The final break with Istanbul came with the Battle of Ivankovac in which the Serbs were victorious. This was followed by further victories at Misar and Deligrad. Serbian rebel army was small in number but used sconce fortress to battle Turkish number superiority. The rebels not only defeated the Turkish army, but also inadvertently Napoleon himself who equipped and instructed the Turkish army to strike from three sides, and who saw every withdrawal of the Turkish army as the advancement of Russia. Though allies in ideology, Austrians also feared Russian intentions. Russia preferred to see the Balkan peninsula divided and the Serbian uprising as an incentive to the Greek Liberation Movement. Unaware of the rules of top politics, as early as February 1806 Serbs appealed to the Russian Tzar to support their right to the national state in the Balkan provinces where they could rise the army of up to 200,000 men. Serbian leaders recognized the importance of strategic factors, the role of the army and security challenges of those times while making decisions.