[1] Nykyfor Oleksandrovych Servetnyk was born in 1884 in the small village of Zastavlia [uk], in the Podolia Governorate of the Russian Empire.

During World War I, he was initially a praporshchik in the 56th Zhytomyr Infantry Regiment, eventually rising to the rank of staff captain and awarded the Order of St.

[3] At the end of 1917, he created a volunteer regiment of the Ukrainian People's Army, for which he received the rank of lieutenant colonel from Symon Petliura.

[7] Then, on 15 March, acting against the orders of the Ukrainian Front's commander Vladimir Antonov-Ovseyenko, he captured Mykolaiv, which was actually controlled by the local Bolsheviks.

[10] The successes achieved by Hryhoriv meant that, after the capture of Odesa, he was appointed commander of the newly established 6th Ukrainian Soviet Division [ru],[11] and he was proposed to be awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

[11] Vladimir Antonov-Ovseenko, fearing for both Hryhoriv's loyalty and that of Nestor Makhno's anarchists, decided to entrust him with the prestigious task of marching against Romanian forces in Bessarabia.

[14] During a meeting with Antonov-Ovseenko, Hryhoriv attacked the policy of the Bolshevik authorities in Ukraine, particularly food requisitions, but ultimately committed to leading his troops in towards Bessarabia.

[16] He gained some support from the peasants, who turned against the Bolsheviks, refusing to accept forced food requisitions and repressions by the Cheka.

[18] At the same time, Katerynoslav was handed over to the otaman by the Black Sea Regiment of sailor Orlov, until then fighting on the side of the Reds.

By the end of May 1919, Hryhoriv's rebellion was suppressed by the Red Army, the area he occupied was again under the control of the Bolsheviks, and the forces led by him shrunk to 3,000.

[21] Hryhoriv's supporters managed to hold on to Beryslav, Kakhovka and Nikopol for some time, attacking military transports going to Crimea and raiding towards Oleksandriia.