Between 1579 and 1581 Yermak (Ermak Timofeevič, known simply as Ermak or Yermak (in Russian: Ермак Тимофеевич), leading his Cossacks, began his military campaigns in Siberia. In 1579 and 1580 these campaigns took the form of summer raids in the territory of the Khanate. In 1581, after occupying the city of Çinki-Tura, he decided to spend the winter entrenched within its walls. The following year, after victories against small detachments of the khan’s army, Yermak defeated the bulk of Küçüm’s forces after two battles in July and October 1582, Baba Hasan and Chuvash, on the banks of the Irtysh. Although the Khan’s troops outnumbered him in terms of the number of men, his army can count on rifles, while the Khanate forces only use bows.
