The Role of the Turkestan Governor-General in the Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire in the second half of the 60s of the XIX century

This article is devoted to the role of the Turkestan Governor-General in the foreign policy of the Russian Empire and its activities in the second half of the 60s of the XIX century.Relying mainly on sources from archival collections, the authors came to the conclusion that the Governor-General, acting beyond the powers granted by the Russian emperor, conducted an independent policy in relations with neighboring countries in the region.Initially, this situation manifested itself in the fact that the Emirate of Bukhara was turned into a dependent state by him and forced to conclude treaties that meet the interests of the empire.At the same time, it was argued that the active intervention of the Governor-General in the internal affairs of the Kokand Khanate, which was considered an independent state at that time, was not within its powers.The administration of the Turkestan Governor-General, in particular K.P. Kaufman, tried to solve these problems independently, without waiting for instructions from the Center on solving border issues with neighboring countries.This situation was especially evident in relations with Iran and Afghanistan.Especially in the context of the growing Anglo-Russian rivalry in the Afghan issue and the growing tension between them, the Turkestan administration advocated more active actions in this region.The article says that as a result of the Governor-General's intervention in the political events taking place in the Chinese border territories, especially in East Turkestan, martial law arose in the region.This was one of the factors that allowed the Russians to take advantage of the situation in the early 1870s and conquer the Ili region.As a result of the study, the authors proved that the foreign policy of the Russian Empire in the Turkestan region pursued its own interests and absolutely did not take into account the will and interests of the local population.This, in turn, left a negative mark on the future of the indigenous peoples of the region.