Steppe March

The Steppe March (Russian: Степной поход) was a successful military withdrawal by the Don Cossacks in Spring 1918, towards the steppe around the Sal River, to ensure their survival under attack from the Red Army.

The Don Cossack Ataman Alexei Kaledin committed suicide on 11 February 1918.

On 23 April, Popov's force, now diminished to 1000, linked up with K. S. Poliakov's Zaplavskaia army at Konstantinovskaia.

From the combined force, Popov organized Southern, Northern and Trans-Don army groups, under S. V. Denisov, Semiletov, and Semenov respectively.

On 6 May, the Southern group helped capture Novocherkassk, which coincided with the German advance, and the arrival of Mikhail Drozdovsky's men from Romania.