[May 16, 1918]

May 16, 1918
To the Chief of Naval Forces of the Black Sea Fleet, Sablin.
According to reports from Sukhum, troops of the Transcaucasian government, located twenty versts from Sukhum and supported by a flotilla of armed merchant ships, are moving on Sukhum, threatening the entire Black Sea coast. We order you to immediately arm a number of our merchant ships and, under the guise of protecting our merchant cargoes, move them south to defend Sukhum.
To Chicherin: In my opinion, the Treaty of Brest cannot forbid us to fight against rebel pirates (armed merchant ships), and we must find a way to offer armed resistance with our naval forces against the rebels.
Lenin