Russo - Persian War ( 1826 – 28 ) The Russo - Persian War of 1826 - 1828 was the last major military conflict between the Russian Empire and the Persian Empire . After the Treaty of Gulistan concluded the previous Russo - Persian War in 1813 , peace reigned in the Caucasus for thirteen years . However , Fath ' Ali Shah , constantly in need of foreign subsidies , relied on the advice of British agents , who pressed him to reconquer the territories lost to Russia and pledged their support to military action . The matter was decided upon in spring 1826 , when a bellicose party of Abbas Mirza prevailed in Tehran and the Russian minister , Aleksandr Sergeyevich Menshikov , was placed under house arrest . Campaign of 1826 . In May 1826 , Mirak was occupied by Russian troops , against the wishes of Czar Nicholas I . In response , the Persian government sent Mirza Mohammad Sadiq to St . Petersburg in an attempt to discuss the issue . However , General Governor Aleksey Yermolov had Sadiq detained at Tiflis . On 28 July 1826 , a 35 , 000 - strong Persian army led by Abbas Mirza , crossed the border and invaded the Khanates of Talysh and Karabakh . The Khans quickly switched sides and surrendered their principal cities — Lenkoran , Quba , Baku — to the Persians . General Ivan Paskevich , Yermolov ' s subordinate , stated that his commanding officer ' s actions had started this war . Aleksey Yermolov , Russia ' s General Governor of Caucasus , feeling that he did not have sufficient resources to counter the invasion , refused to commit Russian troops to battle and ordered Ganja , the most populous city in the Southern Caucasus , to be abandoned . In Shusha , a small Russian garrison managed to hold out until 5 September when General Madatov ' s reinforcement arrived to their relief . Madatov routed the Persians on the banks of the Shamkhor River and retook Ganja on the 5th September . On hearing the news , Abbas Mirza lifted his siege of Shusha and marched towards Ganja . A new Russian reinforcement under Ivan Paskevich ( Yermolov ' s replacement ) arrived just in time to join their forces with Madatov and to form a 8 , 000 - strong corps under Paskevich ' s supreme command . Near Ganja they fell upon the Persians and forced them to retreat across the Araks River back to Persia . The attack was repulsed but the war was to continue for a year and a half . Campaign of 1827 . The onset of winter weather led to the suspension of hostilities until May 1827 , when Paskevich advanced towards Erivan , taking Echmiadzin , Nakhichevan and Abbasabad on his way . The principal war theatre was now Eastern Armenia , whose capital , Erivan , was stormed and captured by Paskevich after six days of siege ( October 1 ) . Fourteen days later , General Eristov entered Tabriz , forcing the Shah to sue for peace . The outbreak of the new Russo - Turkish War revived Persian hopes and hindered peace negotiations , which were conducted by Aleksandr Griboyedov , among others . In January 1828 a Russian detachment reached the shores of Lake Urmia and the Shah started to panic . On his urging , Abbas Mirza speedily signed the Treaty of Turkmenchay ( February 2 , 1828 ) which concluded the war . Aftermath . According to the terms of the treaty , the Khanates of Erivan and Nakhichevan passed to Russia . The Shah promised to pay an indemnity of 20 , 000 , 000 silver roubles and allowed his Armenian subjects to migrate to Russian territory without any hindrance . More importantly , the Shah granted the Russians the exclusive right to maintain a navy in the Caspian and agreed that Russian merchants were free to trade anywhere they wanted in Persia . In the short term , the treaty undermined the dominant position of the British Empire in Persia and marked a new stage in the Great Game between the empires . In the long term , the treaty ensured the dependence of the Caucasus on Russia , thus making possible the eventual emergence of the modern states of Armenia and Azerbaijan on the territories conquered from Persia during the war .