Petliura’s delegation in White Crimea (August–September 1920)

This article examines the visit of a military delegation from the Ukrainian People's Republic to Wrangel's Crimea in August-September 1920. It draws upon materials from three Russian, two Ukrainian, and two American archives, alongside memoirs of participants and contemporary Crimean press reports. The delegation, composed of five members: Colonels I.D. Litvinenko and M.N. Krat, L.E. Chikalenko, Sotnik I.K. Bludymko, and Cornet K. Romensky, lacked the authority to conclude a formal alliance. Its principal aim was to assess the stability of the Russian Army's position. Traveling from Galicia via Romania, the delegation first arrived in Yalta before proceeding to Sevastopol. The arrival of the Petliurites caught Wrangel's administration by surprise, leaving officials uncertain how to respond. The choice of delegation head also proved somewhat problematic, as Litvinenko had a limited command of literary Russian and struggled to articulate his points clearly. This resulted in several misunderstandings. Wrangel's chief adviser on Ukrainian affairs, Major General Vasily F. Kirey, regarded the Petliurites' demands as excessive and initially declined to forward them to the commander-inchief. Despite these difficulties, the delegation eventually met with Wrangel as well as key members of his circle-Aleksandr V. Krivoshein, Pavel N. Shatilov, and Pyotr B. Struve. While these discussions were conducted in a constructive manner, they produced no concrete agreements. Both sides acknowledged the need for a military accord, yet the profound political differences between South Russia and the Ukrainian People's Republic remained unresolved. Nevertheless, the Ukrainian mission achieved its core objective: it ascertained that Wrangel's position was less secure than foreign press accounts suggested and that his amphibious operations in the Kuban and Don regions had ended in failure.

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