Russia’s Turkish Wars: The Tsarist Army and the Balkan Peoples in the Nineteenth Century

“Victor Taki has produced a very important and timely book in Russian military history. His examination of Russian tactical exploitation of national unrest in the western Black Sea region offers critical insight into the Russian military agitation around its present-day borders. Both brilliant and groundbreaking, the research chronicles Russian serial efforts to cultivate partisan allies, and to foment nationalist rebellions, within Ottoman held territory on the Black Sea. Russia's Turkish Wars is a must-read for anyone interested in Russian and Ottoman military history, frozen conflicts, the war in Ukraine, and the tragic weaponization of civil discontent.” Mara Kozelsky, Professor of History, University of South Alabama

“Russia’s Turkish Wars traces an epochal shift in the European way of war: how military leaders in wartime abandoned the Old Regime tradition of treating civilian populations mainly as passive bystanders, and instead began to view them, based on ethnic and religious affinities, as either allies or enemies. Anyone interested in the origin of total war, ethnic cleansing, and other features of modern warfare should read this fascinating account of Russia’s wars in the Balkans in the nineteenth century.” Alexander M. Martin, Professor of History, University of Notre Dame