For Faith and Fatherland: The Military Path of the Semeiskie Old Believers of Transbaikalia in the Wars of the Early 20th Century

The article addresses the little-studied topic of the participation of the Semeiskie Old Believers of Transbaikalia in military operations during the first quarter of the twentieth century — the Russo-Japanese War and World War I. Drawing on documents from the State Archive of the Republic of Buryatia introduced into scholarly circulation for the first time, as well as published works and the personal recollections of participants, the author challenges the prevailing stereotype that Old Believers did not serve in the army. The study reconstructs specific examples of military service by providing the names of soldiers, descriptions of their feats, and detailed accounts of the combat awards they received, including the highest soldiers’ distinctions — the St. George Crosses. Special attention is paid to the unique aspect of the mobilization of so-called non-Russian Old Believers from the Kurbinsky community for rear-area labor during World War I, which illustrates the complex legal status of this population group. Analysis of archival data made it possible not only to identify instances of mass mobilization but also to trace the combat paths of individual Old Believer soldiers whose names had reviously been unknown to the scholarly community. The article examines in detail the mechanisms of conscription, the specific features of military service, and the forms of state support provided to the families of those mobilized. The use of veterans’ oral recollections adds particular value to the study, allowing for the reconstruction of the worldview and moral character of Old Believer sol-diers. The article demonstrates how wartime experience influenced the transfor-mation of the traditional way of life of Semeiskie communities and their subsequent integration into broader state process-es. The research makes a significant contribution to understanding the role of Old Belief in Russian history, demonstrating the unity of patriotic duty and fidelity to religious traditions. The materials presented are valuable for the study of military anthropology, the history of Old Belief, and Transbaikal regional studies.