Expansion of the Don Cossack Host in the 1670s

Timeline

1. 1671–1673Cherkassk · Don RiverAfter Razin's defeat, Moscow cracked down severely; the Host elected a new ataman and restored nominal loyalty to the tsar, while absorbing fugitives and remnants and rebuilding winter camps and fishing posts along the Don.
2. 1674–1678North coast of the Sea of Azov · Sea of AzovCossack fishing fleets and scouting parties entered the Sea of Azov and the Kuban river mouth area, competing with Crimean Tatars and Ottoman subjects for fisheries and trade routes, and establishing seasonal forward camps.
3. 1675–1679South Russian steppe (Mokraya Volya) · South Russian steppeThe Don Cossacks coordinated with the Zaporozhians and Moscow frontier troops to counter Crimean raiding parties and raid deep into the steppe; the tsar exchanged grants and tax-free fisheries for their frontier service but limited the expansion of their political autonomy.