A separate treaty signed on March 3, 1918, in Brest-Litovsk, between the Russian SFSR and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and Turkey). It provided the exit of the Russian SFSR from World War I. The conclusion of the Treaty was preceded by peace negotiations conducted in several stages from November 1917 to March 1918.

Under the Treaty, the Vistula governorates (Poland) and the Grand Duchy of Finland were torn away from Russia. Ukraine gained independence, Russia made peace with the Ukrainian People’s Republic. The territories of governorates with a predominantly Byelorussian population, Estland, Courland, and Livonia were included in Germany (or Germany established its protectorates there). In the Caucasus, Russia yielded the Kars and Batumi regions to Turkey. The Russian army and navy were demobilized. The Black Sea Fleet with all its infrastructure was transferred to the German block. Russia paid reparations in the amount of 6 billion marks (including 1.5 billion in gold) and compensated for Germany’s losses by another 500 million gold rubles. The Soviet government pledged to stop revolutionary propaganda in the Central Powers and their allied states, established on the territory of the former Russian Empire.

As a result of the agreement, Russia lost an area of 780 thousand square meters. km with a population of 56 million people (one-third of the population of the Russian Empire). 27% of cultivated land, 26% of railways, 33% of the textile industry were lost. Two echelons with 93.5 tons of gold were sent to Germany over 120 million gold rubles worth.

The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk gave an impetus to the Civil War in Russia. The Bolsheviks’ closest allies, the Left SRs, withdrew from the Council of People’s Commissars in protest. Vladimir Lenin barely managed to hold the Left Communists who made up the opposition within the Bolshevik Party who opposed the conclusion of peace. The terms of the treaty provoked protest and outrage on the part of all parties and movements in opposition to the Bolsheviks within the country and were strongly condemned by Russia’s former allies in the Entente. At the same time, due to the loss of industrial and grain-growing areas the economic situation in Soviet Russia exacerbated, which contributed to the introduction of an emergency food policy in May – June 1918.

After the defeat of Germany in World War I and the signing of the Compiègne Armistice (November 11, 1918) the treaty was canceled by the Russian SFSR.