Political background of the attack

Nicholas Zharkikh

Ivan III, refusing to Sakovich, began to insist not only on a formal break of the peace between Mengli-Giray and Casimir, but also on the effective confirmation of such a break. Such a confirmation would be the great Tatar war on the lands of Casimir, led by the khan himself (so that they would not say later that this was done against the wishes of the khan). Of the directions proposed from Moscow – Podillya or Kyiv region – the khan chose the latter, in fact, Kyiv itself. Well, the Tatars did not have to be invited for a long time to hunt for prey, and so three years have passed since the last raid.

So, the immediate impetus for the attack on Kyiv was given by the Moscow Grand Duke.

Shortened text of the section. Full text in ukrainian version.