03 January 2026
3 January 1625: The First Known Crimean Tatar-Ukrainian Treaty on Peace and Mutual Assistance
Due to the shared steppe space and the Black Sea borderlands, the relations between Ukrainian Cossacks and Crimean Tatars formed a history of constant interaction — ranging from trade, diplomacy, and prisoner exchange to ad hoc military alliances and security arrangements. These contacts were so close that they sometimes evolved into a mutual “intertwining” of communities: some Cossacks settled on the lands of the Crimean Khanate, while Crimean Tatars joined the Cossack environment of the Zaporozhian Host, participating in its life and affairs.
On 3 January 1625 (24 December 1624, Old Style), the first known written treaty on peace and mutual military support between the Zaporozhian Host and the Crimean Khanate was concluded. The agreement is associated with the Zaporozhian Hetman Mykhailo Doroshenko and the Crimean Kalga-Sultan Şahin Giray — the second person in the Khanate’s hierarchy after his brother, Khan Mehmed III Giray.
The agreement was driven by complex security circumstances in the region and the parties’ need for predictable alliances. Negotiations took place in the Dnieper area, near the island of Karayteben, which was a traditional site for contacts and prisoner exchanges at the time. The Cossack side insisted that the agreement be concluded directly with the Zaporozhian Host as a separate entity, rather than through Warsaw’s mediation — and these requirements were met in the final text.
The text of the agreement has survived to our time in the form of a letter of oath drawn up on behalf of Şahin Giray; unfortunately, the Ukrainian letter of oath has not survived. The essence of the agreement was mutual non-aggression, punishment for unauthorised raids, and readiness to assist each other in the event of a common enemy. This serves as substantial evidence that Ukrainian-Crimean contacts have a deep historical tradition based on diplomacy, security interests, and mutual support.
Today, when Crimea is temporarily occupied by Russia, the mention of this event is not merely a historical fact but a reminder: Crimea and Ukraine share a common space of history and security, and ties with the Crimean Tatar people are an integral part of our state continuity and shared struggle for freedom.