Pleven , city in northern Bulgaria, capital of Pleven Province. The city trades in cattle and wine; and its industries include canning vegetables, extracting vegetable oil, tanning hides, and milling flour. Manufactured goods include cotton, linen, and woollen textiles. Pleven was the site of a key battle in the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878). It was defended by the Ottoman Turks against Russian and Romanian troops, but in 1877 it fell to the Russians after four months of fighting. The fall of Pleven caused the Turks to seek an armistice early in 1878. Population 122,149 (2001).