The Battle of Kars was a decisive Russian victory over the Ottoman Empire during the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878). In June 1877, Russian forces attempted a siege of Kars but were driven off by an Ottoman army at the Battle of Kizil-Tepe. In November the Russian commander in the Caucasus, Grand Duke Michael, demanded the surrender of Kars but was refused. The Grand Duke sent a force under Mikhail Loris-Melikov and Ivan Lazarev to take the city by storm. From 9 October onwards, Lazarev led a 28,000 Russian army during the Battle of Kars. Among these 28,000 soldiers, the majority were Armenian volunteers who signed up to join the army of Lazarev. On November 17, Loris-Melikov attacked and succeeded in capturing the eastern fortifications and cutting off the garrison under . Hussein Pasha att