In 1822, Emperor Alexander I issued a decree on the introduction of the "Charter on the Siberian Kirgiz" developed by M. M. Speransky, which eliminated the khan's power in the Kazakh zhuzes.

The political views of Kenesary were formed in the 1st quarter of the 19th century, when the Russian Empire more and more penetrated into the depths of the Kazakh Steppe.

His military detachments constantly underwent combat training; fugitive Russian and foreign gunsmiths were involved.

In 1837 the Kenesary detachment managed to successfully carry out an operation to capture a caravan moving from Petropavlovsk to Tashkent, accompanied by a convoy of 55 Cossacks led by cornet Alexei Rytov.

[9][failed verification] In 1839, an expedition was undertaken to the steppe with artillery, near Jeniz-Agach, the Kazakh rebels were defeated and the Russians occupied this point.

[10] Separate detachments of rebels attacked Russian trade caravans heading from the Siberian line, and from Troitsk to Tashkent.

Inspired by the victory, the main forces of Kenesary attacked the Catherine Fortress on August 14, 1844, burning the suburbs;[clarification needed] 40–100 people were taken prisoner.

[11][full citation needed][12] Lebedev's detachment managed to capture the nomad camps of the Kenesary auls for the winter and defeat them.

On the part of the Orenburg governorate, a detachment was formed from the Kazakhs loyal to the Russian government, on the part of the Siberian Governor General, two detachments were formed: one, under the command of Yesaul Lebedev, consisting of 250 people with two guns, and the other, under the command of the centurion Falileev, consisting of 150 Cossacks.

[14] Kenesary understood that he needed to temporarily enter the trust of Orenburg department [ru], and, if possible, avoid conflict with him.

Therefore, for some time he stopped hostilities on the Orenburg line, and moved the center of military clashes against the West Siberian General Government [ru].

Wandering in the space between the Syr Darya river and Lake Tely-Kul, Kenesary in 1842 made an armed attack on the territories subordinate to the West Siberian Governorate.