The problem of the occupation of a part of the Balkan Peninsula by the troops of the Russian Imperial Army after the conclusion of the San Stefano Peace Treaty and the decisions taken during the Berlin Congress has traditionally been outside of attention of historians. Meanwhile, it was during the Russian occupation and largely thanks to it that the foundations of the statehood of the Principality of Bulgaria were laid, as well as administrative and security structures were created, which in 1885 ensured the success of the coup in the autonomous province of the Ottoman Empire - Eastern Rumelia. All this was done in a very difficult situation, when the Russian authorities needed to solve the refugee problem. Technically, the evacuation from the Principality of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia was the first experience of such large-scale military sea transportation for the Russian army, which was taken into account in the future when planning an amphibious operation on the Bosphorus.
Oleg Ajrapetov (Wed,) studied this question.