With the First World War raging in Europe, the Central Power member nations of Germany and Austria Hungary sought to take advantage of the civil discord in the former Russian Empire by gaining control of the Ukrainian territory's reserves of wheat and vast tracks of arable farmland.

On 29 April 1918 a former General of the Imperial Russian Army, Pavlo Skoropadskyi, orchestrated a coup that succeeded in dissolving the Central Council of the republic and enthroning himself as the Hetman of the new Ukrainian State.

These factions gained momentum when the First World War came to an end on 11 November 1918, depriving the Ukrainian State of the majority of Germany's support.

On 13 November a number of rebel factions formed the Directorate of Ukraine (also referred to as the Ukrainian National Union) to oppose the weakened Skoropadskyi government.

These militias were supplemented by the Sich Riflemen, a unit of professional Ukrainian soldiers that had formerly been disarmed and disbanded by the Skoropadskyi regime.

The forces of the Ukrainian State were made up of former Russian troops, anti-Bolshevik militia, and a small contingent of German military advisors.

Intelligence of the Hetman deployment at Motovilivka made its way to forward elements of the Sich Riflemen under the command of Captain Fyodor Chernik.