Charitable activity from ancient times to the present stage of development of society is a rather complex human activity, the motivation of which is determined by the deep psychological and personal factors. It is particularly active in critical historical moments, one of which is the war and its consequences. During the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, an important social problem arose – providing assistance to war victims and their families. The state, in turn, could not cope with the number of people who needed support. Therefore, the population of the country was the unchanging assistant in this matter. In the terms military conflict, the government was forced to turn to all the population of the empire. The main factor for the stability of the existence of the state aid system was the representatives of the nobility, most of whom took active part in charity. It was the aristocrats who initiated most of the charity events during the study period: the construction of hospitals and their financing; material support for servicemen; assistance to the affected population – all this required significant cash inflows. Particular importance of such support was acquired precisely in times of aggravation of military conflicts. Noblewomen, not only engaged in fundraising, but also headed in charitable organizations, personally rendered assistance to military personnel in hospitals, engaged in the commissioning of the units of the sisters of charity and took direct part in their work.