The 1788-1790 result was a Swedish win on points rather than an outright Russian defeat. Catherine the Great had other wars to pursue and saw little economic return in extending a difficult northern campaign. Finland could offer strategic depth, but neither it nor Sweden promised the revenue she wanted from expansion at that moment. This calculation shows how a navy's battlefield results matter within wider choices about territory, cost, and competing theaters.
Notable Point · 5:04-6:50
Catherine weighs Baltic territory against other wars
The ambiguous Swedish success of 1790 is explained through Catherine's decision that continued fighting offered less value than Russia's other commitments.