The Battles for Dushanbe (1921–1922) were a series of battles in the Capital city of Tajikistan from Late 1921 (when it was besieged by Enver Pasha)[1] until August 4, 1922 (when Enver was killed in combat)[2]
Battles for Dushanbe | |||||||||
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Part of the Russian Civil War,Basmachi Movement and Turkestan Front | |||||||||
Picture of Bolshevik soldiers in Turkestan in 1922 | |||||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||||
Russian SFSR Soviet Bukhara | Basmachi Movement | ||||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
Yakov Melkumov | Enver Pasha † |
Siege of Dushanbe (1921-1922) | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Basmachi Movement | Soviet Bukhara | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Enver Pasha | Unknown |
After Enver Pasha had arrived to Turkestan one of his first and biggest actions was besieging Dushanbe.In the end it resulted in a Basmachi victory,despite heavy casualties on both sides
Battle of Dushanbe (1922) | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Basmachi Movement |
Soviet Bukhara RSFSR | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Enver Pasha | N.E. Kakurin |
The Soviets were absolutely terrified by the capture of Dushanbe. Due to this, the Bolshevik leadership decided to allocate over 1.5 million rubles for the transportation of thousands of Soviet soldiers to Bukhara. The resistance movement was already widespread in Turkestan, posing a real threat to Soviet power, which had initially been maintained through severe repressive measures. This was when the Soviets ended the repression of Islam. N.E. Kakurin was appointed as commander to recapture Dushanbe. Enver's militia faced a regular, well-equipped army. The dreamer was opposed by the realist Kakurin, the partisan by a career officer. Enver did not see, and did not want to see, reality, as in all the crucial moments of his life. He was in a foreign country where he had no support. He wanted to be a sole dictator and did not consider other factions, particularly Ibrahimbek, who was an unreliable ally and did not want to obey him. The war-weary population soon stopped supporting the foreign hero.[3]