Abstract. The article analyses the Russian publications of the liberal direction “Sankt-Peterburgskie Vedomosti”, “Golos”, “Birzhevyie Vedomosti” in the context of the discussion on Russia’s participation in the Serbian-Turkish War of 1876. The author compares these publications to the conservative press, revealing discrepancies and similarities in the assessment of certain events. The Serbian-Turkish War of 1876 contributed to the emergence of more radical views among liberal publications. If before the beginning of the eastern crisis we see the desire to justify its resolution exclusively within the framework of diplomacy on the pages of magazines and newspapers, then with the beginning of hostilities, the liberal press begins to call for more active action. Bourgeois publications paid great attention to the analysis of the social upsurge that engulfed all layers of Russian society, evaluating it positively, since Russia’s participation in the Serbian-Turkish War of 1876 helped to distract society from internal revolutionary problems.

Keywords: liberal press, Serbian-Turkish War of 1876, “Sankt-Peterburgskie Vedomosti”,