Dudchany

Coordinates: 47°11′18.2″N 33°46′34″E / 47.188389°N 33.77611°E / 47.188389; 33.77611
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Dudchany
Дудчани
Monument to Soviet-era hero Minnigali Gubaidullin in Dudchany
Monument to Soviet-era hero Minnigali Gubaidullin in Dudchany
Coordinates: 47°11′18.2″N 33°46′34″E / 47.188389°N 33.77611°E / 47.188389; 33.77611
Country Ukraine
OblastKherson Oblast
RaionBeryslav Raion
HromadaMylove rural hromada
Founded1780[1]
Government
 • TypeDudchansky village council
Area
 • Total396.7 km2 (153.2 sq mi)
Elevation
74 m (243 ft)
Population
 (2001)
 • Total2,043
 • Density5.1/km2 (13/sq mi)
Area code5533
KOATUU code6524181501
Map

Dudchany (Ukrainian: Дудчани, Russian: Дудчаны) is a village located in Beryslav Raion, Kherson Oblast, Ukraine. It is located in the northwest of the oblast on the right bank of the Dnieper. The village had a pre-war population of 2,043 according to the 2001 Ukrainian Census, and was known for its watermelon growing.

During the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine, the village was occupied by Russian forces in their initial advance into the nation in March, where it became utilized as a base and ammunitions depot for the Russian military. During Ukraine's southern counteroffensive, the main northern half of the village was confirmed to be recaptured on 3 October. It would take another month for the southern half of the village to be retaken by Ukrainian forces on 9 November due to the Dudchany Reservoir inlet creating a geographical barrier preventing either side from advancing.

Geography[edit]

The village is located on a consistently flat landscape,[2] split partially in half by the Dudchany Reservoir which divides the village into a northern and southern half.[3][4] The eastern and southeastern part of the village entirely borders Kakhovka Reservoir, part of the Dnieper.[5] Pre-war, the village was primarily agriculture focused, with many long green fields on the outskirts of the village, known for watermelon growing.[2]

Administrative status[edit]

Until 18 July 2020, Dudchany belonged to Novovorontsovka Raion. The raion was abolished in July 2020 as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Kherson Oblast to five. The area of Novovorontsovka Raion was merged into Beryslav Raion.[6][7] The village also belongs to the Mylove rural hromada, one of the 49 hromadas of the oblast.[8]

2022 Russian Invasion[edit]

Russian control[edit]

At the beginning of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Dudchany was occupied by Russian troops in their initial advance into Ukraine in March.[9] Russian military bases were established in abandoned homes and municipal buildings[9] while other areas were used as ammunition depots.[10] The village became the command center for the 98th Guards Airborne Division during its occupation by Russian forces.[10]

With the announcement of a possible Ukrainian counteroffensive in the region during the summer, the 83rd Guards Air Assault Brigade was relocated to the village, and paratroopers from the 106th Guards Airborne Division were positioned in the nearby area.[11] On multiple occasions throughout the village's occupation, it was reported that Ukrainian forces targeted these Russian military installations and troop positions; specifically on 26 May,[12][13] 26 August,[10][14] 28 August,[15][16] 15 September,[17] and 21 September.[18]

Ukrainian recapture[edit]

A map showing Ukrainian troops advance into Dudchany in early October.

According to the Russian-installed head of the Kherson region Vladimir Saldo in an interview conducted on 3 October 2022 and published the following day, the Ukrainian armed forces reached the outskirts of Dudchany[19][20] in part of their southern counteroffensive in an approximately 30 km (20 miles) push from the previous front line.[21][22] Reports from some of Dudchany's residents though reported that the Russian retreat from the village began as early as 1 October.[23] Prominent Russian military blogger Rybar reported that Russian troops in Dudchany were "[under] the threat of the physical encirclement" when the "decision was made to withdraw the contingent of the Russian armed forces to a new line of defence".[24]

The following day on 4 October 2022, Saldo stated that the village had been taken by Ukrainian troops,[21][24] followed by an update by the Russian Defence Ministry to their maps to show that the Russian army was no longer in control of the village.[24][25] The Ukrainian soldiers entering the village were warmly welcomed by some of the village's residents[2][26] who baked goods for them[23] and shouted "Glory to Ukraine!", "Glory to the Heroes!", and "death to the Russians".[27] In the Russian retreat, Ukrainian forces also captured a Strela-10 anti-aircraft missile system in the area around the village.[28]

Southern Dudchany[edit]

The southern outskirts of the village remained disputed or fully Russian-occupied even after Ukraine's southern counteroffensive in early October.[3][29] This was in part because of the geography of the village, which has a small inlet separating southern Dudchany from the main northern half.[4][3] The situation remained like this until 9 November 2022, when several videos[30][31] and a statement from the leader of Dudchany Alla Torchanska[3] confirmed that southern Dudchany had been fully recaptured by Ukrainian forces as part of Russia's withdrawal from the west bank of the Dnieper river from 9 to 11 November.[32]

Post Ukrainian recapture[edit]

Shortly after the Ukrainian recapture on 3 October, Russian forces heavily shelled the village which shut off the electricity and hot water there, which combined prompted many of the remaining residents to leave.[2][23][33] Ukrainian forces have since used the village to launch attacks on the nearby Russian held positions.[34][35] In retaliation, a suicide drone attack was carried out on the village by Russian forces on 10 October,[36] in which no significant losses were reported.[37] It was further reported that Russian forces shelled Dudchany from the east bank of the Dnieper[38] on 23 November,[38] 27 November,[39] 3 December,[40] 6 December,[41][42] 11 December,[43] 1 January 2023,[44] 5 January,[45] 9 January,[46] 10 January,[47] and 11 January.[48]

Demographics[edit]

Population[edit]

Year Population
1989 2,222
2001 2,043

Gender[edit]

1989
Male 1,026
Female 1,196

Languages[edit]

2001
Ukrainian 95.91%
Russian 2.81%
Armenian 0.62%
Moldovan
(Romanian)
0.19%
Gagauz 0.10%
Belarusian 0.05%
Others 0.32%

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Материалы для оценки земель Херсонской губернии [Materials for the assessment of land in the Kherson province] (in Russian). Vol. 6. Kherson Oblast, Ukraine. 1890. pp. 148–149. Retrieved 23 October 2022.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ^ a b c d Skove, Sam. "Mad Dash to Flee Village Swarming With Putin's Drunken Troops". thedailybeast.com. The Daily Beast. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d Santora, Marc; Lukinova, Anna (9 November 2022). "'Such a blessing': A Kherson village celebrates the return of Ukrainian control". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 November 2022. Alla Torchanska, the leader of Dudchany, a village to the north of Kherson City, said on Wednesday that, after weeks of fighting all around her home, the Ukrainian military had finally succeeded. "For a month our village was divided by the frontline," she said, with Ukraine's forces on the northern side of an inlet and Russians on the southern side.
  4. ^ a b "Dudchany Reservoir". google.com. Google Maps. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  5. ^ "Kakhovka Reservoir". google.com. Google Maps. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  6. ^ "Про утворення та ліквідацію районів. Постанова Верховної Ради України № 807-ІХ" [Regarding the formation and liquidation of districts. Resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine No. 807-IX.]. Голос України (in Ukrainian). 18 July 2020. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  7. ^ "Нові райони: карти + склад" [New areas: maps + warehouse] (in Ukrainian). Міністерство розвитку громад та територій України.
  8. ^ "Милевская громада" [Milevskaya hromada] (in Russian). Портал об'єднаних громад України.
  9. ^ a b Sullivan, Helen (28 October 2022). "What happened in the Russia-Ukraine war this week? Catch up with the must-read news and analysis". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  10. ^ a b c "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 26". understandingwar.org. Institute for the Study of War. 26 August 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022. Nazarov also reported that Ukrainian forces targeted Russian force concentrations, ammunition depots, and equipment stores in Kherson Oblast, including command and control elements of the Russian 98th Airborne Division in Dudchany, Kherson Oblast.
  11. ^ "A river too far: Bridges in Kherson Oblast". wavellroom.com. 12 October 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  12. ^ "На Херсонщині військові РФ обстріляли села Нововоскресенське та Дудчани" [In the Kherson region, the Russian military shelled the villages of Novovoskresenske and Dudchany]. suspilne.media (in Ukrainian). Suspilne. 26 May 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  13. ^ Background Briefing: Landmine Use in Ukraine (PDF) (Report). Human Rights Watch. June 2022. p. 17. Retrieved 6 October 2022. A Ukrainian media outlet also covered this incident; "In the Kherson region, the Russian military shelled the villages of Novovoskresenske and Dudchany"... (accessed June 9, 2022).
  14. ^ "Ukraine Army destroys enemy's communications center in south". ukrinform.net. Ukrinform. 26 August 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  15. ^ "In Ukraine's South, defense forces attack two Russian strongholds, destroy two ammo depots". ukrinform.net. Ukrinform. 28 August 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  16. ^ Chudnovtsev, Sergey. "На південному напрямку ЗСУ знищили 35 окупантів та 11 одиниць техніки" [In the southern direction, the Armed Forces destroyed 35 occupiers and 11 pieces of equipment]. nv.ua (in Ukrainian). НВ [uk]. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  17. ^ Vanian, Roman (15 September 2022). "AFU destroy 1 enemy bomber and 33 invaders – South Operational Command". ukranews.com. Ukrainian News Agency. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  18. ^ "Ukrainian troops destroyed two Russian command posts, ammo depot in Kherson on Sep 21 – OpCommand South". euromaidanpress.com. Euromaidan Press. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  19. ^ "Ukraine War: As It's Happening". themoscowtimes.com. The Moscow Times. 4 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  20. ^ "Ukrainian Forces Advance In South, Repel Russian Attacks In Donbas". rferl.org. Radio Free Europe. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  21. ^ a b Peter, Laurence; Murphy, Matt (4 October 2022). "Ukraine makes breakthrough in south against Russia". bbc.com. BBC. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  22. ^ Landay, Jonathan; Balmforth, Tom (3 October 2022). "Ukraine forces advance on two fronts, cross Russian lines in the south". reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  23. ^ a b c Boffey, Daniel. "'My heart is bleeding': villagers flee as the battle for Kherson rages on". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  24. ^ a b c Koshiw, Isobel; Wintour, Patrick (4 October 2022). "Ukraine continues to liberate territory in east and south, says Zelenskiy". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  25. ^ "'Occupiers trying to escape': Russians under pressure in southern Ukraine". france24.com. France 24. 5 October 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2022. Yet on Tuesday, Moscow's defence ministry maps showed its forces were no longer in control of Dudchany.
  26. ^ Zelinsky, Misha (6 October 2022). "Hopes high in battle for Ukraine's jewel of the south". afr.com. Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 13 October 2022. In footage from the recently liberated Kherson village of Dudchany, an emotional local yells "our boys are coming!" Indeed they are.
  27. ^ "'Glory To Heroes': Residents Of Liberated Dudchany Welcome Armed Forces Of Ukraine". charter97.org. Charter 97. 4 October 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  28. ^ Malyasov, Dylan (9 October 2022). "Ukrainian Soldiers show off captured Russian anti-aircraft systems". defence-blog.com. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  29. ^ Hird, Karolina; Mappes, Grace; Williams, Madison; Klepanchuk, Yekaterina; Carl, Nicholas; Clark, Mason (8 November 2022). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, November 8". understandingwar.org. Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 9 November 2022. Geolocated footage posted on November 8 showed Russian forces operating south of Dudchany.
  30. ^ Zoria, Yuri (10 November 2022). "Ukraine liberates key settlement of Snihurivka, two other villages in Kherson direction – media". euromaidanpress.com. Euromaidan Press. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  31. ^ "Ukrainian Soldiers Find Abandoned Russian Camp in Kherson". heraldsun.com.au. Herald Sun. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  32. ^ "Snihurivka and Pravdyne are going to gray zone (confirmation). South area of Dudchany is under AFU control (confirmation)". deepstatemap.live. 9 November 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  33. ^ Palikot, Aleksander (5 November 2022). "'High Time To Get Out': Harrowing Escapes By Ukrainian Civilians From Russian Occupation In Kherson". rferl.org. Radio Free Europe. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  34. ^ Hird, Karolina; Stepanenko, Kateryna; Bailey, Riley; Kagan, Frederick W. (17 October 2022). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, October 17". understandingwar.org. Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 18 October 2022. Several Russian sources claimed that Ukrainian troops attempted to push south from the Nova Kamianka-Dudchany line towards Mylove and Piatykhatky.
  35. ^ "South: Armed Forces of Ukraine gain foothold in five liberated settlements in Kherson region". ukrinform.net. Ukrinform. 12 October 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  36. ^ Stepanenko, Kateryna; Barros, George; Bailey, Riley; Howard, Angela; Kagan, Frederick W. (10 October 2022). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, October 10". understandingwar.org. Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 13 October 2022. Ukrainian military officials noted that Russian forces focused most of their airstrikes on Davydiv Brid and struck Ukrainian positions with kamikaze drones in Dudchany (on the western bank of Dnipro River) and other liberated settlements.
  37. ^ "South: Invaders bringing reserves closer to advance of Ukrainian troops". ukrinform.net. Ukrinform. 10 October 2022. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  38. ^ a b "Russian recon unit exposed while trying to infiltrate Kharkiv region". ukrinform.net. Ukrinform. 23 November 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2022. the enemy is in positional defense, further fortifying positions and continuously shelling the positions of Ukrainian troops and a number of settlements on the right bank of the Dnipro River. Barrel and jet artillery was employed when Russians shelled… Dudchany,
  39. ^ Stewart, Daniel (27 November 2022). "Russia announces death of about 100 "foreign mercenaries" during attack in Donetsk". msn.com. MSN. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  40. ^ "Armed Forces of Ukraine repel enemy attacks near six settlements". ukrinform.net. Ukrinform. 3 December 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022. The positions of Ukrainian troops came under artillery fire in the areas of Dudchany, Tiahynka, Ivanivka and Dniprovske settlements in Kherson region.
  41. ^ Pike, John (6 December 2022). "Russo-Ukraine War - 06 December 2022 - Day 286". globalsecurity.org. GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 29 December 2022. Russia […] carried out artillery shelling of […] Dudchany
  42. ^ "Enemy units undergoing training in Belarus – General Staff". ukrinform.net. Ukrinform. 7 December 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2022. The invaders used artillery to shell […] Dudchany
  43. ^ "War update: Ukrainian air forces launch five strikes on enemy positions". ukrinform.net. Ukrinform. 11 December 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2022. Russian invaders shelled such settlements as […] Dudchany
  44. ^ "Russian forces regroup in Kherson Oblast, defend themselves on two fronts General Staff report". news.yahoo.com. Yahoo! News. 1 January 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2023. On the Kherson front, civilian infrastructure facilities in the settlement of […] Dudchany […] were damaged in attacks.
  45. ^ "Russians hit Kherson region more than 40 times in past day". ukrinform.net. Ukrinform. 5 January 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2023. Head of the Beryslav District Military Administration, posted on Telegram that […] Dudchany [was] hit.
  46. ^ "Russians hit Kherson region 77 times in past day, injuring three". ukrinform.net. Ukrinform. 9 January 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2023. territorial communities came under enemy fire. In particular […] Dudchany
  47. ^ Gerasimova, Tanya (10 January 2023). "Invaders Launched 2 Missile Strikes And Carried Out 7 MLRS Attacks During Day - General Staff". ukranews.com. Ukrainian News Agency. Retrieved 11 January 2023. the enemy does not stop shelling settlements along the right bank of the Dnieper River. The civilian infrastructure of 12 settlements suffered from artillery shelling, in particular: […] Dudchany
  48. ^ "Battle for Soledar ongoing, enemy suffers heavy losses". ukrinform.net. Ukrinform. 11 January 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2023. Dudchany […] came under MLRS and tube artillery fire.

External links[edit]