Revolutionary Avram Gudzhev

Avram Ivanov Gudzhev was born in 1851 in Bessarabia, within the Russian Empire, where his family had moved from Sopot in 1829. He studied at Bolgrad High School and joined the Russian army, successfully completing training and receiving a military rank.

He volunteered for the Serbian-Turkish War of 1876 in the Russian-Bulgarian Brigade and served as a volunteer soldier in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, proving himself a courageous officer and receiving decorations for his exploits. After Bulgaria's Liberation, Gudzhev remained in the Bulgarian army and fought in the Serbo-Bulgarian War of 1885 as commander of the Western Corps and the right column.

After the war Gudzhev became involved in Bulgaria's political struggles and participated in the coup of 9 August 1886, which led to the removal of Prince Alexander of Battenberg. He was arrested after the counter-coup and emigrated to Romania, where he joined the revolutionary committee of émigré officers and participated in various activities connected with the struggle for liberation. He later settled in Russia, serving on the General Staff of the Russian army in Moscow until his death in 1895.