The Turks were a branch of the Western Mongols that migrated to the lower Volga River in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties and established a khanate. During the Kangxi Dynasty, the ministry still had contacts with the Qing Dynasty, but with the rapid rise of Tsarist Russia, the Turks became a vassal of Tsarist Russia, their territory was encroached upon, their people were enslaved, and they had to serve as cannon fodder for Tsarist Russia, and their lives were very miserable.
In January 1771, Wolbasi, who succeeded him to the khanate, decided to change the fate of the tribe, and he wanted to lead his people back to the east, free from the oppression of Tsarist Russia, and return to his former hometown. Due to the leak of information and the failure of the Volga River to freeze, the more than 20,000 people who remained in the West Bank did not make the trip, and Wolbasi led 170,000 people on the journey back to the east.
The way home was extremely difficult, and in addition to dealing with the harsh natural climate, Wolbasi also had to face pro-Russian Cossack attacks. In April 1771, Wolbasi broke through the siege and finally reached the Ili region, at which time his men were less than 60,000 people left, and nearly 100,000 people fell on their way home. The Tuerhu special departments of the Eastern Return were warmly entertained by the Qing Dynasty, and the Qianlong Emperor divided them into two parts and placed them in the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains, and lived a peaceful and prosperous life.
But the more than 20,000 people who remained were not so lucky, and the Russians poured all their resentment on them.
The Russians abolished the Turgut Khanate, lowered their status, called them "Kalmyks" (Russian for "those who remained"), and sent a large number of police to keep them under close surveillance. During the October Revolution, the Kalmyks formed cavalry regiments, participated in the Red Revolution, fought bloody battles for the nascent Soviet regime, and won respect. In 1920, Kalmykia established an autonomous oblast, and in 1935 it was elevated to the Republic of Kalmykia, which the Kalmyks bought with their lives and blood.
But in the Soviet movement to collectivize farms, the Kalmyks were brutally suppressed for refusing to hand over their horses for confiscation. During World War II, the Soviet Union was gradually defeated, Kalmyk was occupied by the German army, and the German army forced the Kalmyks to fight against the Soviet Union. In 1943, the Soviets recaptured the area, but the Kalmyks were charged with treason and treason, the republic was abolished, and many were shot or exiled to Siberia. The Kalmyks were unwilling to endure grievances, and after a long period of visits and complaints, they were finally rehabilitated after 15 years. In 1958, the vast majority of the exiled and imprisoned Kalmyks returned to their homeland and regained the status of an autonomous republic. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kalmyk became a republic within the Russian Federation.
Now the Republic of Kalmykia, with an area of 76,100 square kilometers and a population of more than 300,000. The capital, Elista, is known as the City of Chess. After hundreds of years of vicissitudes, the Kalmyks still retain traditional living customs, Buddhist beliefs, and speak the Veyrat dialect handed down from their ancestors.