Initially, Kukunian had the backing of the leading Armenian nationalist party in Russia, the Dashnaks, but they soon tried to dissuade him from embarking on such an unrealistic scheme.
With financial support from wealthy Armenians living in Tbilisi and Baku, Kukunian was able to buy weapons and raise a volunteer force of 125 men.
They crossed the border but ran low on food supplies and after a clash with Turkish and Kurdish troops, they retreated to Russia.
The Russian authorities treated any Armenian nationalist activity within their empire with deep suspicion and the arrested members were put on trial.
The prosecutor at the trial, which took place in Kars in 1892, alleged that the letters meant "United Armenia", another possible – and more subversive – interpretation.