Concerning the annexation of Kamchatka to the Russian state

The paper describes the key events of Kamchatka’s annexation to Russia, identifies and analyzes the main characteristics of the interaction between indigenous peoples of Kamchatka and Russian pioneers. M. Stadukhin is widely recognized as the discoverer of Kamchatka. However, V. Atlasov was the real Kamchatka Yermak, who conquered most of Kamchatka’s aborigines in the late 17th century. The authors elaborated on the resistance of the Koryaks, the Itelmen, and the Ainu to Kamchatka’s accession to Russia which was ultimately crushed in the 1770s. Colonization of the region under review resulted in the emergence of the local multi-ethnic population on the peninsula, i.e. the Kamchadals. Kamchatka’s accession to Russia was inevitable at the end of the 17th century: no European country except for the Moscow State (Muscovy) was able to colonize the region. The authors prove that the term ‘annexation’ is the only proper concept for the process of joining Kamchatka to the Russian State.