A treaty between Ukraine and the Republic of the North Caucasus, in the Summer of 1919

Türkçe Tercüme

I came across this document while I was revising my inventory during my monographic work on the history of the North Caucasus in the period of the Revolutions and World Wars, combining unpublished documents from the Bammat Archive and the Federal German Archives with documents I had previously compiled from other archives. 

While analyzing this document, I recalled an event held in Kyiv in June 2023.  Some of our compatriots representing the so-called “United Council of Circassia” made some statements such as forming a Circassian Detachment to support Ukraine in the Russian-Ukrainian War.  Besides the question of how much the Ukrainians needed a Circassian help is a matter of debate while Ukraine in its struggle to protect its sovereignty against Russia is receiving limitless manpower, financial, and material support from many countries, especially the EU and the USA, I was worried about the retaliatory activities that the Moscow government might undertake against the peoples of the North Caucasus as a result of such initiative of these people. For this reason, some of the members of the “Council” in question attacked me on social media using insulting expressions due to my criticism of the issue.  Indeed, it soon became clear that my fears were not unfounded.  During the Ukrainian mobilization, Moscow stepped up recruitment from the Caucasus, and many innocent young men were sent to the front with inappropriate uniforms and broken weapons.  In other words, the initiative did not benefit either Ukraine or the North Caucasus, on the contrary, many innocent North Caucasian youth were deliberately sent to their deaths.
When I read this historical document, a Shakespearean smile of sympathy appeared on my face. In the summer of 1919, this treaty was concluded between Ukraine and the Union Assembly of the Union Republic of the North Caucasus represented by Vassan Girey Dzbaghi, whose government had been overthrown by General Denikin, and which continued its activities in Tbilisi.  We have no evidence that this treaty had ever been implemented.  On the contrary, despite this agreement, the map showing the sovereign territory of the Ukrainian People's Republic submitted to the Paris Peace Conference, the Kuban region was shown entirely within the borders of Ukraine. Just as many Ukrainian politicians claim today.  History is a mirror of the present and the future. 
I wanted to share the document with the hope that some people will get their share out of it…

Cem Kumuk
Istanbul, 21 August 2024 

Additional Treaty between the Directorate of the Ukrainian People's Republic and the Union Majlis of the Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus.

Taking into account that the so-called Volunteer Army, striving for the restoration of the pre-revolutionary Russian state system and suppressing national freedom, is thereby equally hostile to both the Ukrainian and Mountain Peoples, the Directorate of the Ukrainian People's Republic and the Union Majlis of the Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus have decided to conclude a temporary additional agreement on the following grounds:

1/ The contracting parties undertake to mutually assist each other in the armed struggle against the Volunteer Army.
2/ The Ukrainian People's Republic provides the Mountain Peoples with financial assistance for the organization of troops in the amount of no less than 15,000 fighters to fight for the independence of the Republic of Mountain Peoples, at an approximate estimate of one and a half million rubles for each military unit with a force of 3,000 people per month, and a total of 45,000,000 rubles for six months. which sum is given by the Government of Ukraine to the Union Majlis of the Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus, or the Government if such is organized by that time, through the Government of the Republic of Georgia or through a special Ukrainian Military Mission, the selection of persons for which will be made by joint agreement of the Mountain Representatives and the Government of the Ukrainian Republic, as the mountain military units are actually formed. In addition, Ukrainian instructors are also sent to help organize the mountain armies.
3/ The Union Majlis of the Urban Peoples of the Caucasus grants the Directorate of the Ukrainian People's Republic the right to recruit volunteer horsemen within the Mountain Republic up to 5,000 people at once or partially, as soon as the Directorate wishes after the political position of the Mountain Republic has been strengthened.
The Directorate of the Ukrainian People's Republic and the Union Majlis of the Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus, bound by common political and economic objectives, conclude this agreement based on permanent peace and sincere friendship.

1. Based on the recognition of the state independence of the Ukrainian Republic and the Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus, the contracting parties undertake to provide each other with worldwide support of a political and military nature, both in current conditions and in their changing, until both peoples achieve their political goals in the constant aspiration of both peoples for the closest possible state rapprochement.
2. In the event of organizing a broader political and economic Ukrainian-Caucasian agreement, the Union Majlis will facilitate this in every possible way.
3. The Directorate of the Ukrainian People's Republic is ready to provide its friendly assistance in regulating the relations between the Mountain Republic and Kuban.
4. The economic relations between the Ukrainian and Mountain Republics shall be the subject of a special agreement.

The agreement was concluded and developed by Vassan Girey Dzhabagiev without the consent of the Union Majlis on his own responsibility.