Telegram from Member of the Caucasian Bureau of the Central Committee of the RCP(b)

Telegram from Member of the Caucasian Bureau of the Central Committee of the RCP(b) and the Revolutionary Military Council of the Caucasian Front, G. Ordzhonikidze

To the Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic, L. Trotsky Requesting Reinforcement of Supplies to the Caucasian Front Due to the Need to Suppress the Armenian Uprising in Zangezur and Karabakh, Provoked by the Turkish Offensive October 13, 1920

To Comrade Trotsky, Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic. Copy to the Central Committee of the RCP(b). Military matter—urgent and outside regular queue.

Baku, 13/X/1920. The situation with footwear and uniforms is catastrophic in the literal sense of the word. Snowfall in the mountains of Zangezur, Karabakh, Dagestan, and Zakataly, combined with the onset of autumn rains, has rendered the advance of our units to eliminate bandit formations completely impossible. The entire 28th Division, stationed in the Zangezur-Karabakh region, where a full-scale Armenian uprising is currently underway due to the Turkish offensive, is not only incapable of suppressing the rebellion but is at risk of being completely annihilated.

Therefore, I am compelled to urgently request that no fewer than twenty thousand uniform sets be dispatched to Baku by express train, outside the regular queue. Without such a measure, we risk losing the entire Eleventh Army.

Please inform me of your orders. Ordzhonikidze.

Resolutions by E. Sklyansky:

“Today, a report for Comrades Commander-in-Chief and Akkerman—what has been done and what will be done. Sklyansky. 14/X.”
“Report to be received today. Sklyansky. 14/X.”

Resolution by unidentified official:

“Comrade Akkerman reports: on 16/X, a shipment of uniforms, footwear, and linen for 15,000 men will be sent to the Caucasian Front. An equal shipment will be sent on the 25th. Both shipments will follow designated routes. The dispatch will be made in agreement with the Commander-in-Chief. Nothing will be sent separately to the Eleventh Army. Gittis has been informed.”

Resolution by S. Kamenev*:

“On October 15, a shipment of 15,000 uniforms will be sent to the Caucasian Front; on the 25th, a second shipment of the same quantity will follow.”

Resolution by E. Sklyansky:

“Extremely urgent. To the Commander-in-Chief. It would be advisable, in agreement with the Revolutionary Military Council of the Caucasian Front, to send the portion of supplies they request directly to the Revolutionary Military Council of the Eleventh Army. This will be faster. 14/X. Sklyansky.”

RGVA, f. 33987, op. 2, d. 117, l. 167. Copy. (Emphasis added – Yu.B.)

No. 544

Telegram from People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the RSFSR G. Chicherin To Deputy Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic, E. Sklyansky On the Legitimacy of Armenia’s Demand to Halt the Replacement of Red Army Units with Muslim Troops in Disputed Territories Between Azerbaijan and Armenia October 21, 1920

The Soviet representative in Armenia, Comrade Legran, reports a complaint from the Armenian government regarding the replacement of our units in disputed territories between Armenia and Azerbaijan with Azerbaijani or insurgent forces. Indeed, such replacement is unacceptable. We occupied these disputed areas with the intention of not transferring them to either Armenia or Azerbaijan until the political situation changes.

Replacing our units with Azerbaijani ones effectively amounts to handing over these territories to Azerbaijan. This is especially unacceptable given that Azerbaijani units are Muslim, and it is impermissible for us to entrust actual authority in Armenian-populated areas to Muslim units. Insurgent forces are also predominantly Muslim.

We therefore request that orders be issued to halt the aforementioned practice.

People’s Commissariat for Foreign Affairs

Resolution by Comrade Sklyansky:

“Personal. Top secret. To the Field Headquarters Commissar. Please verify and issue orders if confirmed. Report back to me on actions taken. Sklyansky. 22/X.”**

RGVA, f. 6, op. 10, d. 303, l. 145. Copy. (Emphasis added – Yu.B.)

Authorship established from the note “Report by Comrade Kamenev” on the document copy. ** Printed on the document copy.

No. 545

Telegram from Field Headquarters Staff Member of the Revolutionary Military Council of the RSFSR, Maryin To Chief of Staff of the Caucasian Front, Pugachev Regarding the Replacement of Red Army Units with Muslim Troops in Disputed Territories Between Azerbaijan and Armenia October 23, 1920

To Caucasian Front Headquarters. The Deputy Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic has ordered an urgent investigation and report by 22:00 today, 23/X, on whether our units in disputed territories between Armenia and Azerbaijan are being replaced by Azerbaijani or insurgent forces.

If confirmed, please specify the exact locations and which of our units have been replaced by Azerbaijani or insurgent forces. In the latter case, indicate who issued the order. Maryin.

RGVA, f. 6, op. 10, d. 303, l. 148.

No. 546

Telegram from Plenipotentiary Representative of the RSFSR in Armenia, B. Legran To People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs, G. Chicherin On the Conditions for Resolving the Dispute Over Contested Territories October 24, 1920

[…] The Armenians categorically demand immediate recognition of their claim to Zangezur and Nakhichevan. I indicated that this issue cannot be resolved without Azerbaijan, and that we can only raise it with Azerbaijan if Armenia renounces its claims to Karabakh. After lengthy discussions, the Armenians agreed to relinquish Karabakh, with minor reservations. […]

RGASPI, f. 64, op. 1, d. 21, l. 188. Copy.

Telegram from the Plenipotentiary Representative of the RSFSR in Armenia, B. Legran

To People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs, G. Chicherin On Relations Between Armenia and Great Britain October 24, 1920

[…] The Armenians are refraining from entering into an agreement with England due to the British refusal to recognize Armenia’s claims to disputed territories, which they prefer to cede to the Musavatists. The Armenians are hoping for a more favorable resolution of the issue concerning these territories through Soviet Russia. Legran RGASPI, f. 64, op. 1, d. 21, l. 189. Copy.

No. 548

Order to Bring the Zangezur Strike Group of Soviet and Turkish Forces to Combat Readiness for the Suppression of the Uprising Shusha, October 25, 1920

II, Point 1. By order of the Commander of the 11th Army, No. 38/op, I have been appointed commander of all military units operating in the Zangezur–Karabakh region. For ease of command, I am consolidating all units into the Zangezur Strike Group, which includes two rifle brigades and one cavalry brigade of the 18th Cavalry Division, as well as the 1st Turkish Rifle Regiment.

II, Point 2. The headquarters of the 28th Rifle Division, under Chief of Staff Comrade Frolov, is designated to serve as the staff of the Zangezur Strike Group.

II, Point 3. All unit commanders within the group are ordered to bring their units to combat readiness. Within two days of receiving this order, they must ensure full provisioning so that, upon receipt of my combat directive, the units can swiftly and decisively launch an offensive to eliminate Nzhdeh’s bands and suppress the uprising in Zangezur.

II, Point 4. Once combat readiness is achieved, all unit commanders are to remain in their assigned sectors and await further directives regarding the group’s operations.

II, Point 5. All supply officers of the group must demonstrate utmost energy and resolve in provisioning the units with food, fodder, uniforms, and ammunition. Civilian transport must be mobilized, and all available military transport utilized to ensure rapid and timely supply, so that the units are fully equipped for battle at the moment of the order. No excuses or arguments regarding the impossibility of fulfilling the combat mission will be accepted; failure to execute the combat order will be punished with the full severity of wartime law.

Commander of the Group: Kurishko Military Commissar: Kuleshov Chief of Staff: Frolov CGASA, f. 326, op. 1, d. 2, l. 2. Original. Published in: Nagorno-Karabakh in 1918–1923, Yerevan, 1992, doc. No. 414. (Emphasis added – Yu.B.)

No. 549

From the Report of the Chief and Military Commissar of the Operations Department of the Headquarters of the 11th Red Army On the Military-Political Situation in Armenia Following the War with the United Forces of Kemalist Turkey, Bolshevik Russia, and Soviet Azerbaijan October 25, 1920

[…] Armenia The successful advance of Turkish forces into Armenia has altered the deployment of military units along the southern border (Oltu, Sarıkamış, Kağızman), and significant changes have also occurred along the eastern border with the Azerbaijan SSR. All regular troops stationed along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border (Dilijan combat sector) have been redeployed to the Turkish front. Border security and defense have been entrusted to militias composed of armed residents of the frontier zone.

As the Turkish offensive progressed, Armenian forces retreated toward Igdir–Alexandropol–Kars–Ardahan. At present, the Armenians, through extreme exertion of national resources, have managed to halt and slightly repel the advancing Turks. Fighting is now taking place near Sarıkamış and Kağızman.

The state of war has demanded full mobilization from Armenia—an emergency draft of all men under 30 has been conducted, and volunteer enlistment is underway. The entire territory of the republic and its railways have been placed under martial law.

[…] The attitude of Armenian soldiers toward Red Army troops is sharply hostile, stemming from the belief that the RSFSR is supplying Turkey with weapons and ammunition and intends to join forces with the Turks against Armenia.

According to unverified reports, Armenian Commander-in-Chief General Nazarbekov has resigned, transferring his duties to Minister of War Ruben Minasyan.

The Armenian army is being supplied with food, weapons, and equipment by America.

The internal situation in the country is critical, with soaring prices due to currency devaluation and shortages of essential goods. The government has declared the nation to be in danger and has adopted the slogan: “Everything for the front, everyone to the front.”

Zangezur District In early September of this year, following our occupation of Katar, Nzhdeh fled with remnants of his detachment to the village of Meghri (Ordubad district), where, due to the inaccessible terrain and insufficient vigor of our forces, he remained untouchable until early October. At that time, in the Katar area, discontent with Soviet authority—caused by food requisitions and fueled by Dashnak agents—sparked an uprising, which Nzhdeh, having returned from Meghri, assumed leadership of. The rebellion spread rapidly and engulfed nearly all of Zangezur.

This uprising occurred with the knowledge and support of the Yerevan government, which acted as its organizer and leader. To reinforce the insurgents, a detachment of 150 infantry and 100 cavalry under Lieutenant Ter-Davydyants crossed the border in small groups and entered the Yaydzhi–Tandzatap area, mobilizing the population and recruiting volunteers along the way.

According to unconfirmed reports, mountain artillery previously assigned to Dro’s detachment has also been transferred to the insurgent zone.

Other enemy forces are operating in the following areas:

Sisian: Shamil’s detachment, numbering up to 200 men
Katar: Nzhdeh’s detachment, up to 600 rifles The total number of insurgents in Zangezur is estimated at up to 2,500 men, with two light artillery pieces located in Katar.

Chief and Military Commissar of the Operations Department of the 11th Army Headquarters Chief of Intelligence Division CGASA, f. 195, op. 3, d. 984, pp. 5–7. Copy. Typescript. Published in: Nagorno-Karabakh in 1918–1923, Yerevan, 1992, doc. No. 415. (Emphasis added – Yu.B.)

Telegram from People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the RSFSR, G. Chicherin

To Deputy Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council, E. Sklyansky On the Unacceptability of Replacing Red Army Units with Muslim Troops in Disputed Territories Between Azerbaijan and Armenia, in Violation of RSFSR’s Treaty Obligations October 26, 1920

As I have repeatedly pointed out to the Revolutionary Military Council, the Armenian government continues to protest the replacement of our units in the occupied disputed territories with Muslim and insurgent forces. According to newly received materials from our representative in Armenia, Comrade Legran, such replacements have led to ongoing clashes.

In the context of the bloody interethnic hostility in Transcaucasia, it is indeed unacceptable to grant actual authority in Armenian-populated areas to Muslim troops. The occupation of disputed territories by our forces was intended precisely to prevent national hatred from being inflamed by the presence of units belonging to either local nationality.

Such replacements must be deemed entirely inadmissible.

— Resolution by L. Trotsky: “Operations. Urgently send me all materials. Trotsky.” — Resolution by E. Sklyansky: “To the Field Headquarters Commissar. Submit a report urgently. 27/X. Sklyansky.” — Resolution by unidentified official: “Urgently provide a report on when the response was delivered to Sklyansky and Chicherin. 28/X.”

RGVA, f. 6, op. 10, d. 303, l. 128. Original. Signature by Chicherin – autograph. (Emphasis added – Yu.B.)

No. 551

Report by Assistant Chief of the Operations Council of the Field Headquarters of the Revolutionary Military Council of the RSFSR, V. Garf To Deputy Chairman of the Revolutionary Military Council of the RSFSR, E. Sklyansky On the Movement of a Turkish Regiment Formed in the Azerbaijan SSR Through Karabakh to Zangezur October 28, 1920

Report. In addition to the previously submitted report, I inform you that the town of Gerusy is located 120 versts south of Elisavetpol.

The Turkish regiment was formed by the Military Formation Directorate from Turkish prisoners of war held within Russia and Azerbaijan. The Turkish Communist Party organization participated in the regiment’s formation. Upon completion, the regiment was placed under the command of the Turkish Army, in accordance with the insistence of Turkish communists and directives from Comrade Ordzhonikidze. It has now arrived in Gerusy.

Further information on the regiment’s movement has been requested from the Caucasian Front Headquarters.

Assistant Chief of the Operations Council /V. Garf/ October 28, 1920. No. 27/org

— Resolution by Comrade Sklyansky: “Top secret. To G.I. Khvoshchinsky. Speak with Comrade Chicherin to clarify whether he insists on the withdrawal of the Turkish regiment. Sklyansky. 29/X.” — Resolution by G. Khvoshchinsky: “Operations. Comrade Chicherin considers it necessary to send the regiment to Turkey, its intended destination, or elsewhere [illegible], but not to leave it in Gerusy. Khvoshchinsky. Urgent. Caucasian Front. X.”

RGVA, f. 6, op. 10, d. 303, l. 139–140.

No. 552

Protocol of the Final Session of the Peace Delegations of the RSFSR and the Republic of Armenia October 28, 1920

On October 28, 1920, the plenipotentiaries of the RSFSR government, Boris Vasilyevich Legran, and of the Republic of Armenia, Levon Shant, Ambartsum Terteryan, and Levon Zarafyan, upon mutual presentation of their credentials, duly recognized as properly issued and in correct form, agreed to the following:

I. The government of the RSFSR, on one side, and the government of the Republic of Armenia, on the other, undertake the obligation to sign the attached draft peace treaty and all related supplements, under the following conditions:

That the governments of the RSFSR and the Azerbaijan SSR recognize the inviolable right of the Republic of Armenia to the territories of the disputed districts—Nakhichevan and Zangezur—and withdraw all military units under the command of the RSFSR and Azerbaijan SSR from these districts.
That the government of the Republic of Armenia, in turn, unconditionally renounces all claims to the so-called Karabakh region, except for the corner formed by the eastern border of the Novo-Bayazet district, part of the eastern border of the Sharur-Daralagiaz district, and the northern border of the Zangezur district—along a notional line from Mount Gikaldag to Mount Chichakli (map scale: 10 versts per inch).
That the RSFSR, in consideration of the dire condition of the working people of Armenia, grants a non-repayable loan of two and a half million rubles in gold.

II. The Republic of Armenia, based on its intention to amicably resolve territorial disputes in the regions of Turkish Armenia with the government of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, is prepared to accept the friendly mediation of the RSFSR government in resolving these issues, provided that:

The government of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey withdraws its troops to the former Russo-Turkish border of 1914.
The government of the Grand National Assembly renounces the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk and the Batumi Convention.
The government of the Grand National Assembly unconditionally recognizes the independence of the Republic of Armenia within the borders defined by the peace treaty between the RSFSR and the Republic of Armenia.

Upon fulfillment of the above conditions, and with the friendly assistance of the RSFSR, additional foundations will be developed for the peaceful resolution of territorial disputes.

In confirmation of the above, the plenipotentiaries of both parties have personally signed this protocol and affixed their seals.

The original was drawn up and signed in two copies. Legran Levon Shant A. Terteryan L. Zarafyan

CGIA of Armenia, f. 200, op. 1, d. 12, l. 29. Certified copy. Typescript. Copy certified by Secretary of the RSFSR Plenipotentiary Representation in Armenia, L. Shiffers. Published in: Bulletin of the Archives of Armenia, 1967, No. 3, doc. No. 37, p. 71.

Draft Peace Treaty Between the RSFSR and the Republic of Armenia

Providing for the Determination of State Affiliation of Disputed Territories Through Mutual Agreement, or—In Its Absence—By Referendum October 28, 1920

Peace Treaty Between the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Republic of Armenia

[…] The Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, on the one hand, and the Republic of Armenia, on the other, guided by a firm desire to establish peaceful conditions for the coexistence of the peoples inhabiting both states, have resolved to conclude the present treaty.

Article I Based on the principle proclaimed by the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic of the right of all peoples to free self-determination, including complete separation from the state to which they belong, Russia unconditionally recognizes the independence and sovereignty of the State of Armenia and voluntarily renounces all sovereign rights previously held by Russia in relation to the Armenian people and its territory.

Note: Proceeding from the same principle, the RSFSR considers the incorporation of the regions of Turkish Armenia into the Republic of Armenia to be just, and is prepared to exert its friendly influence on allied states to facilitate the actual annexation of the aforementioned regions or parts thereof to Armenia.

[…]

Article III The state border between Armenia and the Azerbaijan Socialist Soviet Republic, which is part of the Russian Soviet Federation, shall be determined at a Conference of representatives of the Republic of Armenia and the Azerbaijan Socialist Soviet Republic, with the participation of a representative of the RSFSR.

The Conference shall be convened immediately upon the signing of this treaty. If no agreement is reached at the Conference, the issue shall be resolved by referendum.

Article IV Russia unconditionally recognizes the following provinces and regions of the former Russian Empire as part of the State of Armenia: the Erivan and Kars provinces, with all their constituent districts and counties, except for the Nakhichevan district, as well as the southern part of the Kazakh district of the Elisavetpol province—including the towns of Karavansaray and Dilijan.

The state affiliation of the territories disputed between Armenia and Azerbaijan—namely the so-called Karabakh, Zangezur, and Nakhichevan districts—shall, in the absence of a direct agreement, be determined by referendum.

[…]

The original was drawn up and signed in two copies in the city of Erivan on October 28, 1920.

NA RA, f. 200, op. 1, d. 628, pp. 3–7. Certified copy. Typescript. Copy certified by the Secretary of the RSFSR Plenipotentiary Representation in Armenia, L. Shiffers. Published in: The Republic of Armenia in 1918–1920 (Political History). Collection of Documents and Materials. Gitutyun Publishing House, Yerevan, 2000, pp. 316–320. (Emphasis added – Yu.B.) 554

Yuri Barsegov “Nagorno-Karabakh in International Law and Global Politics”

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Telegram from Member of the Caucasian Bureau of the Central Committee of the RCP(b)