In March 1918, the Greeks living in Eastern Pontus and Transcaucasia, particularly in the regions of Kars and Ardahan, faced a daunting reality as the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk led to the surrender of their lands back to the Turks by Bolshevik Russia. This event, negotiated in the city of Brest in Belarus, was not merely a diplomatic occurrence but marked the obliteration of a historical and cultural presence of the Greek communities in these areas. For the Greeks, this marked the end of a world where they had established their roots for centuries, leading to a profound sense of loss and uncertainty as they became vulnerable to persecution.

The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, signed between Soviet Russia and the Central Powers, facilitated significant territorial changes in favor of the Ottoman Empire, exacerbating the already precarious situation for the Greeks in Eastern Anatolia. This shift highlighted the fragility of the Greek population within the declining Ottoman Empire and the dire consequences of geopolitical alignments resulting from World War I. The surrender of territories that had been their ancestral home placed many Greek communities in jeopardy, as nationalistic policies surged within the Ottoman regime.

As the ramifications of the treaty unfolded, the Greek communities of Eastern Pontus were left grappling with their newfound reality under Turkish oversight. The historical narrative constructed around the day of March 3, 1918, serves as a reminder of the vulnerability of minority populations in times of great political upheaval and the long-lasting consequences of historical treaties on cultural identities and communal heritage.