North Caucasus Operation (1920)

North Caucasus Operation
Part of Southern Front of the Russian Civil War
Date 17 January–7 April 1920 Location North Caucasus Result Red victory
Belligerents
Russian SFSR	Russian State Mountain Republic
Commanders and leaders
Vasily Shorin (to 24 January) Fyodor Afanasyev (acting from 24 January to 3 February) Mikhail Tukhachevsky (from 4 February)	Anton Denikin
Units involved
Caucasus Front	Armed Forces of South Russia
Strength
48,000 infantry 23,000 cavalry 500 guns 2,700 machine guns[1]	60,000 infantry 32,000 cavalry 450 guns 1,200 machine guns[1]

The North Caucasus Operation was a strategic offensive conducted by the Caucasian Front of the Red Army against the White Armed Forces of South Russia in the North Caucasus region between 17 January and 7 April 1920. It took place on the Southern Front of the Russian Civil War and was a Soviet attempt to destroy White resistance.

The operation ended with the defeat of the White forces in the North Caucasus and the evacuation of the remnants of the Volunteer Army, reduced to a corps, to Crimea. The Red Army advanced to the borders of Georgia and Azerbaijan by the end of the operation, which was followed by an invasion of Azerbaijan.