In the painting presented in the exhibition, a moment from the battle between the servicemen of the Belgorod fortress and the Crimean Tatars is depicted. The commander leads the attack with a raised mace. The artist captured the fiercest moment of the battle, showcasing the strength of spirit of the Russian servicemen who stood against the numerous Tatar forces.

In the summer of 1623, the Crimeans (Crimean Tatars) pledged not to attack the border towns of Russia and not to raid the outposts. Of course, such an oath did not guarantee the cessation of Tatar raids. However, the probability of major invasions significantly decreased. The Crimean attacks were characterized by border skirmishes between Russian soldiers and small groups of Tatars. Therefore, the defense against raids in the border zone fell entirely on the servicemen of the garrisons in the frontier towns and the population of the border districts.

All routes of Tatar invasions passed mainly through elevated areas and dry river divides. The Tatars tried to avoid river crossings, wetlands, and forests. Tatar detachments always had guides who studied the steppes of Russia, who knew the fords across rivers, and the best places to camp.

The largest raid in the period from 1618 to 1630 occurred in 1623. The main purpose of the Tatar raids was to capture loot — prisoners (polon) and livestock. They did not aim to seize fortresses, did not stay in one place for long and tried to get back with their loot as quickly as possible.

The Russian population had to fight the Tatars on their own. Servicemen and peasants went out to the fields with weapons, bravely engaged in battle with the enemy, rescuing their captured relatives and friends, residents of their own and neighboring districts.

In 1635, the construction of a defensive line — the Belgorod Line — began in order to protect the borders of the Russian state from the raids of the Crimean Tatars. The Belgorod defensive line consisted of 28 fortress towns, earthen ramparts, cleared areas, and natural barriers such as forests, swamps, and rivers. It was a large natural-engineering structure stretching for 800 kilometers across the territories of five modern regions.

The fortress town of Belgorod became the military and administrative center of the Belgorod Line. The network of fortifications led to the final consolidation of Russia in the southern part of the country.