Battle of Kars

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Battle of Kars
Part of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)
Capture of Kars by Nikolay Karazin, 1877
Date 17 November 1877 Location Kars, Ottoman Empire Result Russian victory
Belligerents
Russian Empire Kuban Cossacks	Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Count Mikhail Loris-Melikov Ivan Lazarev	Ahmet Muhtar
Strength
30,000 infantry,[1] 144 guns[1]	18,000 infantry,[1] 5,000 artillery[1]
Casualties and losses
2,196 total casualties[1] 470 dead 1,726 wounded	19,500 total casualties[1] 2,500 killed 17,000 captured

The Battle of Kars was a Russian victory over the Ottoman Empire during the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878). The battle for the city took place on November 17, 1877, and resulted in the Russians capturing the city along with a large portion of the Ottoman forces defending the city. Although the actual battle for the city lasted a single night, fighting for the city began in the summer of that year.^[2] The idea of taking the city was considered impossible by some in Russian high command and many soldiers, who thought it would lead to needlessly high Russian casualties without any hopes of success due to the strength of the Ottoman position.^[3] Loris Melikov and others among the Russian command, however, devised a plan of attack that saw Russian forces conquer the city after a night of long and hard fighting.^[2] The Ottoman defeat at Kars had widespread consequences regionally, and the city was formally annexed at the Treaty of Berlin.^[4]