participated in the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878), and was promoted to major general in 1879, and given command of the 1st Brigade of the 14th Cavalry Division. From 1878 to 1879, he was a member of the committee for the demarcation of the borders of the new Kingdom of Serbia. In 1882, Kaulbars became the Minister of War for the Principality of Bulgaria, then a client state of the Empire of Russia. This state, semi-autonomous since the Russian victory sanctioned by the Treaty of San Stefano, was fighting for independence from the Ottoman Empire. He also concurrently commanded the 1st Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division. The following year, he became commander of the 15th Cavalry Division. Kaulbars was promoted to lieutenant general in 1891. In 1894, he was assigned command of the 2nd Cavalry Corps. This assignment was followed by command of the 2nd Siberian Army Corps in 1900, during which time he participated in the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion and Russian occupation of Manchuria. He was further promoted to General of Cavalry in 1901 and made Assistant Commander of the Odessa Military District. In October 1904, during the Russo-Japanese War, he became commander of the Russian 3rd Manchurian Army. Following the Battle of Sandepu, he was transferred to command the Russian 2nd Manchurian Army in February 1905. However, during the Battle of Mukden, his forces were outfought and outflanked by the Imperial Japanese Army and disintegrated in disarray. Kaulbars was wounded in a fall off his horse during the retreat. After the end of the war, he returned to command the Odessa Military District until 23 December 1909. During this period, he was noted for his strong support of the monarchy during the 1905 Russian Revolution. In December 1909, he returned to Saint Petersburg as a member of the Military Council. With the start of World War I, he was assigned as a commander of the Northwestern Front, and from October 1914 was placed in charge of all Russian military aviation activities. However, at the end of 1915, he was dismissed from military service. In 1916 he was appointed military governor of Odessa. After the October Revolution, he moved to South Russia, where he joined an anti-Bolshevik Volunteer Army on 15 October 1918, despite his advanced age (then 74). He entered the reserves in 1919. With the collapse of the Armed Forces of South Russia, he was evacuated