Genghis Khan had directed his Mongol forces as far west as the Persian Gulf in 1222 before turning them north toward Tabriz, entering the Russian steppes north of the Caucasus region.

After making it through the Caucasus, the Mongols are met by an alliance consisting of the Lezgians, the Alans and the Cherkesses, tribes who are living north of the Caucasus who have mustered an army of around fifty thousand men.

They are joined by the Cumans, a Turkish people who own an expansive khanate stretching from Lake Balkhash to the Black Sea.

The Cumans have also convinced the Volga Bulgars to join.

The Cuman Khan, Koten, places his army under the command of his brother, Yuri, and his son, Daniel.

The first battle between the league and the Mongols is indecisive, but the Mongols manage to persuade the Cuman to abandon the alliance by reminding them of the Turkish-Mongol friendship and promising them a share of the booty gained from the Caucasian tribes.

With this arrangement settled, the Mongols attack the alliance's army and rout it.

The Mongols then proceed to attack the Cumans, who had split into two separate groups as they were returning home, destroying both armies and executing all the prisoners before sacking Astrakhan.

The Mongols begin pursuing the Cumans as they flee in a northwesterly direction.

The Venetians send a delegation to the Mongols, and they conclude an alliance in which it is agreed that the Mongols will destroy any other European trading post they came across.

As the Mongols pursue the Cumans, Jebe sends a detachment to Crimea, where the Republic of Genoa has trading stations.