This collection of articles is based on the materials of the international scientific conference "VIII Nikitin Readings: Slavs and Russia. Russia, Bulgaria, Balkans. Problems of war and peace. XVIII-XXI centuries. (Myths and reality), "held at the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences in November 2018. The articles presented in it are devoted to key aspects of the development of military-political processes in the Balkans through the prism of Russian interests in the region. Based on the analysis of unpublished documents from Russian and foreign archives and other sources, the authors studied the most complex and contradictory problems of relations between Russia and the Balkan peoples in the period under review, including issues related to the Great Eastern Crisis of 1875-1878. and their interpretation in modern historical literature and journalism. The book is designed for scientists, teachers, students and everyone interested in Slavic and Balkan issues.