After the decision to exterminate the Armenians was taken by the Ottoman Ministry of Interior and first implemented with the Directive 8682 on February 25, 1915, tens of thousands of Russian Armenians joined the Russian army as Armenian volunteer units with a Russian promise for autonomy.
Nakon što je odluku o istrebljivanju Armenaca preuzelo tursko Ministarstvo unutarnjih poslova i provodilo s Direktivom 8682 od 25. veljače 1915. godine, desetine tisuća ruskih Armenaca pridružilo se ruskoj vojsci u sklopu armenskih volonterskih jedinicas ruskim obećanjem za dobivanje autonomije.