Defence of the Crimea in A. V. Suvorov and F. de Wollant’s Military Engineering Projects (1792–1794)

This article addresses A. V. Suvorov and F. de Wollant’s works of 1793–1794 aimed at the modernization of the strategic defence system of the newly acquired territory of the Russian Empire. Regarding the organization of the defence of the Crimea, the change in the location of its key main elements is clearly noticeable. Before the unification of the Crimea with Russia, the idea was to control the coast and the inland by the fieldwork fortification system developed in the 1770s. From 1783 on, the main task was to protect the coastland from the enemy’s landings. The defence system of small fieldworks was replaced with large fortresses accumulating significant materials and resources and military contingents. The cases of two projects, in Tiraspol and Simferopol, uncover new trends in the organization of strategic defence of the southern coastal border of Russia, with an emphasis on the creation of strong key fortresses instead of a network of numerous small-sized fortifications.