The work highlights a turning point in the history of the peoples of the North Caucasus, when the Caucasian problem, which has become the object of close attention of both neighboring states - Russia, Iran and the Ottoman Empire, and Western powers, has acquired key importance in international relations in the Near and Middle East. On the basis of extensive archival material, a significant part of which is first introduced into scientific circulation, the strategic plans of the Port, the Shah's court and the tsarist government regarding the North Caucasus are revealed, methods for their implementation are analyzed. Particular attention is paid to the liberation struggle of the peoples of the North Caucasus, the identification of factors that determined the orientation of the mountain peoples towards Russia.