Harmanli Massacre

Harmanli Massacre refers to the massacre of Muslims in Harmanli by Russian troops in 1878, during the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878). The number of victims numbered at least 2,000.

The Massacre
During the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) the Muslim population of Bulgaria fled in panic before the advancing Russian army. On January 19, 1878, a column of 50,000 or 200,000, Muslim refugees, consisting of an immense caravan with over 20,000 wagons, were retreating from Plovdiv towards Harmanli when they were attacked by Russian troops. The column broke up and dispersed, the able-bodied portion of the immense caravan fled toward the mountains, the old, the sick and the very young who were left behind perished in the snow.

Some 2,000 children drowned in the river. The old men who remained in the carts were massacred by the Russians. A group of Muslims were overtaken at Sarambey (present day Septemvri) by Russian troops who seized all of their possessions and carried off the young women. The greater part of the caravan was also plundered by the Bulgarians of neighbouring villages, massacring the remaining refugees who were not strong enough to flee into the mountains.