Who took ismail. Fortress Izmail

Russian troops under the command of Count Alexander Suvorov happened on December 22 (December 11, old style) 1790. Day military glory is celebrated on December 24, because in the current edition federal law"On the days of military glory and anniversaries Russia" dates historical events, occurring before the introduction of the Gregorian calendar, are obtained by simply adding 13 days to the dates according to the Julian calendar. However, the difference of 13 days between Gregorian and Julian calendars accumulated only in the 20th century. In the 18th century, the difference between Julian and Gregorian calendars was 11 days.

Assault and capture Turkish fortress Ishmael - key battle Russian-Turkish war 1787-1791.

Not resigned to defeat in the war of 1768-1774, Turkey in 1787 demanded that Russia return the Crimea and renounce the patronage of Georgia, and in August declared war on Russia.

In turn, Russia decided to take advantage of the situation and expand its possessions in the Northern Black Sea region.

Military operations developed successfully for Russia. Turkish troops suffered severe defeats, losing Ochakov and Khotyn, were defeated at Focsani and on the Rymnik River. The Turkish fleet suffered major defeats in Kerch Strait and off Tendra Island. The Russian fleet seized firm dominance on the Black Sea, providing conditions for active offensive operations of the Russian army and rowing flotilla on the Danube. Soon, having captured the fortresses of Kiliya, Tulcha and Isakcha, Russian troops approached the Turkish fortress of Izmail on the Danube, which covered the strategic Balkan direction.

On the eve of the war, the fortress was heavily fortified with the help of French and German engineers. From the west, north and east, it was surrounded by a high rampart six kilometers long, up to eight meters high, with earthen and stone bastions. In front of the rampart, a ditch 12 meters wide and up to 10 meters deep was dug, which in some places was filled with water. From the south, Ishmael was covered by the Danube. Inside the city there were many stone buildings that could be actively used for defense. The garrison of the fortress consisted of 35 thousand people with 265 fortress guns.

In November, the Russian army of 31 thousand people (including 28.5 thousand infantry and 2.5 thousand cavalry) with 500 guns besieged Izmail from land. The river flotilla under the command of General Osip de Ribas, having destroyed almost the entire Turkish river flotilla, blocked the fortress from the Danube.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army, Field Marshal Prince Grigory Potemkin, sent General-General (at that time) Alexander Suvorov to lead the siege, who arrived at Izmail on December 13 (December 2, old style).

To begin with, Suvorov decided to make thorough preparations for the capture of an impregnable stronghold. Near the nearby villages, ramparts and walls similar to those of Ishmael were built. For six days and nights, the soldiers practiced on them ways to overcome ditches, ramparts and fortress walls. At the same time, preparations for a long siege were simulated to deceive the enemy, batteries were laid down, and fortification work was carried out.

On December 18 (December 7, according to the old style), Suvorov sent an ultimatum to the commander of the Turkish troops, Aidozli-Mehmet Pasha, demanding to surrender the fortress; the commander attached a note to the official letter: “To Seraskir, to the foremen and to the whole society: I arrived here with the troops. Twenty-four hours to think about surrender and freedom, my first shots are already captivity, the assault is death.

The negative response of the Turks, according to the series, was accompanied by assurances that "the Danube will sooner stop in its course and the sky will fall to the ground than Ishmael will surrender."

Suvorov decided on an immediate assault. During December 20 and 21 (December 9 and 10, old style), the fortress was subjected to fierce bombardment from 600 guns.

The assault, which has become a classic of military art, began at half past five in the morning on December 22 (December 11, old style).

Suvorov planned to knock the enemy off the shaft in the dark, and then make the most of daylight hours days, so as not to interrupt the battle for the night. He divided his forces into three detachments of three assault columns each. The detachment of Lieutenant General Pavel Potemkin (7500 people) attacked from the west, the detachment of Lieutenant General Alexander Samoilov (12000 people) - from the east, the detachment of Major General Osip de Ribas (9000 people) - from the south across the Danube. The cavalry reserve (2,500 men) of Brigadier Fyodor Westfalen took positions in four groups opposite each of the fortress gates.

In the west, the columns of Generals Boris de Lassi and Sergei Lvov immediately crossed the rampart, opening the gates for the cavalry. To the left, the soldiers of the column of General Fyodor Meknob had to tie assault ladders in pairs under fire in order to overcome higher fortifications. On the eastern side, the dismounted Cossacks of Colonel Vasily Orlov and Brigadier Matvey Platov withstood a strong counterattack by the Turks, from whom the column of General Mikhail Kutuzov, who occupied the bastion at the eastern gate, also got. In the south, the columns of General Nikolai Arseniev and Brigadier Zakhar Chepega, who launched the assault a little later, closed the ring under the cover of a river flotilla.

In the light of day, the battle was already inside the fortress. Around noon, de Lassi's column was the first to reach its center. Field cannons were used to support the infantry, clearing the streets of the Turks with buckshot. By one o'clock in the afternoon, the victory was actually won, but in some places the fights continued. Brother died in a desperate attempt to recapture the fortress Crimean Khan Kaplan weight. Aydozli-Mehmet Pasha with a thousand Janissaries held the stone inn for two hours, until almost all of his people (and himself) were killed by the grenadiers. By 4 p.m., the resistance had completely ceased.

The Turkish garrison lost 26 thousand people killed, nine thousand were captured, but within a day up to two thousand of them died of wounds. The winners got about 400 banners and bunchuks, 265 guns, the remains of a river flotilla - 42 ships, a lot of rich booty.

The loss of Russian troops killed and wounded was initially estimated at four and a half thousand people. According to other sources, only four thousand were killed, and another six thousand were injured.

Russian victory had great importance for further progress war, which in 1792 ended with the Treaty of Jassy, which secured the Crimea and the northern Black Sea region from the Kuban to the Dniester for Russia.

The capture of Ishmael is dedicated to the anthem "Thunder of victory, resound!" (music - Osip Kozlovsky, lyrics - Gavriil Derzhavin), which was considered the unofficial anthem of the Russian Empire.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

Russian troops under the command of Count Alexander Suvorov happened on December 22 (December 11, old style) 1790. The Day of Military Glory is celebrated on December 24, since in the current version of the federal law "On the Days of Military Glory and Memorable Dates of Russia", the dates of historical events that took place before the introduction of the Gregorian calendar were obtained by simply adding 13 days to the dates according to the Julian calendar. However, the difference of 13 days between the Gregorian and Julian calendars did not accumulate until the 20th century. In the 18th century, the difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars was 11 days.

The assault and capture of the Turkish fortress of Izmail is the key battle of the Russian-Turkish war of 1787-1791.

Not resigned to defeat in the war of 1768-1774, Turkey in 1787 demanded that Russia return the Crimea and renounce the patronage of Georgia, and in August declared war on Russia.

In turn, Russia decided to take advantage of the situation and expand its possessions in the Northern Black Sea region.

Military operations developed successfully for Russia. Turkish troops suffered severe defeats, losing Ochakov and Khotyn, were defeated at Focsani and on the Rymnik River. The Turkish fleet suffered major defeats in the Kerch Strait and near Tendra Island. The Russian fleet seized firm dominance on the Black Sea, providing conditions for active offensive operations of the Russian army and rowing flotilla on the Danube. Soon, having captured the fortresses of Kiliya, Tulcha and Isakcha, Russian troops approached the Turkish fortress of Izmail on the Danube, which covered the strategic Balkan direction.

Suvorov decided on an immediate assault. During December 20 and 21 (December 9 and 10, old style), the fortress was subjected to fierce bombardment from 600 guns.

The assault, which has become a classic of military art, began at half past five in the morning on December 22 (December 11, old style).

Suvorov planned to knock the enemy off the rampart after dark, and then make the most of daylight hours so as not to interrupt the battle for the night. He divided his forces into three detachments of three assault columns each. The detachment of Lieutenant General Pavel Potemkin (7500 people) attacked from the west, the detachment of Lieutenant General Alexander Samoilov (12000 people) - from the east, the detachment of Major General Osip de Ribas (9000 people) - from the south across the Danube. The cavalry reserve (2,500 men) of Brigadier Fyodor Westfalen took positions in four groups opposite each of the fortress gates.

In the light of day, the battle was already inside the fortress. Around noon, de Lassi's column was the first to reach its center. Field cannons were used to support the infantry, clearing the streets of the Turks with buckshot. By one o'clock in the afternoon, the victory was actually won, but in some places the fights continued. In a desperate attempt to recapture the fortress, the brother of the Crimean Khan Kaplan-girey died. Aydozli-Mehmet Pasha with a thousand Janissaries held the stone inn for two hours, until almost all of his people (and himself) were killed by the grenadiers. By 4 p.m., the resistance had completely ceased.

The Russian victory was of great importance for the further course of the war, which in 1792 ended with the Peace of Jassy, which secured the Crimea and the northern Black Sea region from the Kuban to the Dniester for Russia.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

Dissatisfied with the results of the previous military conflict, Turkey declared Russia new war. The Turks wanted to regain the Crimea, while Russia hoped, on the contrary, to further expand its borders by ousting the enemy from Northern Black Sea. Four years of luck accompanied Russian troops, but Turkey refused to accept the peace terms. The capture of Ishmael could change the situation. The fortress was located on the left bank of the Kiliya branch of the Danube and was of great strategic importance. Here the paths from Chilia, Bender, Khotyn and Galati converged, here it was comfortable spot for an invasion from the north across the Danube. By the beginning of the war, the Turks had made a powerful almost impregnable fortress out of Izmail, surrounded it with a high rampart and a wide ditch, the depth of which in some places reached almost 11 meters. Izmail had 11 bastions and 260 guns, more than 30 thousand soldiers were commanded by the head of the fortress - Aydozla Muhammad Pasha. The Turks understood the importance of Ishmael, and the sultan, enraged by previous military failures, ordered to defend the fortress to the last drop of blood. Those who dared to flee from Ishmael faced inevitable death at the hands of the executioner.

Ishmael. (wikipedia.org)

In 1790, the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Prince Grigory Potemkin-Tavrichesky, gave the order to capture Izmail. Several attempts were made, but they were not successful. The military council decided to lift the siege of the fortress in view of the approaching winter, but Potemkin did not approve of this and ordered General-General Alexander Suvorov to take command of the troops. On December 2 (13), Suvorov returned to the fortress with an army and blocked it from land and from the Danube. Suvorov began a thorough preparation for the assault.

Fortress assault. (wikipedia.org)

For six days he studied the fortress and prepared the troops. Not far from Izmail, Suvorov ordered the construction of earthen and wooden analogues of the fortress moat and walls. The soldiers trained to fill the ditch with rods and brushwood, quickly put up ladders, chop and chop the stuffed Turks, installed on top of the walls. In order to study Izmail, Suvorov in the early days went on reconnaissance himself in simple clothes on a lousy horse and accompanied by only one orderly. Having traveled around the fortress, the general concluded that weaknesses she does not have. He understood that the assault would be difficult and possibly unpredictable. Later, he said that such a thing "could be decided only once in a lifetime." When the army's training ended, Suvorov sent a laconic and sharp ultimatum to the fortress: “I arrived here with the troops. Twenty-four hours to think - and the will. My first shot is already bondage. Storm is death. Aydozla-Muhammad Pasha answered with a predictable refusal. Suvorov realized that the Turks would fight to the death, especially after the Sultan's decree. For two days, the Russian general conducted artillery preparation, and on December 11 (22) he went on the assault.

A. V. Suvorov. (wikipedia.org)

The Russian army was divided into three wings with three columns each. From the Danube, a detachment of 9 thousand soldiers under the leadership of de Ribas attacked, Pavel Potemkin, who led 7500 people, was supposed to hit the western part of the fortress. General Samoilov, who led the largest detachment of 12 thousand soldiers, planned to attack from the eastern side. In total, under the command of Suvorov there were 31 thousand people. There were about 35 thousand defenders of Ishmael.

Painting "The Capture of Ishmael". (wikipedia.org)

Suvorov decided to act in the dark and start the assault at 5 am, before dawn. Darkness would guarantee the suddenness of the first blow and the mastery of the rampart. It was unreasonable to fight in the dark, commanding troops was difficult, and besides, Suvorov expected fierce resistance and wanted to have as much daylight as possible at his disposal. However, the assault did not come as a surprise to the Turks; several defectors revealed to them the plan of the Russian general. On the night of December 22, the troops left the camp and went to Ishmael. By 6 am, Russian soldiers overcame the rampart and a fierce battle ensued above. At this time, another detachment took possession of the first batteries and the Khotyn Gate, opening the way to the cavalry fortress. At the other end of the fortress, the column of General Kutuzov captured the bastion at the Kiliya Gate and occupied the entire rampart to the neighboring bastions. The troops of Fyodor Meknob had the hardest time. He stormed that part of the fortress where the depth of the ditch exceeded 11 meters, and the soldiers, right under fire, had to tie pairs of ladders together to take the walls. The main bastion was captured. A landing force moved from the Danube to the fortress, which was resisted by 10 thousand Tatars and Turks. But thanks to the attack of Russian soldiers on the flank of the coastal batteries, the landing was successful.

The rampart was taken, the Turks were driven out of the fortifications and retreated into the city. fierce street fighting lasted until 11 o'clock in the morning, each house had to be taken with a fight. The first detachment under the command of Lassi reached the city center, where he encountered the enemy, who fought fiercely, but when most of the enemy detachment was destroyed, the remnants of the Turks and Tatars surrendered to the Russians. To support the infantry, Suvorov ordered the introduction of 20 light guns into the city in order to clear the streets of the enemy with grapeshot. Clashes continued in parts of the city. By two o'clock in the afternoon all the columns reached the center of Izmail, by 16 last defenders fortresses were destroyed. Ishmael fell.

Battle for Ishmael. (wikipedia.org)

The Turks lost 26 thousand people in this battle, 9 thousand were captured, of which two thousand died of wounds. The Russian army got more than 260 guns, 3 thousand pounds of gunpowder, many other ammunition, 400 banners, 12 ferries and 22 light ships. In addition, the city had a lot of rich production for 10 million piastres. Suvorov lost 64 officers and 1816 privates, about 3 thousand people were wounded. In total, 4582 people died during the assault. After the capture of the fortress, Suvorov put Mikhail Kutuzov in charge and ordered to restore order. A huge hospital was opened in the city, guards were placed throughout the fortress. Russian soldiers were taken out of the city and buried there according to the Christian rite. There were so many corpses of the Turks that it was decided to dump the bodies into the Danube in order to quickly clear Ishmael. But even this took the soldiers 6 days.

Suvorov hoped to receive the rank of Field Marshal for his feat, but Potemkin gave him only a medal and a lieutenant colonel of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. Potemkin himself, for Ishmael, received the Tauride Palace, a field marshal's uniform embroidered with diamonds, and a memorial obelisk in Tsarskoe Selo. The capture of Ishmael influenced the course of the war and the conclusion of the Iasi Peace in 1792. Russia confirmed its rights to the Crimea, established a border with Turkey along the Dniester and secured territories along the right bank of the Kuban.

(cousin favorite). The commander of the river flotilla was junior in rank, but he did not have the slightest desire to obey the lieutenant generals.

Map of the fortifications of the fortress Ismail - 1790 - Plan of fortress Ismail

Izmail was one of the strongest fortresses in Turkey. Since the war of 1768-1774, the Turks, under the leadership of the French engineer De Lafitte-Clove and the German Richter, have turned Izmail into a formidable stronghold. The fortress was located on a slope of heights sloping towards the Danube. A wide hollow, stretching from north to south, divided Izmail into two parts, of which the large, western, was called the old, and the eastern - the new fortress. The fortress fence of the bastion style reached 6 versts in length and had the shape of a right-angled triangle, facing north at a right angle, and with its base towards the Danube. The main shaft reached 8.5 meters in height and was surrounded by a moat up to 11 meters deep and up to 13 meters wide. The ditch was filled with water in places. There were four gates in the fence: on the western side - Tsargradsky (Brossky) and Khotinsky, on the northeast - Bendersky, on the east - Kiliya. The ramparts were defended by 260 guns, of which 85 guns and 15 mortars were on the river side. The city buildings inside the fence were brought into a defensive state. Was harvested a large number of firearms and food stocks. The garrison of the fortress consisted of 35 thousand people. He commanded the garrison of Aydozli-Mahmet Pasha.

Russian troops surrounded Izmail and bombarded the fortress. Seraskir was sent an offer to surrender Ishmael, but received a mocking response. The lieutenant general convened a military council, at which they decided: to lift the siege and retreat to winter quarters. The troops began to slowly withdraw, the de Ribas flotilla remained with Ishmael.

Still not knowing about the decision of the military council. Potemkin decided to appoint commander siege artillery general-in-chief Suvorov a. Suvorov was endowed with very broad powers. On November 29, Potemkin wrote to Suvorov: “ ... I leave your excellency to do here at your best discretion, whether by continuing the enterprises to Ishmael or leaving onago.

On December 2, Suvorov arrived at Ishmael. Together with him, a Phanagorian regiment and 150 musketeers of the Apsheron regiment arrived from his division. By December 7, up to 31 thousand troops and 40 field artillery guns were concentrated near Izmail. About 70 guns were in the detachment of Major General de Ribas, located on the island of Chatal opposite Izmail, and another 500 guns were on the ships. The guns of the de Ribas detachment did not go to winter quarters, but remained in their previous seven firing positions. From the same positions, the artillery of de Ribas shelled the city and the fortress of Izmail in the period of preparation for the assault and during the assault. In addition, by order of Suvorov, on December 6, another battery of 10 guns was laid there. Thus, there were eight batteries on Chatal Island.

Suvorov deployed his troops in a semicircle two versts from the fortress. Their flanks rested on the river, where the de Ribas flotilla and the detachment on Chatal completed the encirclement. Reconnaissance was carried out for several days in a row. At the same time, stairs and fascines were prepared. To make it clear to the Turks that the Russians were going to conduct a proper siege, on the night of December 7, batteries for 10 guns each were laid on both flanks, two on the western side, 340 meters from the fortress, and two on the eastern side, 230 meters from the fence. To train the troops in the assault, a ditch was dug to the side and ramparts similar to those of Ishmael were poured. On the night of December 8 and 9, Suvorov personally showed the troops the techniques of the escalade and taught them to operate with a bayonet, and the fascines represented the Turks.

On December 7, at 2 pm, Suvorov sent a note to the commandant of Ishmael: “Seraskir, the foremen and the whole society: I arrived here with the troops. 24 hours for reflection for surrender and will; my first shots are already bondage; storm-death. Which I leave for you to consider." The next day, an answer came from the seraskir, who asked permission to send two people to the vizier for a command and offered to conclude a truce for 10 days from December 9th. Suvorov replied that he could not agree to the request of the seraskier and gave a deadline until the morning of December 10th. At the appointed time, there was no answer, which determined the fate of Ishmael. The assault was scheduled for December 11th.

On the eve of the assault, on the night of December 10, Suvorov gave the troops an order that inspired them and instilled faith in the upcoming victory: “Brave warriors! Bring to your memory all our victories on this day and prove that nothing can resist the power of Russian weapons. We have not a battle to postpone, but an indispensable capture of a famous place, which will decide the fate of the campaign, and which the proud Turks consider impregnable. The Russian army besieged Izmail twice and retreated twice; it remains for us, for the third time, either to win, or to die with glory.” Suvorov's order made a strong impression on the soldiers.

Preparations for the assault began with artillery fire. On the morning of December 10, about 600 guns opened powerful artillery fire on the fortress and continued it until late at night. The Turks responded from the fortress with the fire of their 260 guns, but to no avail. The actions of the Russian artillery proved to be very effective. Suffice it to say that by the evening the artillery of the fortress was completely suppressed and ceased fire. “... At sunrise, from the flotilla, from the island and from four batteries, arranged on both wings on the banks of the Danube, a cannonade opened across the fortress and continued uninterruptedly until the troops took their way to attack. On that day, from the fortress, at first, the cannon fire was answered lively, but by noon the firing had died down, and by nightfall it had completely stopped, and there was silence all night long ... ”.

At 3 p.m. on December 11, the first signal rocket went up, along which the troops lined up in columns and moved to the designated places, and at 5:30 a.m., at the signal of the third rocket, all the columns stormed. The Turks let the Russians into the range of a canister shot and opened fire. The 1st and 2nd columns of Lvov and Lassi successfully attacked the Brossky Gate and the Tabie Redoubt. Under enemy fire, the troops captured the rampart and with bayonets paved the way to the Khotyn Gate, through which cavalry and field artillery entered the fortress. Meknob's 3rd column stopped because the stairs prepared for the assault were not long enough in this area and they had to be tied in two. With great effort, the troops managed to climb the rampart, where they met stubborn resistance. The situation was saved by the reserve, which made it possible to overturn the Turks from the ramparts into the city. Orlov's 4th Column and Platov's 5th Column achieved success after a fierce battle with the Turkish infantry, which suddenly made a sortie and hit the 4th Column in the tail. Suvorov immediately sent a reserve and forced the Turks to retreat to the fortress. The 5th column was the first to climb the rampart, followed by the 4th.

In the most difficult situation was the 6th column of Kutuzov, which attacked new fortress. The troops of this column, which reached the rampart, were counterattacked by the Turkish infantry. However, all counterattacks were repulsed, the troops captured the Kiliya Gates, which made it possible to strengthen the advancing artillery. At the same time, “the worthy and brave major general and cavalier Golenitsev-Kutuzov was an example to his subordinates with his courage.”

Great success was achieved by the 7th, 8th and 9th columns of Markov, Chepiga and Arseniev. Between Seven and eight o'clock in the evening they landed at the Ishmael fortifications on the Danube. The 7th and 8th columns quickly captured the batteries operating against them on the fortifications. It was more difficult for the 9th column, which was supposed to conduct an assault under fire from the Tabie redoubt. After a stubborn battle, the 7th and 8th columns connected with the 1st and 2nd columns and broke into the city.

The content of the second stage was the struggle inside the fortress. By 11 o'clock in the morning, Russian troops captured the Brossky, Khotinsky and Bendersky Gates, through which Suvorov moved reserves into battle. Numerous Turkish garrison continued to resist. Although the Turks did not have the ability to maneuver, and without the support of artillery their struggle was ineffective, nevertheless they fought stubbornly for every street and every house. The Turks “sold their lives dearly, no one asked for mercy, the women themselves rushed brutally with daggers at the soldiers. The frenzy of the inhabitants multiplied the ferocity of the troops, neither sex, nor age, nor rank were spared; blood was pouring everywhere - let us cover the spectacle of horrors with a veil. When it is written like this in documents, it is easy to guess that in fact the population was simply slaughtered.

A well-known innovation was the use of field guns by Russians in street battles. So, for example, the commandant of the fortress Aydozli-Mahmet Pasha sat down in the Khan's palace with a thousand janissaries. The Russians carried out fruitless attacks for more than two hours. Finally, the guns of Major Ostrovsky were delivered, with the fire of which they destroyed the gates. The Phanagorian grenadiers launched an assault, slaughtered everyone inside the palace. Artillery smashed the Armenian monastery and a number of other buildings inside the fortress.

By 4 o'clock in the afternoon the city was completely taken. 26 thousand Turks and Tatars (military personnel) were killed, 9 thousand were taken prisoner. The loss of civilians in those days was customary not to mention. In the fortress, the Russians took 245 guns, including 9 mortars. In addition, another 20 guns were captured on the shore.

Russian losses amounted to 1879 people killed and 3214 wounded. For those times it was a huge loss, but the game was worth the candle. Panic broke out in Istanbul. The Sultan blamed the Grand Vizier Sharif-Hassan Pasha for everything. The head of the unfortunate vizier was put up at the gates of the Sultan's palace.

“No, your grace,” Suvorov replied irritably, “I am not a merchant and I did not come to bargain with you. Reward me. Except God and the Most Merciful Empress, no one can!” Potemkin's face changed. He turned and silently entered the hall. Suvorov is behind him. The general-in-chief filed a combat report. Both walked around the hall, unable to get a word out of themselves, bowed and dispersed. They never met again.

City of Izmail is located on the banks of the Danube River in the very south of the Odessa region, in the historical region of Bessarabia. Romania is already on the other side of the river from the city. The distance from Izmail to the Black Sea coast is about 80 km. The place is quite isolated, in order to get to the city you have to drive through the dense steppe for several hours. Also, an hour and a half drive separates Izmail from the Ukrainian-Moldovan border - this is the main direction for driving a car from Ukraine to Romania and Bulgaria.

How to get to Izmail?

Getting to Ishmael, let's say, is not easy. Highway, which connects the city with Odessa, is in a rather deplorable state. Although the authorities repaired several small sections of this road in 2016, the roadway still remains completely destroyed in places. There are several sections of the track where cars prefer to drive on the field rather than the road, as there are fewer potholes. If you do not feel sorry for your car, then you can get from Odessa to Izmail in 4 hours. Regular buses and minibuses travel along the same road for about 5 hours, with a technical stop in Tatarbunary. Ticket price - about 120 UAH. AT daytime minibuses run quite often, every 30-40 minutes.

There is also a train Odessa-Izmail and Kyiv-Izmail. From Odessa to Izmail train number 6860 departs three times a day (Tuesday, Friday, Sunday) at 16:20. The train leaves Izmail for Odessa on the same days at 23:59. Train Kyiv-Izmail-Kyiv No. 243/244 runs daily. Departure time from Kyiv and Izmail is the same - at 17:06. Travel time by train will be slightly longer than by bus or car - about 7 hours. But the tickets are cheaper.

Sights of Izmail.

There are several places of interest for tourists in Izmail. Also, do not forget that just an hour's drive from the city is Vilkovo (Ukrainian Venice), as well as the Black Sea coast.

Fortress Izmail

Probably, everyone has heard of the legendary impregnable Izmail fortress, which was stormed by Suvorov's troops in 1790. Unfortunately, this fortress has not survived to this day. After its capture, its walls were razed to the ground and nothing remained of this interesting architectural monument. Now on the site of the fortress is the Izmail memorial park-museum "Fortress". The only surviving building from those times is the building of the mosque, where the diorama of the "assault of the fortress" is being created now.

Intercession Cathedral

The Cathedral of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos is located in the city park in the center of Izmail on Suvorov Avenue. The cathedral was built in the first half of the 19th century on the site of the older Nicholas Church. The architect was A. Melnikov. Masha Pasha liked this church very much. The cathedral itself looks quite unusual, has long antique colonnades and porticos. A nice square is laid out around it, you can also see a monument to Suvorov here.

Suvorov Avenue

In the central part of the city, Suvorov Avenue has a long pedestrian green area where you can take a walk. There are also many nice low two-story buildings of the 19th century built here. If you walk along Suvorov Avenue straight towards the Danube, then you will eventually come to river station Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company and a small embankment along the Danube.

Infrastructure, entertainment in Izmail

There is only one large Tavria supermarket in Izmail, which is located on Suvorov Avenue at the entrance to the central part of the city. It is quite far to walk to the Pokrovsky Cathedral and the city center from here. Several entertainment facilities are located on Mira Avenue in the "circle" area - a square with roundabout, on which the monument to the liberators of Ishmael is located. There is a cinema, a Celentano pizzeria and a number of other shops, restaurants and cafes. There are also many small shops and cafes located in the central part of Suvorov Avenue.

Our room in the VIP hotel in Izmail.

Where to stay in Izmail?

MashaPasha, visiting Izmail, stayed at the "VIP" hotel (20 Pushkin Street). This is one of the best hotels in the city, clean and well furnished. Prices for rooms in it start from 580 UAH. per double room per night. Hotel website www.vip-hotel.com.ua