2/According to historical data, in January 1918, the Ukrainian People's Republic was in mortal danger: a Bolshevik uprising began in Kyiv, and the rebels were being helped by their "brothers," the Russian Red Army, from the north.

3/On January 29, they were already 130 km from Kyiv, near the Kruty railway station. The Ukrainian military command, which had expected the main Bolshevik offensive not from Bakhmach but from the Poltava direction and had sent the main forces there, was confused: