On April 8, 1915 Turkey announced a policy of deportation of hundreds of thousands of Armenian and Assyro-Chaldean populations from border regions in Anatolia.  Often escorted by Kurdish or police units, the Armenians were systematically starved and murdered.  April 24, 1915 witnessed the rejection of an appeal for help by the head of the Armenian Church to the American President Wilson.  The genocide against Armenians continued until 1917 and claimed over 1,000,000 lives.

The Van uprising, which began on April 14, 1915, was violently put down by the Turkish army.  80,000 Armenians were murdered by Turkish authorities in the Van region.

The Russian Army captured Van too late.  Deploying General Sharpantier's cavalry forces, the IV Kavkaz Corps advanced its line rapidly between the lakes Van and Urmia against weakening Turkish second-line and Kurd resistance.
