The bolsheviks in Moscow saw the danger which threatened them from Ukraine. It was clear that the counter-revolution which raised its head in such manifold shapes, would not content itself with Ukraine but would extend further into Central Russia. In fact, Denekin later came far outside of Ukraine. He occupied Orel and stood before Tula, the last strategically important point before Moscow. But now the aim of the Soviet government was to overthrow all other powers in Central Russia and establish one single soviet power of the Communist Party. The peasant movement under Machno stood in the road of this policy. Economically they were dependent upon Ukraine. Central and North Russia needed Ukraine's grain and sugar. Central and North Russia is higher developed industrially than Ukraine, but through the war and the revolution it was so impoverished that they were not capable of entering into purely economic exchange with an independent Ukraine but had to amalgamate politically with that country. Besides, it would not do to allow Machno to become too strong, for just as well as Denekin the Machno movement could crowd over into Central Russia, and that had to be prevented. The position of the bolsheviks regarding the situation in the Ukraine was also very vacillating. The reaction had to be beaten down. This could not be done without the Ukrainian peasants and workers. But these stood suspicious towards the bolsheviks, although they went together with them in breaking down reaction. The bolsheviks needed the peasants but sought to become masters of their separatist libertarian movement. Denekin they could openly combat with the Red Army. He was a reactionary and the peasants and the workers were also against him. But the Red Army was not strong enough to quash Denekin. For that purpose they needed the peasants and Machno. At the outset, about the end of 1918 and the early part of 1919, the reactionary wave of the czarist generals was not yet so dangerous and not so powerful. The power of the peasants was stronger. But it was not possible to fight them openly without coming to a complete rupture with them, for they needed the peasants badly, in the first place for providing food stuffs, and in the second place to help the Red Army against the counter-revolution.
The bolshevik plans were that the peasant army of 50,000 to 70,000 men should be kept in Ukraine and, as far as possible,
held in inactivity. This could be accomplished quite painlessly. The lack of arms and ammunition, which already in the beginning of the risings developed such tragic effects, made itself again noticeable. That was one of the weakest points of the peasant army. This the bolsheviks knew. Machno asked the Soviet government for arms and ammunition. He turned to Debenko, the highest commander of the Red Army of Crimea. Debenko delayed the munitions shipment and gave him first in February, 1919, a single wagon load of cartridges.
In order to discuss the situation Machno called a conference of the peasants, which took place in Machno's birthplace, Gulai- Pole. This was a conference of revolting peasants. They are in Ukraine called "Povstanzi." These povstanzi are guerilla soldiers, rebellious peasants who fight in armed groups. The anarchists, left social-revolutionaries and maximalists, in a resolution condemned the conduct of the bolsheviks. But the peasants still had confidence in the bolsheviks and demanded the striking out of those paragraphs of the resolution which were directed against them. Still, the situation did not improve. The munition shipments became smaller and smaller. The leaders of the Machno army called a second conference in Gulai-Pole about the end of March. This conference was dissolved by the bolsheviks.