Caucasus campaign — 1914 armed conflicts between the Russian and Ottoman Empires during WWI
The Caucasus campaign was a major WWI front between Russia and the Ottoman Empire that also encompassed the Armenian Genocide beginning in 1915.
Key Facts
- Campaign start
- 1 November 1914 (Russian invasion of Turkish Armenia)
- Campaign end (Russia–Ottoman)
- 3 March 1918 (Treaty of Brest-Litovsk)
- Armistice of Mudros
- 30 October 1918
- Armenian Genocide start
- April 1915; 250 Armenians initially arrested
- Treaty of Batum signed
- 4 June 1918 with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia
- Key force
- Dunsterforce: Allied troops from Mesopotamian & Western Fronts
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
With the outbreak of World War I, the Ottoman and Russian Empires found themselves on opposing sides. The Ottoman entry into the war in late October 1914 opened a new front in the South Caucasus and Armenian Highlands, where both empires had longstanding territorial and strategic rivalries. Ottoman authorities also feared Armenian populations might align with Russia, framing them as a security threat.
Beginning on 1 November 1914, Russian forces invaded Turkish Armenia, initiating a prolonged campaign across the South Caucasus and Armenian Highlands. Naval engagements accompanied land battles in the Black Sea. In April 1915, Ottoman authorities began the systematic genocide of Armenians. The Russian advance continued until the 1917 Revolution caused the disintegration of the Russian Caucasus Army, which was subsequently replaced by Transcaucasian and Armenian forces.
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March 1918 ended hostilities between Russia and the Ottomans, while the Treaty of Batum in June 1918 formalized independence for Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. Fighting persisted until the Armistice of Mudros on 30 October 1918. The Armenian Genocide, which lasted until 1918, resulted in mass atrocities and fundamentally altered the demographic landscape of eastern Anatolia.