Askari Miniatures Painting Guide

Russian Infantry in Turkestan

(RU-1, 2, 3)
Askari Miniatures brings you the Russian military units that served in Turkestan wearing
the distinctive summer uniform designed for that harsh climate. (This style, with white
trousers, was adopted by the Russian infantry for use in the Balkans during the Russo-
Turkish War of 1877-78.) By 1878 there were 17 independent battalions raised for service
in Turkestan.

Russia: Line Infantry Battalions in Turkestan. 26 April 1869.

The loose-fitting gymnasterika, patterned on the traditional peasant

blouse, is distinctively Russian and signals a movement in Russia
toward practical, traditional field dress. The covered kepi is usually
seen with neck protection, as on the Askari Miniatures below and the
figures on the following pages. The cover might or might not cover
the brim.

The Russians believed in the use of the bayonet, which was perma-
nently fixed on their rifles.

Shoulder boards denoted the brigade within the division: red for the
1st Brigade and blue for the 2nd; the Grenadiers had yellow. Simi-
larly, in the Guards the colors were red for the 1st Division, blue for
the 2nd, and yellow for the 3rd. The number of the division would
be stamped in large figures on the shoulder board.
Askari Miniatures Painting Guide

Russian Infantry in Turkestan

(RU-1, 2, 3)

Armies of the Transcaucasian and Turkmenistani military districts from

1872-1881. Drummer of the 15th Tiflis Grenadier Regiment (c. 1879),
private of the Turkmenistani line battalion (c. 1869), Unter-ofizer
of the Caucasian line battalion, officers in field shirt (gymnasterika) and tunic (kitel) of
the Turkmenistani line battalion. (Translation of the original caption courtesy of Janice
Sellers.)
Askari Miniatures Painting Guide

Russian Infantry in Turkestan

(RU-1, 2, 3)

Our Askari Russian figures were inspired by the work of the Russian
military artist Vasili Vasilievich Vereshchagin who traveled in Turkestan
shortly after the Russian conquest and produced a fine series of paintings
based on his first-hand observations.

Below are some references for further reading on the Russian Imperial
Army.

References
Allen, W.E.D. and Paul Miratoff. Caucasian Battlefields: A History of the Wars on the Turco-Caucasian Border
1828-1921. Nashville: The Battery Press, 1999. (originally published by Cambridge University Press, 1953.)
ISBN 0-89839-296-9
Drury, Ian and Raffaele Ruggeri. The Russo-Turkish War 1877. Men-at-Arms Series 277. Oxford: Osprey Publish-
ing, 1994. ISBN 1-85532-371-0. Good basic reference for the period.
Greene, F.V. Report on the Russian Army and Its Campaigns in Turkey in 1877-78. Nashville: The Battery Press,
1996. (originally published 1879) ISBN 0-8089839-252-7. The classic, comprehensive reference.
Ivanov, I. and P. Jowett. The Russo-Japanese War 1904-05. Men-at-Arms Series 414. Oxford: Osprey Publishing,
2004. ISBN 1-84176-708-5
Lincoln, W. Bruce. The Conquest of a Continent. Siberia and the Russians. NY: Random House, 1994. ISBN 0-
679-41214
Menning, Bruce W. Bayonets before Bullets. The Imperial Russian Army, 1861-1914. Indianapolis: Indiana Uni-
versity Press, 1992. ISBN 0-2253-21380-0. Excellent reference.