Battle of Trostianets

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Battle of Trostianets
Part of the northern Ukraine offensive and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

Destroyed Russian 2S19 Msta in the city center.
Date24 February – 26 March 2022
(1 month and 2 days)
Location
Result Ukrainian victory
Belligerents

 Russia

 Donetsk People's Republic[1]
 Ukraine
Units involved

 Russian Armed Forces

DPR Armed Forces[3]

 Ukrainian Armed Forces

Casualties and losses
3+ soldiers killed,[3] 10 soldiers captured[4] Unknown
57+ civilians killed[5][6]

The battle of Trostianets was a military engagement during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The city of Trostianets, in Sumy Oblast, was attacked by Russian forces of the 1st Guards Tank Army in late February as part of the northern Ukraine offensive. Occupied for just over a month, it was re-captured by Ukrainian forces in late March.

Battle[edit]

Russian offensive[edit]

Trostianets was attacked in the first hours of the invasion on 24 February.[7][3] Ukrainian territorial defense forces felled trees on the main routes into town, which slowed but did not halt the advance of Russian troops.[5] On February 25, Ukrainian troops blew up a bridge south of the city in the village of Klymentove, stopping the advance of Russian troops towards the city of Okhtyrka.[5] On 27 February, Ukrainian forces allegedly destroyed Russian tanks attempting to capture Trostianets.[8] The town's mayor, Yuriy Bova, hid in nearby villages, receiving some criticism for his decision not to stay in town, but continued to coordinate Ukrainian resistance, including shelling of Russian positions.[5]

Russian troops moved through Trostianets to Okhtyrka, Sumy, Lebedyn and Hadyach. The city was captured by Russian forces on 1 March 2022.[2][9][7] The Russian military headquarters was established at the town's main train station.[10][11] Reports of executions of civilians by Russian troops began in early March.[5] In mid-March, some Russian troops were replaced with Russian-supported separatist forces.[3]

Approximately 800 Russian troops occupied the city.[3] During the occupation, Ukrainian police officers remained in the city incognito, supporting both local civilians and partisan forces operating in the area.[3]

Ukrainian counter attack[edit]

A Ukrainian counter-offensive beginning on 23 March recaptured the city by 26 March.[12][3] After combat and shelling around the outskirts of the city, Russian troops largely withdrew overnight before the arrival of Ukrainian forces.[13] An AFP report recorded "a dozen" destroyed or damaged tanks and armored vehicles.[11] The New York Times reported that food had grown scarce by the time the city was recaptured by Ukraine.[3]

Aftermath[edit]

video icon Feb 24, 2022
video icon Mar 1, 2022
video icon March, 2022
video icon Mar 9, 2022
video icon Mar 11, 2022
video icon Mar 25, 2022 15:12 (UTC+2)
video icon Mar 26, 2022

After the fighting ceased, regional governor Dmytro Zhyvytskyi stated that some parts of the town remained mined, and that inflows of humanitarian aid were being arranged.[14][15] Mayor Bova stated that at least 50 civilians had been killed by Russian occupiers.[5]

After the occupation of the city, seven civilians were killed and at least two wounded due to traps laid by Russian soldiers across the town.[16]

During the fighting and shelling, the Krasnotrostyanets forest experimental station, located in the house of the manager of the estates of Leopold Koenig, was destroyed (an architectural monument of national importance). As a result of the fire, the chocolate factory "Ukraine" "Mondelēz International" (formerly "Kraft Foods") was partially destroyed. The estate of the Nadarzhinskys-Golitsyns, a monument in honor of the 183rd tank brigade, the Smorodino locomotive depot of 1877, and the shop of the merchant Fyodor Kurilo (1908, an architectural monument of local importance) were damaged.[17][18]

During the fighting, the town's hospital was shelled many times by Russian forces (at least twice from tanks).[19][3][18] One of these tanks was destroyed,[20] another one was kept in the yard by a local resident for more than a year after the battle. Then the tank was seized and handed over to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.[21][22]

Gallery[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Gibbons-Neff, Thomas; Yermak, Natalia; Hicks, Tyler (3 April 2022). "'This is True Barbarity': Life and Death Under Russian Occupation". The New York Times.
  2. ^ a b c Mendick, Robert; Freeman, Colin; Kilner, James (2022-03-27). "Legendary Stalingrad tank division destroyed as Ukraine reclaims key town". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 2022-03-29. Retrieved 2022-03-30.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Gibbons-Neff, Thomas; Yermak, Natalia; Hicks, Tyler (2022-04-03). "'This Is True Barbarity': Life and Death Under Russian Occupation". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2022-04-03. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  4. ^ "Mariupol on verge of catastrophe with 160,000 trapped". 27 March 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-03-28. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Walker, Shaun (5 April 2022). "'Barbarians': Russian troops leave grisly mark on town of Trostianets". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 5 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  6. ^ "Five children killed by Russian mines and tripwires in Trostianets". 17 April 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Trostyanets captured by aggressor – head of Regional Military Administration". Interfax-Ukraine. Archived from the original on 2022-03-08. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  8. ^ ""Ласкаво просимо в пекло": у Тростянці знищили російську військову техніку" ['Welcome to hell': Russian military equipment was captured from Trostianets]. Контракты.UA (in Russian). 27 February 2022. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  9. ^ Reuter, Christoph (2022-03-29). "(S+) Ukraine: Wie die Stadt Trostjanez nach vier Wochen von den Russen befreit wurde". Der Spiegel (in German). ISSN 2195-1349. Archived from the original on 2022-03-29. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  10. ^ "Ukraine says it retook captured town near Russian border". Times of Israel. 27 March 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-03-26. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  11. ^ a b "Russians leave behind wreckage, hunger in Ukraine town of Trostyanets". France 24. Agence France-Presse. 2022-03-30. Archived from the original on 2022-03-30. Retrieved 2022-03-30.
  12. ^ Pahulych, Roman (30 March 2022). "Ukrainian Forces Recapture Eastern Town Near Russian Border". Radio Free Europe. Archived from the original on 1 April 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  13. ^ Rosa, Andrea; Dana, Felipe (2022-03-29). "After Russian forces pull back, a shattered town breathes". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2022-03-29. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  14. ^ Chernova, Yuliya; Coles, Isabel; Colchester, Max (2022-03-27). "Ukraine Seeks to Exploit Shift in Russia's Military Strategy". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on 2022-03-28. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  15. ^ "Russians plant mines in hospital before retreating from Trostianets". Ukrinform. 2022-03-27. Archived from the original on 2022-03-27. Retrieved 2022-03-27.
  16. ^ "Five children killed by Russian mines and tripwires in Trostianets". www.ukrinform.net. 17 April 2022. Retrieved 2022-05-17.
  17. ^ "Damaged cultural sites in Ukraine verified by UNESCO". UNESCO.
  18. ^ a b ""Больница расстреляна из танков, минометов: видимо, это был самый военный объект". Как выглядит Тростянец после 30 дней оккупации Россией" (in Russian). Настоящее время. 2022-03-30. Archived from the original on 2023-12-09.
  19. ^ Destruction and Devastation. One Year of Russia’s Assault on Ukraine’s Health Care System. eyeWitness to Atrocities (eyeWitness), Insecurity Insight, the Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR), Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), and the Ukrainian Healthcare Center (UHC). 2023. pp. 33–35.
  20. ^ "Ukraine war: Medic's shock over Russian tank hospital hit". BBC. 2022-05-18. Archived from the original on 2023-12-17.
  21. ^ "На Сумщині українець понад рік зберігав на подвір'ї трофейний танк РФ (фото)" (in Ukrainian). УНІАН. 2023-07-30.
  22. ^ "Война. Пятьсот двадцать второй день. Онлайн «Медузы»". Meduza. 2023-07-30. Archived from the original on 2023-07-30.