It took part in World War I, commanded by Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia, younger brother of Emperor Nicholas II.

[5] On 23 August, Emperor Nicholas II ordered the formation of the Caucasian Native Cavalry Division, simultaneously appointing his younger brother Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia as its commander.

Although Russian Muslims were exempted from conscription, many Caucasian ethnicities had a long martial tradition, pursuing a military career or volunteering for service during wartime.

Privates (riders) were allowed to address officers using the familiar version of the Russian word you (ты) as most languages in the Caucasus lacked a T–V distinction.

[18] On the night of 30/31 December, three dismounted sotnias of the Kabardin Regiment attacked a battalion of Tyrolean riflemen supported by four machine-guns in the village of Vetlino.

[20][12] Shortly afterwards, the Austro-Hungarian forces initiated an offensive in the sector of the front held by the division, which prompted Michael Alexandrovich to return to Lviv on 14 January.

[12] Between 26 and 27 February, the Kabardin Regiment defended the Lomnica river crossing at Podgorka against several Austrian attacks, while being targeted by heavy shelling.

They then attacked the Tsu Babina village, which was held by an Austrian infantry battalion supported by six machine-guns, and dislodged the defenders.

[22] On 6 March, Michael Alexandrovich personally led the division in an offensive on Tlumach, defeating two Austrian battalions and seizing the town.

[23] On 15 March, the division was assigned to the left bank of the Dniester, holding the section of the front between Nizhniy and Zalishchyky.

On 30 March, the division’s positions at Zhezhava became the target of heavy shelling; an Austrian landing party that attempted to cross the river was repulsed.

[25] A large-scale Austrian offensive forced the division to withdraw to the right bank of the Prut, and by the middle of May it had returned to its initial positions on the Dniester.

[26] In October 1915, the Russian High Command began forming reserve sotnias for each of the Savage Division's regiments, due to heavy casualties among its ranks.

[8] On 27 July 1916, the Russian Zaamur Infantry Division launched two unsuccessful frontal attacks on Ezerzhany, suffering casualties and being forced to withdraw.

[26] In August 1917, the division was dispatched to Novosokolniki, Pskov Governorate, where it became part of Aleksandr Krymov’s Separate Petrograd Army.

[31] The corps was persuaded not to fight by members of the Central Committee of the Union of North Caucasian Peoples,[30] who were participating in a Soviet Congress in Petrograd at the time.

They hoisted a red flag carrying the inscription 'Land and Freedom', arresting their commanders and sending a delegation to Petrograd to plead allegiance to the government.

[31] During the course of the war, approximately 7,000 people served in the ranks of the division,[8] 3,500 of whom received varying degrees of the Order of St. George and the Medal of St.

[8] During the period of its operation the unit did not record a single incident of desertion,[33] while capturing a number of prisoners four times its own size.

[34] During the course of the Russian Civil War, many veterans of the Kabardin Regiment joined the ranks of the White Movement's Volunteer Army.

[35] In contrast, veterans of the Ingush Regiment enlisted into the army of the Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus en masse.