On June 19, 1829, during the Russo-Turkish War (1828 - 1829), Russian troops officially capture the key Ottoman fortress of Silistra.
This event marks the end of the Second Siege of the city and finally breaks the Ottoman defensive line along the Danube.
Silistra is part of the “fortress quadrangle“ Ruse–Shumen–Varna–Silistra, which guards the road to Istanbul. In the previous year, 1828, the first Russian siege failed. In the spring of 1829, the siege was renewed under the leadership of Lieutenant General Afanasy Krasovski.
The Bulgarian Volunteer Corps, led by Colonel Ivan Liprandi, actively participated in the fighting and the assault on the fortifications. Historical accounts emphasize the heroism of the Bulgarian detachment led by Captain Georgi Mamarchev. His fighters managed to capture one of the most important Turkish tabii (redoubts) and turned the captured Ottoman cannons against the fortress itself.
After fierce artillery bombardment and mining of the fortress walls, the Ottoman garrison in Silistra capitulated. Russian forces captured thousands of Turkish soldiers, along with all available weapons, ammunition and food supplies in the city.
The fall of Silistra freed huge Russian forces from the Danube front. This allowed the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, General Dibich Zabalkanski, to undertake a lightning-fast and unprecedented march through the Balkan Mountains (through the Aytos and Varbish passes).
Thanks to the rear provided by Silistra, the Russian army unexpectedly reached and captured Edirne in August 1829. This threw the Sultan in Constantinople into panic.
According to the subsequent Edirne Peace Treaty, Silistra remained under Russian rule and occupation for several years as a pledge until the Ottoman Empire paid the huge military contributions imposed on it.