Lieutenant general of the Ukrainian People's Army Pavlo Skoropadskyi launched a coup d'état on 29 April 1918, with the support of the country's landowners and farmers, as well as the German Empire.

[2] The Central Rada that preceded Skoropadskyi's government was regarded in German and conservative circles as ineffective and dysfunctional, owing to its small security forces, insistence on radical land reforms, and poor economic conditions.

[5] Additionally, German and Austro-Hungarian forces occupying Ukraine had lost much of the popularity they had in 1918, a result of frequent violent acts committed by occupational troops.

In an effort to appease the Allies and open the door for further support, Skoropadskyi signed the Federal Charter, which stipulated that Ukraine would be part of Russia as an autonomous unit.

[4] As a result of the Federal Charter's signing, the Directorate of Ukraine, an underground group led by former Prime Minister Volodymyr Vynnychenko, launched an uprising with the intent of restoring the Ukrainian People's Republic.

The Siege Corps of the Sich Riflemen [uk], under the command of Yevhen Konovalets, eventually took the city after two weeks and an uprising by Directorate forces.

However, rather than restoring the Central Rada, the Directorate instead established the Labour Congress of Ukraine [uk], a body consisting of members appointed by the Ukrainian government from various occupations.

"[8] The Ukrainian populace reacted with ambivalence, by this point exhausted after a year of political turmoil, though Petliura faced criticism in non-partisan press organs.

These agreements were a tactical move by the Bolsheviks, as part of a broader campaign to weaken Ukrainian nationalists and strengthen the position of communist insurgent groups.