title: The Resettlement of the Azov Bulgarians to Georgia
abstract: The history of Bulgarian colonies in the Russian Empire is marked by waves of migration, adaptation, and resilience. After the Crimean War (1853–1856), the Russian Empire lost southern Bessarabia—home to around forty Bulgarian colonies—to the Principality of Moldavia and Wallachia. The Bulgarian settlers, now living under new rule, were given three years to move deeper into Russian territory. However, events soon took a difficult turn. A key moment came in the autumn of 1860 with unrest in Bolgr