For the Time Being, We Are Living Here in Peace…: Letters of Officer Vyacheslav Vasilievich Babushkin of the Transbaikal Cossack Army on the Russo-Japanese War

Based on unpublished family correspondence between Vyacheslav Vasilievich Babushkin, an officer of the Transbaikal Cossack Army, and Vladimir Ignatievich Farmakovskiy, a well-known Russian figure in public education and pedagogical science, preserved in the Russian State Historical Archive (St. Petersburg), an attempt is made to present the everyday military life of officers of the Transbaikal Cossack Army in China during the Russo-Japanese War. The Transbaikal Cossack Army took direct part in all major battles and military operations of the Russo-Japanese War, which has been reflected in a large body of scholarly research. However, the everyday life of Russian troops has received little attention in these works. The article cites excerpts from V. V. Babushkin’s letters, which do not describe the course of combat operations, battles, or front-line engagements; instead, they clearly reveal the problems faced by the Russian army while stationed in China. All events are presented through the author’s personal perspective as a direct participant in these events.