The Russo-Crimean Wars was a series of wars fought between the Tsardom of Russia and the Crimean Khanate from 1507 to 1774, resulting in Russia's annexation of Crimea in 1783.
During the 11th century, the Kipchak Cumans appeared in Crimea and, under Mongol rule, they became the ruling and state-forming people of the Golden Horde and its successor, the Crimean Khanate. During the mid-13th century, the local Kipchaks took the name of Tatars, associating themselves with the Mongol conquerors. In 1441, a contender for the Golden Horde's throne, Haci Giray, established Crimea's independence. The Ottomans became the protectors of the khanate in 1475, and the Ottomans paid the khans in return for their services of providing skilled outriders and frontline cavalry in their campaigns. The slave trade formed the backbone of the khanate's economy, and the Crimean Tatars frequently mounted raids into the Danubian Principalities, Poland-Lithuania, and Muscovy.
In 1507, the Crimeans launched their first invasion of Russia after the death of Muscovy's grand duke Ivan III, attacking Belev and Kozelsk. During the 16th century, the Crimeans frequently invaded the wild steppes near Ryazan, turning back only after extensive looting and kidnapping and selling their slaves at Caffa. In response, Russia mobilized several thousand soldiers for border service, creating defensive lines with a circuit of fortresses and cities. The Russians founded the cities of Samara (1586), Tsaritsyn (1589), and Saratov (1590) to protect from invasions by the Nogai Horde in the region between the Volga and Ural rivers. In 1517, 1521, 1537, 1552, 1555, 1570-1572, 1589, 15893, 1640, 1666-1667, 1671, and 1688, the Tatars launched their most devastating invasions. In 1571, 40,000 Tatars, 13,000 irregular Turks, and 7,000 janissaries led by Devlet I Giray attacked Moscow, setting fire to its suburbs. Around 80,000 Russians were killed, while 150,000 were enslaved by the Tatars. The Crimeans invaded again in 1572, but they were defeated at the Battle of Molodi.
After 1572, Russia refocused its expansion towards the Black Sea region, resulting in the invasion of the Crimean Khanate several times in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Russians invaded Crimea in 1646, 1687, and 1689, but Tatar raids continued. In 1769, a winter raid by Tatars into Ukraine's New Serbia region captured several thousand. The ensuing Russo-Turkish War ended in 1774 with the Crimean Khanate being transformed into a Russian vassal, and, in a bid to end the Crimean slave trade, the Russians annexed the Crimea in 1783.