Our today’s story is about Yermak Timofeevich, a Cossack chieftain, who led an operation to conquer Siberian khanate and was killed on the night from the 5th to the 6th of August 1585. As a result of the operation the khanate broke up and that paved the way for Siberia joining Russia. 

Back in the 16th century Russian explorers discovered vast territories east of the Ural mountain ridge, where a Tatar khanate with the capital Kashlyk was located and which the Russians called Siberia. Later on, the lands behind the Urals came to be known as Siberian. 

 Rich in furs, fish and minerals, Siberia had long attracted Russian merchants and manufacturers. Trading with locals, exchanging valuable furs for knick-knacks they penetrated deep into Siberia and knew the region well enough. Among them were the Stroganov merchant family who supplied the royal court with precious furs and for that were granted a lot of privileges. The tsar presented them with lands behind the Urals and allowed them to build fortresses there. 

Relations between Siberian Khanate and Russia became tense when Khan Kuchum came to power. The khan’s men made plundering raids on neighboring Russian villages burning them down and seizing people and livestock. To defend their lands against raids by the Tatars the Stroganovs obtained permission to keep their own army. In 1581 they organized a military expedition to Siberia at the head of which was placed Yermak Timofeevich, an experienced and brave warrior, popular among the Cossacks. With a 500-men strong force Yermak set off to conquer Siberia. 

The Cossack leader and his men had to cope with  a great number of hardships before they set foot on the Siberian khan’s land. On learning that Russians were within the bounds of his khanate Kuchum urgently mounted an army. Being numerous the army produced a strong impression on Yermak but he had no intention to retreat now that he was so close to his aim. It was late October and the winds blowing from the north brought in memories of the coming winter. Any moment Siberia could become a trap for the Russian warriors. Yermak’s men decided to storm the capital Kashlyk, there was no other option. 

Though outnumbered by the Tatars, who fought with bows, spears and swords, Yermak’s army, armed with firearms, defeated the enemy. Khan Kuchum, seeing that the Russians were winning the battle, fled leaving his city to the mercy of fate. 

After occupying Kashlyk Yermak’s Cossacks were ready to return home with a handsome loot. But they decided to annex the routed Kuchum horde to Russia. As they advanced further, Yermak’s forces dwindled. Diseases and clashes with Tatars inflicted irreplaceable losses on the Russian army. As long as gunpowder and lead were in abundance the Cossacks were capable of fighting superior forces quite successfully. But quite soon they used up nearly all their ammunition and had thereby lost their main advantage over the enemy that had no firearms. Yermak sent messengers to Moscow who told the tsar about the capture of the Siberian capital and about the need for more food and ammunition to finish off the Kuchum army. The assistance, however, was slow to come and it was getting dangerous to remain in Kashlyk. Then, in a desperate attempt to replenish the food supplies Yermak mounted another expedition that became fatal to him. On one of the nights Tatars attacked the decimated Cossack force and Yermak was killed. 

Following the death of their leader the Cossacks chose to return to Russia. Of the 500 men who had come with Yermak to Siberia only 90 came back home. They did not know then that the help they had been asking for was rapidly approaching Kashlyk.

There are a great number of songs and legends that people have made up about Yermak. The memory about him was preserved both by Russian people and local Siberian tribes. Getting together on festive occasions residents of remote villages sang Russian and Tatar songs about Yermak. Some were crying, others were rocking with laughter. That was three centuries after the death of the fabled chieftain.