Romanian refugees of autumn 1916 and the russian military command in Romania: controversial cooperation at the turn of the disaster

Abstract

The participation of the Romanian Kingdom in the First World War in the campaign of 1916 resulted in a heavy military defeat and the loss of the capital and most of the country’s territory. Among the humanitarian consequences, a special place is occupied by the refugee movement, which affected hundreds of thousands of civilians. Due to the fact that the refugees retreated to the north together with the army, their fate was closely intertwined with military operations, including the troops of the Russian ally. The Russian command in 1916 also had to solve the problems of regulating the refugee movement in Romania and organizing assistance to refugees.