Greek Battalion of Balaklava The Greek Battalion of Balaklava was a military unit of the Imperial Russian Army which participated in the Russo - Turkish wars of 1768 – 1774 , 1787 – 1792 and 1806 – 1812 . It was consisting of Greek expatriates who were living in the Balaklava area . Initially the battalion was named " Greek Infantry Regiment " and in 1797 was renamed to " Greek Balaklava Battalion " . Its soldiers were from the Peloponnese , the Aegean islands , the Ionian Islands and the Venetian dominions in Albania . They were experienced in guerilla warfare and contributed significantly to the Russian annexation of Crimea and the expulsion of the Ottomans from the area . In the 1787 - 1789 war they fought also at sea with the Dnieper oared flotilla and the Black Sea Fleet . The battalion ' s contribution was crucial in the battles for the capture of Kaffa ( Feodosiya ) ( 1783 ) and the siege of the fortress of Sudak . They participated in the Russian suppression of the Tatar uprising of 1777 - 1778 which was supported by the Ottoman Empire and of the Tatar rebellion during the 1812 war against Napoleon . In the 1853 - 1856 Crimean War they successfully defended the city and port of Balaklava against the British . The base of the Greek Infantry Regiment was Balaklava after the imperial decree of February 18 , 1784 . The soldiers settled in Balaklava with their families , a total number of about 500 adults in 1778 , increased to about 1 , 700 in 1802 . According to the April 4 , 1797 imperial decree the battalion was composed of three companies , each having 100 soldiers . Including officers and other staff its total force amounted to 396 people . The soldiers were issued red and green uniforms and weaponry of the same type . The battalion ’ s organisation and operation was modeled on the armed divisions of the Don Cossacks , since these were closer to the Greek character and ethnic traditions . Among the battalion ’ s commanders were Captain Stefanos Beis Mavromichalis ( 1775 - 1779 , 1794 - 1801 ) , Major Konstantinos Zaponis ( 1790 - 1794 ) , General Theodosis Reveliotis ( 1809 - 1831 ) and Lieutenant Colonel Lykourgos Katsonis , son of Lambros Katsonis , ( 1831 - 1859 ) . The battalion was disbanded in 1859 . The " Amazons " of the Battalion . In 1767 Catherine the Great embarked on a long inspection tour in Tauris which lasted from January to July . Invited to the tour were the diplomatic delegates of England , France and Austria , Stanisław Poniatowski , king of Poland , and Austria ’ s emperor Josef II . The tour was aiming to show the economic and military abilities of the New Russia and the newly acquired territory . For the occasion Grigory Potemkin , one of the Russia ' s highest officials and Catherine ' s favourite , was inspired the formation of a military unit of women as a re - enactment of the mythic Amazons who used to fight in the Russian plains led by a queen . Under the orders of the commander K . G . Zaponis and his friend Pavlos Sarantis ( Sarantov ) some one hundred wives and daughters of the Greek soldiers were enlisted and formed an " Amazons battalion " headed by Eleni Ivanovna Sarantova , the wife of the Greek Ioannis Sarantis . The latter was Potemkin ' s friend and later was appointed councillor in Crimea ' s Court . The women followed an intensive military training in riding , swordplay and firing guns . On May 24 ( June 4 ) 1787 the " Amazon ' s battalion " gave an official reception to Catherine in the village Kadıköy , on horseback , in colourful uniforms and armed with long barrel rifles . Other Greeks , including a priest , from the nearby Balaklava took part in the reception ceremony . It seems that the spectacle impressed the foreign noble visitors as Joseph the II expressed his gratification with warm embraces and a visit to the camp of the battalion while other diplomats noted it as part of the spectacular events that Potemkin used to organize to impress Catherine and foreign guests . Eleni Sarantova was granted the rank of Captain , together with a diamond bracelet . The battalion was awarded with the amount of 10 . 000 rubles . They escorted Catherine further in her tour and dissolved after its completion .