On the Occasion of the 145th Anniversary of the Russian-Turk War of 1877–1878. The Army‘s Baptism by Fire: the Battle of Gorni Dabnik and Telish

The article examines the battles at Gorny Dubnyak and Telish during the RussoTurkish War of 1877–1878 through the prism of the feelings and impressions of the participants of those bloody assaults on Turkish fortifications on a significant array of published sources (memoirs and official documents), thanks to which a person with his thoughts and experiences during the performance of the tactical task is presented to us. The article highlights the relationship of Russian soldiers with the Turks (during battles and after their capture), as well as contacts with the Bulgarian population. The development of the Russian oriental studies, and of Indology in particular, by summarizing works or by the face of its representatives has been extensively studied in Russian historiography. This makes it possible to highlight both the continuity in the East studies in Russia and the relationship of scientific researches to the social and political life.