The island could support Russian, Austrian, Ottoman, and other coalition forces operating in Italy while also blocking French access to the Adriatic. For Russia, whose principal year-round ports lay behind the Dardanelles, an Ionian base reduced dependence on a potentially hostile Ottoman-controlled passage. Corfu could therefore serve as both a Mediterranean fleet station and a safeguard against future closure of the straits. It functioned as a logistical hub for coalition operations and gave Russia a base from which to project naval power.
Notable Point · 30:40-33:09
Corfu and coalition Mediterranean logistics
For the coalition, Corfu offered a supply and power-projection base beyond the constrained exits from Russia's Black Sea ports.