WI the Russians became militarily involved in the Balkan Wars:
Option 1 - Russia joins fight against Ottomans along with Balkan League. Russia's objective is to simultaneously back the winning horse, but also to forstall any of the Balkan coalition members from occupying Constantinople. Essentially, Russia sends its Black Sea fleet into action and lands a scratch expeditionary force from the Odessa military district along Bulgarian held shores in Thrace, to continue an advance to Constantinople.
The Russians use all their powers of manipulation, threat and patronage to get the Bulgarians and the Balkan League to agree to this manuever. Their territorial demands vis-a-vis Thrace are that Russia gets the shoreline from Enos to Media, incorporating the west end of the Bosporus and Dardanelles, while Bulgaria gets Adrianople to the northwest. In return the Russians back Bulgarian gains in Macedonia and Salonika.
As a further territorial objective, the Russians will want the Asian side of the straits, but jumping on the wounded European portion of the Ottoman Empire is the easiest first step.
Meanwhile, the Russians can supplement this and divert Ottoman reinforcements, by going on the offensive in northeast Anatolia.
Thoughts? Criticisms? Reasons why Russia did not take the Ottoman defeats in the Balkans as an opportunity to get the straits.
Option 1 - Russia joins fight against Ottomans along with Balkan League. Russia's objective is to simultaneously back the winning horse, but also to forstall any of the Balkan coalition members from occupying Constantinople. Essentially, Russia sends its Black Sea fleet into action and lands a scratch expeditionary force from the Odessa military district along Bulgarian held shores in Thrace, to continue an advance to Constantinople.
The Russians use all their powers of manipulation, threat and patronage to get the Bulgarians and the Balkan League to agree to this manuever. Their territorial demands vis-a-vis Thrace are that Russia gets the shoreline from Enos to Media, incorporating the west end of the Bosporus and Dardanelles, while Bulgaria gets Adrianople to the northwest. In return the Russians back Bulgarian gains in Macedonia and Salonika.
As a further territorial objective, the Russians will want the Asian side of the straits, but jumping on the wounded European portion of the Ottoman Empire is the easiest first step.
Meanwhile, the Russians can supplement this and divert Ottoman reinforcements, by going on the offensive in northeast Anatolia.
Thoughts? Criticisms? Reasons why Russia did not take the Ottoman defeats in the Balkans as an opportunity to get the straits.