Record of a Month's Events The Russo-German peace treaty, signed by the
Bolshevist plenipotentiaries on March 3, 1918, and ratified at a session
of the All-Russian Soviet Congress held in Moscow on March 14-16, was
approved, after a prolonged discussion, by the Main Committee of the
German Reichstag on March 22.
Discussing the situation created in Russia by the Brest-Litovsk pact, a
Petrograd daily remarks that, while the rest of the world has secret
diplomacy and open war, Russia has open diplomacy and secret war. In
fact, the final ratification of the "peace" instrument by both sides did
not put an end to the military operations of the Central Powers in
Russia. Nor did the Russians cease to make feeble and sporadic attempts
at resistance.
In the third week of March the fall of Petrograd seemed imminent, but
the transfer of the Government to Moscow and the partial evacuation of
the northern capital by the civil population apparently changed the
objective of the invading German troops to the ancient Russian
metropolis. They began to march on Moscow from northwest, west, and
southwest, but stopped within the distance of approximately 150 miles
from that city. For the last three weeks practically no fighting has
been going on in the north of Russia, except occasional guerrilla
skirmishes and punitive expeditions, conducted by the Germans and the
propertied classes. On the other hand, in the south the Austro-German
invaders have been vigorously pushing on, ostensibly under the pretext
of assisting the friendly Ukrainian nation in its struggle against the
Soviet power.
By March 20 the Teutons were in possession of the whole of Western
Ukraine west of the Dnieper. Among other cities they held Zhitomir,
Kiev, Nikolayev, and Odessa. The latter city, the most important
commercial seaport in Russia, was reported to have been occupied by
four Austro-German regiments without a shot. Kherson was taken March 21.
On March 27, the semi-official Russian news agency announced that the
Soviet and Ukrainian troops, assisted by naval forces, recaptured
Odessa. According to an earlier report, Kherson, Nikolayev, and Znamenka
were also recaptured by Red Guards and armed civilians. The retaking of
Odessa was officially denied by Vienna, and the city is apparently in
the hands of the Teutons at this writing (April 18). They are reported
to have seized large stores of war materials at Odessa, and 2,500 ships
at Nikolayev, which is a port on the Black Sea, with vast docks for
building warships. The Austro-Germans also took Poltava, situated midway
between the Dnieper and Donetz, and set it on fire. The capture of
Poltava was followed (April 8) by that of Yekaterinoslav and Kharkov,
the former seat of the Bolshevist Rada.
On April 11 the invaders occupied the small city of Lgov, 130 miles
northwest of Kharkov, and an ultimatum was sent to the City of Kursk,
demanding its surrender. Both towns are situated in the province of
Kursk, which lies beyond the Russo-Ukrainian border as defined by the
Central Powers.
The march of the Teutons, coupled with their requisitions of food
products, seemed to arouse a good deal of dissatisfaction among the
peasants and workmen in the Ukraine. It is reported that the Rada, which
had invited the Germans, requested them to stop the advance of their
troops, but their request was not heeded. The behavior of the Teutons in
Kiev led to a clash between the Ukrainian authorities and the German
commandant. The demand of the Austro-Germans that the Ukraine should
furnish them 85 per cent. of its grain and all its sugar except that
needed for local consumption was particularly resented. On April 7 the
Bolshevist Foreign Minister Chicherin signified to the German
Government his willingness to open peace negotiations with the Ukraine.
According to some advices the Rada wished to form a federated alliance
with the Russian Republic.