Andrey E. Snesarev (1865–1937) is one of the most vivid figures in the history of Russian military orientology. Snesarev’s lengthy and productive career was tragically cut short during the time of Stalin’s repressions, and for too long his name was excluded from the history of Russian academe. In recent years interest in the life and work of this remarkable man has noticeably increased.

This book sheds particular light on the detail of one of Snesarev’s more important formative academic periods – his service in the Turkestan region. Using rare documents from the state archives of Russia, Great Britain and Uzbekistan, and the private archive of the Snesarev family some little known episodes in Snesarev’s life are revealed– a journey to India, reconnaissance of Tyan-Shan and the Pamirs, travels around Turkestan with British military attachés, a trip to London, his relations with Marguerite Leiter, sister to the wife of Lord Curzon, Viceroy of India, and more.

The book looks at the way Snesarev became established as a military orientologist, giving a detailed analysis of the main academic works written by him during his time in Turkestan. The book contains important information about the state of Anglo-Russian relations in Central Asia at the start of the twentieth century, about the Russian strategic view of Afghanistan and India, about Russian military intelligence in the countries adjoining the Turkestan military district and about the process, just starting at that time, of establishing greater trust between the Russian and British empires in military and political matters or, to use the political lexicon of the end of the Cold War, “confidence building measures”.

Snesarev was one of the most vivid Russians involved in the Great Game in Central Asia, one of the last representatives of the Russian military elite directly involved in Anglo-Russian rivalry just before this historical phenomenon became history. Snesarev’s position was that of an implacable enemy of the British Empire in Central Asia; he staunchly supported the idea that a Russian military campaign against India was inevitable, though he declared that a Russian occupation of that country was impossible.

After the Anglo-Russian Convention of 1907 divided up the spheres of influence in Central Asia, Snesarev’s views on Anglo-Russian rivalry hardly altered and so did not match the new politics of the Anglo-Russian rapprochement on the eve of the First World War. The changing political environment had a significant effect on Snesarev’s scientific activities since he could not set aside his principles and views. For this reason he stepped back from active involvement in military orientology and for a long time the topic of Anglo-Russian relations in Central Asia held no interest for him.

He was to return to these matters only in Bolshevik Russia, when worsening relations between Soviet Russia and Great Britain once again brought the question of Anglo-Russian rivalry to life. With this book Nestor-Istoriia Publishing is launching a series of books under the general title, Russian Military Orientology, which will be dedicated to the contribution that the Russian military has made to the study of Asiatic Russia and the adjoining countries in the East.