After the October Revolution of 1917, headquarters of the Polish I Corps in Russia decided to operate in Belarus, in the area marked by the towns of Rahachow – Zlobin – Babruysk.

In January 1918, the First Polish Corps, with its 30 000 soldiers, clashed for the first time with the Red Army, which pushed westwards.

Polish troops captured Rahachow, but General Musnicki's target was the Babruysk with its fortress.

As Musnicki stated, its capture would enable his soldiers to regroup and organize an effective defence.

After the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, Soviet Russia handed Babruysk over to the Imperial German Army.