Residents of the Volga Region in the 35<sup>th</sup> Infantry Division of the Ruschuk Detachment in Bulgaria during the Russian-Turkish war of 1877–1878

The article is devoted to the combat operations of the regiments formed in the Upper Volga region as part of the 35th Infantry Division of the Ruschuk (Eastern) Detachment in Bulgaria during the Russian-Turkish war of 1877–1878. In Soviet and contemporary Russian historiography, the actions of the Ruschuk Detachment and its military units, with rare exceptions, remained beyond the interest of researchers who focused their attention on the main events of the Russian-Turkish war. The author analyzes the mistakes and miscalculations of the leadership of the Rushchuk detachment, which led to defeats in the battles of Ayazlar and Kara-Khasan-Kioi, as well as the victories of the Russian troops at Chayir-Kioi and Mechka-Trastenik. Attention is drawn to the difficulties in the relationship between Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich, who led the Rushchuk detachment, and the leadership of the Danube Army in the person of Commander-in-Chief Nikolai Nikolaevich (senior) and the army headquarters.