Battle of Plovdiv (1878)
The Battle of Plovdiv, or Battle of Philippopolis, was one of the final battles of the 1877-1878 Russo-Turkish War.
| Battle of Plovdiv | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 | |||||||||
View of one of the streets of Filipoppol (Plovdiv) after the liberation, January 1878 | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Russian Empire | Ottoman Empire | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Iosif Gurko | Suleiman Pasha | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 12,000 | 7,000 | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 1,300 killed and wounded | 5,000 killed and wounded, 2,000 captured | ||||||||
Following the crushing Russian victory at the last battle of Shipka Pass, Russian commander Gen. Joseph Vladimirovich Gourko began to move southeast towards Constantinople. Blocking the route was the Ottoman fortress at Plovdiv under Suleiman Pasha. On 16 January 1878, a squadron of Russian dragoons led by Captain Alexander Burago stormed the city. Its defenses were strong but superior Russian numbers overwhelmed them and the Ottoman forces retreated almost to Constantinople. At this time foreign powers intervened and Russia agreed to the Treaty of San Stefano.
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