Muscovite–Ukrainian War (1658–1659)
Open military aggression by the Tsardom of Muscovy in response to the hetman's attempt to break vassalage. It was accompanied by the fomenting of civil war through sponsorship of the opposition – the revolt of Pushkar and Barabash against Vyhovsky[1] – and by a direct invasion of the Muscovite army, which suffered catastrophic losses at Konotop: "The flower of the Muscovite cavalry, which had made the fortunate campaigns of '54 and '55, perished in a single day"[2].
Actors
| ID | Name | Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| G0008 | Tsardom of Muscovy | 2 |
Instruments Applied
| ID | Name | Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| S0010 | Regular Army | 1 |
| S0017 | Secret Police and Security Services | 1 |
Procedures Carried Out
Seeking to weaken the Hetmanate from within and prevent it from breaking vassalage, Moscow artificially fomented civil war, supporting and arming the internal opposition against the lawful hetman: "The proclamation of I. Vyhovsky as hetman was received negatively by the representatives of the forces opposed to him," led by Poltava colonel Pushkar and kish otaman Barabash[1]. Their revolt opened the period of the bloody Ruin.
When covert methods of destabilization proved insufficient, the tsardom moved to open military invasion. The regular Muscovite army tried to subdue the Hetmanate by force, which ended in catastrophe at Konotop. The imperial historian Soloviev admitted: "The flower of the Muscovite cavalry, which had made the fortunate campaigns of '54 and '55, perished in a single day… Never again was the tsar of Muscovy able to field such a strong host"[2].