The article presents an analysis of some ethnographic information on the Kabardians, recorded in Russian sources of the last third of the 18th – first quarter of the 19th century: office documents, narrative materials, etc. It is shown that they contain contradictory – objective and tendentious assessments of information about the Kabardians. Statements recorded in the sources about the absence of laws and princely property in Kabarda, about the predatory nature of tax collection by princes, etc., as well as the listing of a significant number of negative qualities allegedly inherent in the ethnic character of the Kabardians and other peoples of the North Caucasus, are refuted by information indicating the opposite. In the reviewed sources, demographic and statistical infor-mation is considered mainly in the context of describing the political situation in the region. The positions of the tsarist authorities and the Kabardian political elite on the territorial problem are presented. They recorded a significant decrease in the number of Kabardians by 9-10 times and, as a consequence, a decrease in the military potential of Kabarda. Some sources contain recommen-dations from military officials to eliminate the system of military education of the sons of Circas-sian feudal lords in order to establish full administrative and legal control over Kabarda.