He was then assigned command of the 8th Army on the Southwest Front, participated in the Brusilov offensive,[1][2] and won the Battle of Lutsk.

Following the Kornilov affair, Kaledin retreated back to Novocherkassk, and protection of the voisko, to avoid arrest by the Provisional Government.

On 5 December, Kaledin declared martial law when news came of a Red Guard detachment had been sent by the Soviet regime.

Between 9 and 15 December, with the aid of the Alekseev Organization, Kaledin was able to suppress Bolshevik resistance in Rostov-on-Don, and then open the third session of the krug.

[1]: 57–65, 74–75 The ensuing loss of Rostov-on-the-Don and the Volunteer Army's retreat during their Ice March led Kaledin to believe that the whole situation had become hopeless.