With the withdrawal of the Russian armies from the Caucasus front in the winter of 1917–18, the three major republics braced for an imminent Ottoman advance, which commenced in the early months of 1918.
Melalui penarikan pasukan Rusia dari front Kaukasus pada musim dingin 1917–18, tiga republik besar tersebut bersiap menghadapi serbuan Utsmaniyah selanjutnya, yang dimulai pada bulan-bulan pertama 1918.