title: At Death’s Door, 1772–1785
abstract: Abstract This chapter discusses Mikhail Kutuzov’s service in the Crimea, the injury he suffered there in 1774, and its aftereffects. It also recounts events that took place while he was recovering. Russia and the Ottoman Empire turned to diplomatic negotiations in the spring of 1772, after two exhausting campaigns. The Ottomans were upset at the Russian expansion in the Crimea, where the new khan had signed a formal agreement at Karasu Bazaar, creating an independent Crimean state and establishi