European level of development. It became dominant in Korea and coastal China, began active naval construction, and by the end of the First World War had become the third naval power in the world.

Geopolitical. All of Russia's positions in the Pacific region were practically lost; it abandoned the eastern (southeastern) direction of expansion and turned its attention to Europe, the Middle East and the Straits zone.

Relations with England improved and an agreement was signed on the delimitation of spheres of influence in Afghanistan. The Anglo-Franco-Russian alliance “Entente” finally took shape. The balance of power in Europe temporarily shifted in favor of the Central Powers.

Anatoly Sokolov

One of the largest confrontations is the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905. The reasons for this will be discussed in the article. As a result of the conflict, guns from battleships, long-range artillery, and destroyers were used.

The essence of this war was which of the two warring empires would dominate the Far East. Emperor Nicholas II of Russia considered it his first priority to strengthen the influence of his power in East Asia. At the same time, Emperor Meiji of Japan sought to gain complete control of Korea. War became inevitable.

Prerequisites for the conflict

It is clear that the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905 (the reasons are related to the Far East) did not begin instantly. She had her own reasons.

Russia advanced in Central Asia to the border with Afghanistan and Persia, which affected the interests of Great Britain. Unable to expand in this direction, the empire switched to the East. There was China, which, due to complete exhaustion in the Opium Wars, was forced to transfer part of its territory to Russia. So she gained control of Primorye (the territory of modern Vladivostok), the Kuril Islands, and partly the island of Sakhalin. To connect distant borders, the Trans-Siberian Railway was created, which provided communication between Chelyabinsk and Vladivostok along the railway line. In addition to the railway, Russia planned to trade along the ice-free Yellow Sea through Port Arthur.

Japan was undergoing its own transformations at the same time. Having come to power, Emperor Meiji stopped the policy of self-isolation and began modernizing the state. All his reforms were so successful that a quarter of a century after they began, the empire was able to seriously think about military expansion to other states. Its first targets were China and Korea. Japan's victory over China allowed it to gain rights to Korea, the island of Taiwan and other lands in 1895.

A conflict was brewing between two powerful empires for dominance in East Asia. The result was the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. The causes of the conflict are worth considering in more detail.

Main causes of war

It was extremely important for both powers to show their military achievements, so the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905 unfolded. The reasons for this confrontation lie not only in claims to Chinese territory, but also in the internal political situations that had developed by this time in both empires. A successful campaign in war not only provides the winner with economic benefits, but also increases its status on the world stage and silences opponents of the existing government. What did both states count on in this conflict? What were the main causes of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905? The table below reveals the answers to these questions.

It was precisely because both powers sought an armed solution to the conflict that all diplomatic negotiations did not bring results.

Balance of forces on land

The causes of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 were both economic and political. The 23rd Artillery Brigade was sent to the Eastern Front from Russia. As for the numerical advantage of the armies, the leadership belonged to Russia. However, in the East the army was limited to 150 thousand people. Moreover, they were scattered over a vast territory.

• Vladivostok - 45,000 people.
• Manchuria - 28,000 people.
• Port Arthur - 22,000 people.
• Security of the CER - 35,000 people.
• Artillery, engineering troops - up to 8000 people.

The biggest problem for the Russian army was its remoteness from the European part. Communication was carried out by telegraph, and delivery was carried out by the CER line. However, a limited amount of cargo could be transported by rail. In addition, the leadership did not have accurate maps of the area, which negatively affected the course of the war.

Japan before the war had an army of 375 thousand people. They studied the area well and had fairly accurate maps. The army was modernized by English specialists, and the soldiers were loyal to their emperor to death.

Relationships of forces on water

In addition to land, battles also took place on water. The Japanese fleet was led by Admiral Heihachiro Togo. His task was to block the enemy squadron near Port Arthur. In another sea (Japanese), the squadron of the Land of the Rising Sun opposed the Vladivostok group of cruisers.

Understanding the reasons for the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, the Meiji power thoroughly prepared for battles on the water. The most important ships of its United Fleet were produced in England, France, Germany and were significantly superior to Russian ships.

Main events of the war

When Japanese forces began to move to Korea in February 1904, the Russian command did not attach any importance to this, although they understood the reasons for the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905.

Briefly about the main events.

• 09.02.1904. The historical battle of the cruiser “Varyag” against the Japanese squadron near Chemulpo.
• 27.02.1904. The Japanese fleet attacked the Russian Port Arthur without declaring war. The Japanese used torpedoes for the first time and disabled 90% of the Pacific Fleet.
• April 1904. A clash of armies on land, which showed Russia’s unpreparedness for war (inconsistency of uniform, lack of military maps, inability to fencing). Because Russian officers had white jackets, Japanese soldiers easily identified and killed them.
• May 1904. Capture of the port of Dalny by the Japanese.
• August 1904. Successful Russian defense of Port Arthur.
• January 1905. Surrender of Port Arthur by Stessel.
• May 1905. The naval battle near Tsushima destroyed the Russian squadron (one ship returned to Vladivostok), while not a single Japanese ship was damaged.
• July 1905. Invasion of Japanese troops on Sakhalin.

The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, the causes of which were economic in nature, led to the exhaustion of both powers. Japan began to look for ways to resolve the conflict. She resorted to the help of Great Britain and the USA.

Battle of Chemulpo

The famous battle took place on 02/09/1904 off the coast of Korea (the city of Chemulpo). The two Russian ships were commanded by Captain Vsevolod Rudnev. These were the cruiser "Varyag" and the boat "Koreets". The Japanese squadron under the command of Sotokichi Uriu consisted of 2 battleships, 4 cruisers, 8 destroyers. They blocked Russian ships and forced them into battle.

In the morning, in clear weather, the “Varyag” and the “Koreyets” weighed anchor and tried to leave the bay. Music played for them in honor of leaving the port, but after only five minutes the alarm sounded on deck. The battle flag went up.

The Japanese did not expect such actions and hoped to destroy the Russian ships in the port. The enemy squadron hastily raised anchors and battle flags and began to prepare for battle. The battle began with a shot from the Asama. Then there was a battle using armor-piercing and high-explosive shells on both sides.

In unequal forces, the Varyag was badly damaged, and Rudnev decided to turn back to the anchorage. There, the Japanese could not continue shelling due to the danger of damaging the ships of other states.

Having lowered the anchor, the Varyag crew began to examine the condition of the ship. Rudnev, meanwhile, went for permission to destroy the cruiser and transfer its crew to neutral ships. Not all officers supported Rudnev’s decision, but two hours later the team was evacuated. They decided to sink the Varyag by opening its floodgates. The bodies of the dead sailors were left on the cruiser.

It was decided to blow up the Korean boat, having evacuated the crew first. All things were left on the ship, and secret documents were burned.

The sailors were received by French, English and Italian ships. After carrying out all the necessary procedures, they were delivered to Odessa and Sevastopol, from where they were disbanded into the fleet. According to the agreement, they could not continue to participate in the Russian-Japanese conflict, so they were not allowed into the Pacific Fleet.

Results of the war

Japan agreed to sign the peace treaty with the complete surrender of Russia, in which the revolution had already begun. According to the Portsmoon Peace Treaty (08/23/1905), Russia was obliged to fulfill the following points:

1. Give up claims to Manchuria.
2. Give up the Kuril Islands and half of Sakhalin Island in favor of Japan.
3. Recognize Japan's right to Korea.
4. Transfer to Japan the right to lease Port Arthur.
5. Pay Japan an indemnity for the “maintenance of prisoners.”

In addition, defeat in the war had negative consequences for Russia economically. Stagnation began in some industries, as their lending from foreign banks decreased. Life in the country has become significantly more expensive. Industrialists insisted on a speedy conclusion of peace.

Even those countries that initially supported Japan (Great Britain and the USA) realized how difficult the situation in Russia was. The war had to be stopped in order to direct all forces to fight the revolution, which the world states equally feared.

Mass movements began among workers and military personnel. A striking example is the mutiny on the battleship Potemkin.

The causes and results of the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905 are clear. It remains to be seen what the losses were in human equivalent. Russia lost 270 thousand, of which 50 thousand were killed. Japan lost the same number of soldiers, but more than 80 thousand were killed.

Value judgments

The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, the causes of which were economic and political in nature, showed serious problems within the Russian Empire. He also wrote about this. The war revealed problems in the army, its weapons, command, as well as mistakes in diplomacy.

Japan was not entirely satisfied with the outcome of the negotiations. The state has lost too much in the fight against the European enemy. She expected to gain more territory, but the United States did not support her in this. Discontent began to brew within the country, and Japan continued on the path of militarization.

The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, the causes of which were considered, brought many military tricks:

• use of spotlights;
• use of wire fences under high voltage current;
• field kitchen;
• radio telegraphy made it possible for the first time to control ships from a distance;
• switching to petroleum fuel, which produces no smoke and makes ships less visible;
• the appearance of mine-layer ships, which began to be produced with the proliferation of mine weapons;
• flamethrowers.

One of the heroic battles of the war with Japan is the battle of the cruiser “Varyag” at Chemulpo (1904). Together with the ship "Korean" they confronted an entire squadron of the enemy. The battle was obviously lost, but the sailors still made an attempt to break through. It turned out to be unsuccessful, and in order not to surrender, the crew led by Rudnev sank their ship. For their courage and heroism they were praised by Nicholas II. The Japanese were so impressed by the character and resilience of Rudnev and his sailors that in 1907 they awarded him the Order of the Rising Sun. The captain of the sunken cruiser accepted the award, but never wore it.

There is a version according to which Stoessel surrendered Port Arthur to the Japanese for a reward. It is no longer possible to verify how true this version is. Be that as it may, because of his action, the campaign was doomed to failure. For this, the general was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in the fortress, but he was pardoned a year after his imprisonment. He was stripped of all titles and awards, leaving him with a pension.

Causes of the war:

Russia’s desire to gain a foothold on the “non-freezing seas” of China and Korea.

The desire of the leading powers to prevent Russia from strengthening in the Far East. Support for Japan from the USA and Great Britain.

Japan's desire to oust the Russian army from China and seize Korea.

Arms race in Japan. Raising taxes for the sake of military production.

Japan's plans were to seize Russian territory from the Primorsky Territory to the Urals.

Progress of the war:

January 27, 1904 - three Russian ships were hit by Japanese torpedoes near Port Arthur, but did not sink thanks to the heroism of the crews. The feat of the Russian ships “Varyag” and “Koreets” near the port of Chemulpo (Incheon).

March 31, 1904 - the death of the battleship Petropavlovsk with the headquarters of Admiral Makarov and a crew of more than 630 people. The Pacific Fleet was decapitated.

May - December 1904 - heroic defense of the Port Arthur fortress. The 50 thousand strong Russian garrison, having 646 guns and 62 machine guns, repelled the attacks of the 200 thousand strong enemy army. After the surrender of the fortress, about 32 thousand Russian soldiers were captured by the Japanese. The Japanese lost more than 110 thousand (according to other sources 91 thousand) soldiers and officers, 15 warships sank, and 16 were destroyed.

August 1904 - Battle of Liaoyang. The Japanese lost more than 23 thousand soldiers, the Russians - more than 16 thousand. Uncertain outcome of the battle. General Kuropatkin gave the order to retreat, fearing encirclement.

September 1904 - Battle of the Shahe River. The Japanese lost more than 30 thousand soldiers, the Russians - more than 40 thousand. Uncertain outcome of the battle. After this, a positional war was fought in Manchuria. In January 1905, revolution raged in Russia, making it difficult to fight the war to victory.

February 1905 - The Battle of Mukden stretched over 100 km along the front and lasted 3 weeks. The Japanese launched their offensive earlier and confused the plans of the Russian command. Russian troops retreated, avoiding encirclement and losing more than 90 thousand. The Japanese lost more than 72 thousand.

The Russo-Japanese War in brief.

The Japanese command admitted to underestimating the enemy's strength. Soldiers with weapons and provisions continued to arrive from Russia by rail. The war again took on a positional character.

May 1905 - tragedy of the Russian fleet near the Tsushima Islands. Admiral Rozhdestvensky's ships (30 combat, 6 transport and 2 hospital) traveled about 33 thousand km and immediately entered the battle. No one in the world could defeat 121 enemy ships with 38 ships! Only the cruiser Almaz and the destroyers Bravy and Grozny broke through to Vladivostok (according to other sources, 4 ships were saved), the crews of the rest died heroes or were captured. The Japanese suffered 10 severe damage and 3 sank.

Until now, Russians, passing by the Tsushima Islands, lay wreaths on the water in memory of the 5 thousand dead Russian sailors.

The war was ending. The Russian army in Manchuria was growing and could continue the war for a long time. Japan's human and financial resources were depleted (old people and children were already being drafted into the army). Russia, from a position of strength, signed the Treaty of Portsmouth in August 1905.

Results of the war:

Russia withdrew troops from Manchuria, transferred to Japan the Liaodong Peninsula, the southern part of Sakhalin Island and money for the maintenance of prisoners. This failure of Japanese diplomacy caused widespread unrest in Tokyo.

After the war, Japan's external public debt increased 4 times, and Russia's by 1/3.

Japan lost more than 85 thousand killed, Russia more than 50 thousand.

More than 38 thousand soldiers died from wounds in Japan, and more than 17 thousand in Russia.

Still, Russia lost this war. The reasons were economic and military backwardness, weakness of intelligence and command, the great remoteness and extension of the theater of military operations, poor supplies, and weak interaction between the army and navy. In addition, the Russian people did not understand why they needed to fight in distant Manchuria. The revolution of 1905 - 1907 weakened Russia even more.

Many serious works and no less frivolous fiction have been written about the Russian-Japanese battles. However, even today, more than a century later, researchers argue: what was the main reason for the shameful and fatal defeat of Russia? Is the huge, disorganized empire completely unprepared for decisive military action, or is it the mediocrity of its commanders? Or maybe the mistakes of politicians?

Zheltorossiya: an unfulfilled project

In 1896, the actual state councilor Alexander Bezobrazov provided the emperor with a report in which he proposed colonizing China, Korea and Mongolia. The “Yellow Russia” project caused lively debate in court circles... And a nervous resonance in Japan, which, in need of resources, laid claim to dominance in the Pacific region. Britain played the role of catalyst in the conflict, as it did not want Russia to turn into a gigantic colonial power. Diplomats recalled that at all Russian-Japanese negotiations that took place on the eve of the war, the British were present as advisers and consultants to the Japanese side.

Nevertheless, Russia was gaining a foothold on the east coast: the viceroyalty of the Far East was established, Russian troops occupied part of Manchuria, the resettlement to Harbin and the strengthening of Port Arthur, which was called the gateway to Beijing, began... Moreover, preparations for the inclusion of Korea into the Russian Federation officially began empires. The latter became the proverbial straw that overflowed the cup of the Japanese.

One minute before the attack

Actually, war was expected in Russia. Both the “Bezobrazov clique” (as those who financially supported Mr. Bezobrazov’s projects were called) and Nicholas II soberly believed that military competition for the region, alas, was inevitable. Was it possible to bypass it? Yes, but at too high a price - at the cost of the Russian crown abandoning not only its colonial ambitions, but the Far Eastern territories as a whole.
The Russian government foresaw the war and even prepared for it: roads were built, ports were strengthened. Diplomats did not sit idly by: relations with Austria, Germany and France improved, which should have provided Russia with, if not support, then at least non-interference from Europe.

However, Russian politicians still hoped: Japan would not take risks. And even then, when the guns roared, confusion reigned in the country: really, what kind of Japan is compared to the huge, mighty Russia? Yes, we will defeat the adversary in a matter of days!

However, was Russia really that powerful? The Japanese, for example, had three times as many destroyers. And the battleships built in England and France were superior to Russian ships in a number of the most important indicators. Japanese naval artillery also had an undoubted advantage. As for the ground forces, the number of Russian troops beyond Lake Baikal amounted to 150 thousand troops, including border guards and security of various facilities, while the Japanese army, after the announced mobilization, exceeded 440 thousand bayonets.

Intelligence informed the king about the superiority of the enemy. She asserts: Japan is fully prepared for a skirmish and is waiting for an opportunity. But it seems that the Russian emperor forgot Suvorov’s behest that delay is like death. The Russian elite hesitated and hesitated...

The feat of ships and the fall of Port Arthur

War broke out without declaration. On the night of January 27, 1904, an armada of Japanese warships attacked a Russian flotilla stationed in a roadstead near Port Arthur. The Mikado warriors struck the second blow near Seoul: there, in Chemulpo Bay, the cruiser Varyag and the gunboat Koreets, guarding the Russian mission in Korea, took on an unequal battle. Since ships from Britain, the United States, Italy and France were nearby, the duel, one might say, took place before the eyes of the world. Having sunk several enemy ships,

“Varyag” and “Koreyets” preferred the seabed to Japanese captivity:

We did not lower ourselves before the enemy
Glorious St. Andrew's flag,
No, we blew up "Korean"
We sunk the Varyag...

By the way, a year later the Japanese were not too lazy to raise the legendary cruiser from the bottom to make it a training craft. Remembering the defenders of the Varyag, they left the ship its honorable name, adding on board: “Here we will teach you how to love your Fatherland.”

The heirs of the bushi failed to take Port Arthur. The fortress withstood four assaults, but remained unshakable. During the siege, the Japanese lost 50 thousand soldiers, however, Russia’s losses were extremely noticeable: 20 thousand killed soldiers. Would Port Arthur survive? Perhaps, but in December, unexpectedly for many, General Stessel decided to surrender the citadel along with the garrison.

Mukden meat grinder and Tsushima defeat

The battle near Mukden broke the record for military crowds: over half a million people on both sides. The battle lasted 19 days almost without a break. As a result, General Kuropatkin’s army was completely defeated: 60 thousand Russian soldiers died a heroic death. Historians are unanimous: the disaster was caused by the narrow-mindedness and negligence of the commanders (the headquarters gave conflicting orders), their underestimation of the enemy’s forces and blatant sloppiness, which had a detrimental effect on the supply of material and technical means to the army.

The “control” blow for Russia was the Battle of Tsushima. On May 14, 1905, 120 brand new battleships and cruisers flying Japanese flags surrounded the Russian squadron arriving from the Baltic. Only three ships - including the Aurora, which played a special role years later - managed to escape the deadly ring. 20 Russian battleships were sunk. Seven more were boarded. More than 11 thousand sailors became prisoners.

In the deep Tsushima Strait,
Far from my native land,
At the bottom, in the deep ocean
There are forgotten ships
Russian admirals sleep there
And the sailors are dozing around,
They are sprouting corals
Between the fingers of outstretched hands...

The Russian army was crushed, the Japanese army was so exhausted that the proud descendants of the samurai agreed to negotiate. Peace was concluded in August, in the American Portsmouth - according to the agreement, Russia ceded Port Arthur and part of Sakhalin to the Japanese, and also abandoned attempts to colonize Korea and China. However, the unsuccessful military campaign put an end not only to Russia’s expansion to the East, but, as it turned out later, to the monarchy in general. The “small victorious war” that the Russian elite so hoped for overthrew the throne forever.

Noble Enemies

Newspapers of that time are replete with photographs from Japanese captivity. In them, high-cheeked and narrow-eyed doctors, nurses, military personnel and even members of the Japanese imperial family willingly pose with Russian officers and privates. It’s hard to imagine something like this later, during the war with the Germans...

The attitude of the Japanese towards prisoners of war became the standard on the basis of which many international conventions were created years later. “All wars are based on political differences between states,” said the Japanese military department, “therefore, hatred of the people should not be inflamed.”

In 28 camps opened in Japan, 71,947 Russian sailors, soldiers, and officers were kept. Of course, they were treated differently, especially since becoming a prisoner of war for a Japanese means tarnishing his honor, but on the whole the humane policy of the War Ministry was observed. The Japanese spent 30 sen on the maintenance of a Russian captive soldier (twice as much for an officer), while only 16 sen were spent on their own Japanese warrior. The prisoners' meals consisted of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and tea, and, as eyewitnesses noted, the menu was varied, and the officers had the opportunity to hire a personal chef.

Heroes and traitors

More than 100 thousand privates and officers were put into graves by the war. And the memory of many is still alive.
Let's say, the commander of the Varyag, Vsevolod Rudnev. Having received an ultimatum from Admiral Uriu, the captain of the cruiser decided to make a breakthrough, which he informed the crew about. During the battle, the crippled and bullet-ridden Varyag managed to fire 1,105 shells at the enemy. And only after that the captain, having transferred the remnants of the crew to foreign ships, gave the order to open the kingstons. The courage of the “Varyag” impressed the Japanese so much that later Vsevolod Rudnev received from them the prestigious Order of the Rising Sun. True, he never wore this award.

Vasily Zverev, the mechanic of the destroyer “Silny”, did something completely unprecedented: he closed the hole with himself, giving the ship, broken by the enemy, the opportunity to return to port and save the crew. All foreign newspapers, without exception, reported about this unthinkable act.

Of course, among the many heroes there were also ordinary ones. The Japanese, who value duty above all else, were delighted by the resilience of intelligence officer Vasily Ryabov. During interrogation, the captured Russian spy did not answer a single question and was sentenced to death. However, even under gunpoint, Vasily Ryabov behaved, according to the Japanese, as befits a samurai - with honor.

As for the criminals, public opinion declared Adjutant General Baron Stessel to be such. After the war, the investigation accused him of ignoring orders from above, not taking measures to provide Port Arthur with food, lying in reports about his personal, heroic participation in battles, misleading the sovereign, handing out awards to senior officers who did not deserve them... And finally surrendered Port Arthur on conditions humiliating for the Motherland. Moreover, the cowardly baron did not share the hardships of captivity with the garrison. However, Stoessel did not suffer any special punishment: after serving a year and a half in home confinement, he was pardoned by royal decree.

The indecision of military bureaucrats, their unwillingness to take risks, their inability to act in the field and their reluctance to see obvious things is what pushed Russia into the abyss of defeat and into the abyss of cataclysms that occurred after the war.

RUSSIAN-JAPANESE WAR(1904–1905), war between Russia and Japan for dominance in Northern China (Manchuria) and Korea.

The cause of the war was Russian expansion in Manchuria. In May 1896, Russia obtained from China a concession for the construction and operation of the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER) from Harbin to Port Arthur, and in March 1898, a lease for the southern part of the Liaodong Peninsula (Kwantung) and Port Arthur, which soon turned into its main naval base in the Far East. In 1900, taking advantage of the Yihetuan uprising in China, Russian troops occupied Manchuria. However, Russia's attempt to maintain its military presence there encountered opposition from Japan, Great Britain and the United States, who did not want to increase Russian influence in Northern China. In January 1902, Japan and Great Britain signed an alliance treaty directed against Russia. In this situation, Russia was forced to conclude an agreement with China in March 1902, undertaking to withdraw its troops from Manchuria within eighteen months, but delayed its implementation in every possible way, which led to a sharp deterioration in its relations with Japan. In March 1903, Russia demanded that China provide guarantees that it would not lease any part of Manchu territory to another power without its consent; The Chinese government, with the support of Japan and Great Britain, refused. In July 1903, Japan proposed to Russia a plan for dividing spheres of influence in Northern China, but subsequent negotiations were unsuccessful. January 23 (February 5), 1904 Japan broke off diplomatic relations with Russia.

In the upcoming war, the Japanese command considered its main task to be the destruction of the Russian Pacific Fleet, the capture of Port Arthur and the defeat of the Russian army in Manchuria (the Manchurian Army of General A.N. Kuropatkin). On the night of January 26-27 (February 8-9), 1904, without waiting for war to be declared, Japanese destroyers suddenly attacked the Pacific Fleet in the Port Arthur roadstead and disabled the best Russian battleships Retvizan and Tsesarevich, as well as the cruiser "Pallada". On January 27 (February 9), Rear Admiral Uriu's squadron attacked the cruiser Varyag and the gunboat Koreets in the Korean port of Chemulpo; after a short but fierce battle, the Russian ships were sunk by their crews. On the same day, Russia declared war on Japan.

Admiral Togo blocked the Pacific Fleet in Port Arthur, whose commander, Vice Admiral O.V. Stark, adhered to passive tactics. Vice Admiral S.O. Makarov, who replaced him on February 24 (March 8), took active action, organizing a number of successful attacks against the enemy fleet, but on March 31 (April 13), his flagship battleship Petropavlovsk was blown up by a mine; S.O. Makarov died. The new commander, Rear Admiral V.K. Vitgeft, abandoned offensive tactics. Taking advantage of the inactivity of the Russians, Togo tried on the night of April 19-20 (May 2-3) to destroy the Pacific Fleet with the help of fireships, but failed. At the same time, Rear Admiral Jessen's Vladivostok cruiser squadron conducted several raids off the northern coast of Japan and disrupted its trade communications.

The Japanese launched active military operations on land. The Japanese 1st Army under General Kuroki landed in Korea, captured its capital Seoul and moved towards the Sino-Korean border. On the night of April 17 to 18 (from April 30 to May 1), 1904, she crossed the border Yalu River and entered Manchuria, on April 18 (May 1) she defeated the combined reserve corps of General M.I. Zasulich and on April 23 (May 6) occupied the city of Fynhuangcheng. M.I. Zasulich took the corps to Liaoyang, where the main Russian forces were concentrated.

On April 21–22 (May 4–5), the 2nd Japanese Army of General Oku landed in the east of the Liaodong Peninsula near the town of Biziwo, without encountering any resistance. On May 13 (26), during fierce six-day battles, she captured the fortifications of Jinzhou and blocked Port Arthur from land. Having captured the commercial port of Dalny and Talien Bay, it ensured the landing of the 3rd Japanese Army of General Nogi, and on June 1–2 (14–15) at Wafangou it repelled an attempt by the corps of Lieutenant General A.F. Stackelberg to break through to Port Arthur.

By decision of the Japanese commander-in-chief, Marshal I. Oyama, Nogi's army began the siege of Port Arthur, while the 1st, 2nd and 4th armies that landed at Dagushan moved towards Liaoyang from the southeast, south and southwest. On June 12–14 (25–27), Kuroki's army occupied the passes southeast of the city, and on July 4 (17) repelled an attempted Russian counteroffensive. After the battle of Dashichao on July 11 (24), the Oku army captured the port of Yingkou, cutting off the connection of the Manchurian army with Port Arthur by sea. In the second half of July, three Japanese armies united near Liaoyang; their total number was more than 120 thousand against 152 thousand Russians. In the battle of Liaoyang on August 11–21 (August 24–September 3), both sides suffered huge losses: the Russians lost more than 16 thousand killed, and the Japanese - 24 thousand; The Japanese were unable to encircle the army of A.N. Kuropatkin, which retreated in good order to Mukden, but they captured Liaoyang and the Yantai coal mines.

The Russian retreat to Mukden meant for the defenders of Port Arthur the collapse of hopes for any effective assistance from the ground forces. On July 17 (30), the Japanese 3rd Army captured the Wolf Mountains and began intensive shelling of the city and the internal roadstead. Nevertheless, several of the assaults it launched on August 1–12 (14–25) were repulsed by the garrison under the command of Major General R.I. Kondratenko; The besiegers lost 16 thousand killed. At the same time, the Japanese were successful at sea. An attempt by the Pacific Fleet to break through to Vladivostok on July 28 (August 9) failed; Rear Admiral V.K. Vitgeft died. On August 1 (14), Vice Admiral Kamimura's squadron managed to overtake and defeat the cruiser detachment of Rear Admiral Jessen.

By the beginning of October, thanks to reinforcements, the number of the Manchurian army reached 210 thousand, and the Japanese troops near Liaoyang - 170 thousand. Fearing that in the event of the fall of Port Arthur, the Japanese forces would increase significantly due to the liberated 3rd Army, A.N. Kuropatkin launched an offensive to the south on September 22 (October 5), but was defeated in the battle on the Shakhe River on September 26 - October 6 (October 9-19), losing 46 thousand killed (the enemy - only 16 thousand), and went on the defensive . The four-month “Shahei Sitting” began. At this time, the Manchurian army was reorganized into three armies: 1st (N.P. Linevich), 2nd (O.-F.K. Grippenberg) and 3rd (A.V. Kaulbars) under the overall command of A. M. Kuropatkina.

In September-November, the defenders of Port Arthur repelled three Japanese assaults. But on November 13–22 (November 26–December 5), the Japanese 3rd Army captured Mount Vysokaya, which dominates Port Arthur. On December 2 (15), R.I. Kondratenko, the soul of the city’s defense, died. On December 15 (28), the Japanese took Fort Erlungshan and became masters of the entire northeastern front of the fortress. On December 20 (January 2, 1905), the head of the Kwantung fortified area, Lieutenant General A.M. Stessel, having not exhausted all possibilities for resistance, surrendered Port Arthur (in the spring of 1908, a military court sentenced him to death, commuted to ten years' imprisonment).

The fall of Port Arthur sharply worsened the Russian strategic position; the command tried to turn the situation around and take the initiative into their own hands. However, the offensive of the 2nd Manchurian Army on the village of Sandepu, successfully launched on January 12 (25), 1905, was not supported by other armies, and it was stopped on January 16 (29). After the 3rd Army of Nogi joined the main forces of the Japanese, their number became equal to the number of Russian troops. On February 5 (18), they launched an offensive on the Russian left flank. On February 11 (24), Kuroki's army attacked the 1st Manchurian Army southeast of Mukden, and on February 13 (26), Nogi's army began to bypass the Russian right flank. Counterattacks by A.V. Kaulbars on February 20–21 (March 5–6) were unsuccessful. On February 24 (March 9), Kuroki broke through the front of N.P. Linevich’s army. Having lost more than 90 thousand killed and captured, Russian troops retreated north to Telin in disarray. The major defeat at Mukden meant the Russian command lost the campaign in Manchuria, although it managed to retain a significant part of the army. On March 2 (15), A.N. Kuropatkin was replaced by N.P. Linevich, who fortified himself at Sypingai.

The last chance of the Russian government to achieve a turning point in the war by sending the 2nd Pacific Squadron of Admiral Z.P. Rozhestvensky, created from part of the Baltic Fleet, to the Far East (April 30 (May 13), 1905, the 3rd Pacific Squadron of Rear Admiral N.I. joined Nebogatova), was lost after her crushing defeat on May 14–15 (27–28) near Tsushima Island in the Korea Strait; Only one cruiser and two destroyers reached Vladivostok. At the beginning of summer, the Japanese completely ousted Russian troops from North Korea, and by June 25 (July 8) they captured Sakhalin.

Despite the victories, Japan's forces were exhausted, and at the end of May, through US President T. Roosevelt, she invited Russia to enter into peace negotiations. Russia, finding itself in a difficult internal political situation, agreed. On July 25 (August 7) ​​a diplomatic conference opened in Portsmouth (New Hampshire, USA), ending on August 23 (September 5) with the signing of the Portsmouth Peace. According to its terms, Russia ceded to Japan the southern part of Sakhalin, the lease rights to Port Arthur and the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula and the southern branch of the Chinese Eastern Railway from Changchun station to Port Arthur, and allowed its fishing fleet to fish off the coast of the Japanese, Okhotsk and Bering Seas , recognized Korea as a zone of Japanese influence and renounced its political, military and trade advantages in Manchuria; at the same time, she was exempt from paying any indemnities; the warring parties pledged to withdraw troops from Manchuria.

As a result of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, Japan became the leading power in the Far East. Russia's foreign policy positions were seriously undermined. The defeat also exposed the defects of its military organization (the technical backwardness of the fleet, the weakness of the senior command staff, the shortcomings of the management and supply system) and contributed to the deepening of the crisis of the monarchical system.

Ivan Krivushin