Count Vladimir Bobrinsky and the second Marmaros-Sziget legal trial: based on Russian press branches of the Union of Russian People Union in the Khotin uezd

This article focuses on the participation and the role of the Russian Imperial Duma deputy, Count V.A. Bobrinsky in the Second Marmaros-Sziget legal trial of Austro-Hungarian orthodox Rusins. Bobrinsky's trip to the trial in the early 1914 as a witness attracted the close attention of the Russian and Austro-Hungarian Ministries of Foreign Affairs as well as the Russian and foreign news media. The publication provides a detailed reconstruction of the circumstances of the Russian politician's trip to Hungary, his speech at the trial and his interpretation of the event after his return to Saint Petersburg. Particular attention is paid to the coverage of Bobrinsky's trip by leading Russian periodicals of different party orientations. Basing on publications in Russian liberal and conservative newspapers (“Birzhevye vedomosti”, “Golos Moskvy”, “Golos Rusi”, “Grazhdanin”, “Kolokol”, “Moskovskie vedomosti”, “Novoe vremya”, “Rech'”, “Russkoe znamya”, “Russkoe slovo”, “Svet” etc.), the author reconstructs and analyzes the attitude of different Russian political and social forces to the Pan-Slavic activity of Count Bobrinsky. The research allows to conclude that, while sympathizing with the accused Rusins and condemning the reprisals of Austro-Hungarian authorities, the Russian society did not share their assessment of Bobrinsky's role in the Marmaros-Sziget legal trial. If the right-wing liberal and moderately conservative newspapers considered him a hero, some right-wing conservative periodical called him a trigger-happy politician pushing Austria-Hungary to the military conflict with Russia.

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