Russia regarded the
Caucasus Front as secondary to the
Eastern Front, which received the majority of Russian resources. Russia had captured the fortress of
Kars from the Ottoman Empire during the
Russo-Turkish War in 1877, subsequently incorporating it into the militarily administered
Kars Oblast. After the Ottoman Empire entered World War I in October 1914 on the side of the
Central Powers, Russia feared a
Caucasus campaign aimed at retaking Kars and the port of
Batum. From the perspective of the Central Powers, a campaign in the Caucasus would serve to divert Russian forces. The immediate strategic objective of the Ottoman Caucasus campaign was to recapture
Artvin,
Ardahan, Kars, and Batum.