The bank of the Ugra River, where the Russian and Horde troops stood in 1480, is 800 meters from the Vladimir Skete. In 2007, this skete was founded by the abbot of the Monastery of St.Tikhon Deserts. Here you can visit the Museum-Diorama of the Great Standing on the Ugra River, and then go directly to the place where these events took place.
When Ivan III stopped paying tribute in 1476 and began to unite the Russian principalities into a single state, the Khan of the Horde Akhmat decided to punish him. In 1480, he marched with his army to Moscow. Ivan III made cordons on the Oka River and Khan Akhmat could not cross it to get to Moscow by the shortest route.
Then Khan Akhmat decided to go through the lands of the Lithuanian Principality to Kaluga, where there are 3 fords on the Ugra River between the villages of Dvortsy and Kamelgino. However , the army of Ivan III stood in a solid line on the bank of the Ugra for 60 kilometers and prevented the crossing of the Horde army across the river to the territory of the Moscow Principality. All attempts to cross were repulsed. After that, in October 1480, the "Great Standing" began. The troops stood opposite each other, but Khan Akhmat did not dare to give battle.
Historians argue about the number of troops facing each other. The figure of 150 thousand soldiers in the army of Khan Akhmat is recognized by everyone as overstated, but there are no exact figures. In any case, there were several tens of thousands of soldiers in both armies.
The headquarters of Ivan III was located near the village of Dvortsy. Now a Cross of Worship is installed on this place. There was a ford nearby. The main skirmishes of the Russian and Horde troops took place near it. Now there is a memorial stone installed here. Many tourists visit the Vladimir Skete and the bank of the Ugra River with an excursion to the Ugra National Park.
