Phidonisi

(now Zmeinyi), an island in the northwestern part of the Black Sea, near the site of a battle that took place on July 3 (14), 1788, between Russian and Turkish naval squadrons during the Russo-Turkish War of 1787–91. The Russian forces consisted of two ships of the line and ten frigates, under the command of Rear Admiral M. I. Voinovich; the Turkish squadron comprised 17 ships of the line, eight frigates, and three bombarders, under the command of Hasan Paşa. Despite the superiority of the enemy forces, the advance guard of the Russian squadron, commanded by F. F. Ushakov, attacked the enemy’s lead ships, seriously damaging four of them, including the flagship, and forcing the Turkish squadron to effect a hasty retreat.