The monograph is devoted to the history of the presence of Russian imperial troops in the southwestern regions of the Caspian Sea in the first third of the XVIII century. on the example of the Derbent garrison. The main attention is paid to the history of this military formation, which, like other imperial institutions, ensured the presence of Russian power in the region. With the involvement of archival and documentary materials, plots related to the formation and activities of the Derbent garrison, founded by Peter the Great, are investigated.