The Russo-Afghan War
 (1884-1885)

 

 

 
A historical overview of the Russo-Turkish War
 

This section will give a brief history of both the Russo-Afghan war.  For ease of reference the table below allows you to study this short conflict year by year.  At the end of this section the costs of the war in both men and equipment will be discussed. With few exceptions noted in parenthesis, all dates given below are according to the Julian Calendar that was used by Russia during this period.  It was 12 days behind the Gregorian calendar used by the rest of the world.

Timeline of the Conflict
  

Russian Leaders
(1826-1852)
1881-1894 Alexander Romanov III
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Prelude to War

 

The conflict known as the Russo-Afghan war was part of Russia's expansion into Central Asia during the final stages of the Great Game in Asia.  The Russians were attempting to expand their frontier, while the British were trying to keep Russia from dominating Central Asia and thereby threatening India.  To help settle this rivalry an Anglo-Russian commission was created.  It met with little success and Russia eventually halted negotiations.  This diplomatic break caused a great deal of concern in England.

British concern soon turned to alarm when Russian forces occupied the city of Merv in Persia, then moved further into Afghanistan in a bid to take the remaining Turkoman lands.  The British then began preparations to defend the city of Herat which was seen as critical to the defense of India.  The Russians agreed not to move further into Afghanistan, but some units violated their orders and engaged Afghan troops in the battle of Ak-Teppe.  It was a victory for the Russians, but increased tensions with England.  In England a there were calls for military action against Russia , and for a time it seemed as though war between the two Great Powers would be inevitable.

 

Timeline 1884-1885

 

1884
  4 April Russian forces occupy Merv in Persia (later called Mary).
1885
    Russian forces cross the disputed Afghan border and drive Afghan troops out of the Penjdeh region.
  Britain views the Russian move as a potential threat to their interests in India and begin military preparations to defend the city of Herat in Afghanistan.
  Russia agrees to halt all troop movements until a border is agreed to.
30 March The Russian force violates its orders and fight a fierce battle at Ak-Teppe.  They win a decisive victory over the Afghan forces in the region.
  Tensions increase between Britain and Russia.  War seems likely.  British prime minister William Gladstone resists military sentiment at home and begins work on a diplomatic solution.
10 September Russia and Britain reach an agreement on where the border will be fixed.  Russia will retain the Penjdeh district, while Afghanistan will keep Zulfkar Pass.

 

Aftermath of the War

The seemingly small Russian campaign had a disproportionately large effect back in England where newspapers were clamoring to create an atmosphere for war.  Fortunately cooler heads prevailed and diplomacy was resumed.  Russian envoys resumed negotiations with the British prime minister William Gladstone, and reached an agreement fixing part of the Russo-Afghan border on 10 September 1885.  As a result of the agreement Russia was allowed to keep the Penjdeh district, and the Afghans were allowed to retain Zulfkar Pass.  The remainder of the border region would be fixed by agreements made in 1887.

 

Cost of the Russo-Afghan War

At this point I only have the very incomplete statistics for Russian losses during the Russo-Afghan  war.  This will improve with time, but for now I have listed only the statistics that I have.  Those that I do not know at this time are marked as uncertain at present.  Suffice it to say that due to the rather small numbers of troops involved casualties would have been rather low.  It is also safe to claim that Afghan losses were greater than Russian losses at this time.

Number of Russian military personnel who served in the Conflict: Uncertain at Present
 

Force Breakdown

Russian Army: Uncertain at Present
Romanian Army: Uncertain at Present
Bulgarian Militia: Uncertain at Present

Total Killed and Wounded

Killed in Action: Uncertain at Present
Died of Illness: Uncertain at Present
Missing in Action: Uncertain at Present
Wounded: Uncertain at Present