On the orders of Catherine the Great the first of tens of thousands of Greek and Armenian Christians were removed from Crimea and resettled in Pryazovia.

Catherine II, most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter III. Under her long reign, inspired by the ideas of the Enlightenment, Russia experienced a renaissance of culture and sciences, which led to the founding of many new cities, universities, and theatres, along with large-scale immigration from the rest of Europe and the recognition of Russia as one of the great powers of Europe.

The Eviction of Christians from the Crimea in 1778 was a historical event in which the Greek and Armenian populations of Crimea were resettled by the authorities of the Russian Empire to newly founded settlements in Pryazovia, taking place in 1778 on order of Empress Catherine the Great.

Pryazovia or literally Cis-Azov region is usually used to refer to the geographic area of the north coast of the Sea of Azov, mostly located in south-eastern Ukraine, with a small part in Russia. It is located in the southern part of the Azov-Kuban Lowland within the East European Plain, which surrounds the Sea of Azov for most of the stretch of coastline. In a more general sense it may mean the Azov Sea littoral, and conversely, to be more specific, it may also be referred to as the Northern Priazovye. Since 2022, it has been completely occupied by Russia.