Claim: After the death of Ayuka Khan in 1724, the Russian Empire chipped away at the Kalmyk Khanate's autonomy, which encouraged Russian and German settlements.
Evidence: Ayuka or Ayuki Khan (1669–1724) was a Kalmyk leader under whose rule the Kalmyk Khanate reached its zenith in terms of economic, military, and politic power. The Tsarist government also gradually chipped away at the autonomy of the Kalmyk Khanate. These policies, for instance, encouraged the establishment of Russian and German settlements on pastures the Kalmyks used to roam and feed their livestock.