On January 13, 1681, the Treaty of Bakhchysarai was signed between the Ottoman Empire, the Crimean Khanate, and the Tsardom of Moscow. This agreement marked the end of the Russo-Turkish War of 1676–1681 and legally formalized the new division of Ukrainian lands among neighboring states.

The Treaty of Bakhchysarai was a logical outcome of the active struggle for Ukrainian lands between the Ottoman Empire, the Tsardom of Moscow, and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In the 1670s, the Ottoman Empire, aiming to expand its influence, sought control over Right-Bank Ukraine, involving its vassal, the Crimean Khanate, in the conflict. This effort was part of the empire’s broader strategy to capitalize on the opportunities for expansion in Eastern Europe following the Ukrainian War of Independence of 1648–1657.

Petro Doroshenko, Hetman of Right-Bank Ukraine, attempted to preserve the autonomy of the Hetmanate by allying with the Ottoman Empire. This alliance gave the Ottomans formal control over these territories. The Tsardom of Moscow, in turn, sought to prevent Ottoman expansion into Left-Bank Ukraine, which triggered the war between Moscow and the Ottoman Empire. By 1681, exhausted by a prolonged and bloody conflict, both sides were compelled to seek a compromise.

The treaty was signed for twenty years and stipulated the division of Ukraine along the Dnipro River. Left-Bank Ukraine, including Kyiv, remained under the control of the Tsardom of Moscow. At the same time, Right-Bank Ukraine, including the southern Kyiv region, Bratslav, and Podilia, came under the control of the Ottoman Empire.

The territory between the Dnipro and Southern Buh rivers was declared a neutral zone where the construction of fortifications and fortresses was prohibited. The Zaporizhian Sich was formally recognized as independent but effectively fell under the influence of the Tsardom of Moscow. Cossacks were granted the right to freely navigate the Dnipro River, fish, and extract salt. Meanwhile, Crimean Tatars retained their rights to nomadism and hunting in the steppes.

The treaty also required the Tsardom of Moscow to pay annual tribute to the Crimean Khan. Both parties committed not to support each other’s enemies.

The Treaty of Bakhchysarai solidified the division of Ukrainian lands between two major powers — the Ottoman Empire and Moscow. It reinforced Moscow’s growing control over Left-Bank Ukraine, which would eventually lead to the gradual restriction of the Hetmanate’s autonomy and the intensification of national oppression.

Right-Bank Ukraine remained under Ottoman influence, creating favorable conditions for expanding Turkish control in these territories. The neutral zone between the Dnipro and Buh rivers served as a buffer between the two empires, but its status was a source of constant tension.

The treaty temporarily stabilized the Crimean Khanate and strengthened its vassal dependence on the Ottoman Empire. At the same time, it laid the groundwork for the “Eternal Peace” of 1686 between the Tsardom of Moscow and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which definitively divided Ukrainian lands.

The Treaty of Bakhchysarai was another stage in Ukraine’s prolonged struggle. Lacking the opportunity to establish itself as an independent and sovereign state, Ukraine became an arena of competing interests among its neighbors, striving to assert control over Ukrainian lands for their strategic objectives.