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Battle of Izium (2022)

The Battle of Izium was a battle between Russia and Ukraine. It was part of the Eastern Ukraine offensive of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The battle started in March 2022 for control of the town of Izium. The town is an important transportation center.[12] The Russian military wanted to take Izium so its soldiers in Kharkiv Oblast could connect to Russian soldiers in the Donbas region.[13]

Battle of Izium
Part of the Eastern Ukraine offensive of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.svg
Date3 March – 1 April 2022
(4 weeks and 1 day)
Location
Izium, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine
Result Russian victory[1][2][3]
Belligerents
 Russia  Ukraine
Commanders and leaders
Unknown
Units involved

 Russia Armed Forces

 Ukraine Armed Forces

Casualties and losses
19+ killed,[7]
46+ wounded[5]
1 captured
1 Su-35 lost[8]		 100+ soldiers and civilians killed[9]
50+ civilians killed[10][11]

On 10 September 2022, Ukrainian forces took back the town during the 2022 Ukrainian Kharkiv counteroffensive.[14] They found local mass graves with 440 bodies.[15] Izium's population went down to 10,000 because of the war.[16]

Battle

 
Street of Izium after shelling and bombardments, 6 March
 
City council after the battle
 
Remains of a residential building
 
Polovtsian stone sculptures of 9-13 centuries on Mount Kremenets in Izium after the battle. The statue in the right was completely destroyed; nearby monument to WWII heroes (in the background) is partially destroyed.

Russian attacks on Izium started on 28 February 2022. Rocket strikes by the Russian military started on 3 March. Eight civilians were killed on 3 March. The town's main hospital took a lot of damage.[17] The next day, Russian soldiers moved towards Izium and got its northern outskirts. By 6 March, the Russian military had taken two of Izium's neighborhoods and its railway station.[18]

On 7 March, Russians said that Izium had been taken by Russian forces. However, this was not officially confirmed.[12] The next day, fighting started between Russian and Ukrainian forces for control of the town.[19] Russian troops were forced to leave.[20] Between 9 and 10 March, 2,250 civilians were evacuated from Izium.[17] Russian forces continued to slowly move towards the town.[21]

On 12 March, Russian soldiers took the northern part of the town.[22] The next day, the Russian military moved forward more.[23] However, they were again forced to move back.[24]

Sometime between 15 and 16 March, Russian soldiers took the southern part of Izium. Ukrainian forces took it back soon after.[25] On 17 March, the US Department of Defense said that Izium was once again taken by Russian forces.[26] This was denied by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). The Russian military went over the river Donets near the Barvinkivsky Highway. They were stopped by Ukrainian forces[27] after being ambushed.[25] Fighting continued the next day.[27]

Between 19 and 20 March, the Russians tried to take the center of Izium was defeated.[28] During the fighting, Russian soldiers tried to make a pontoon bridge over the river Donets.[29][13] However, they were attacked. 19 Russian soldiers were killed and 46 wounded in this ambush. Among the dead was the commander of the engineering unit, Colonel Nikolay Ovcharenko.[5][7] Eventually, Russian forces made two pontoon bridges and Russian tanks went over the river to encircle the Ukrainian-controlled part of Izium.[13] On 22 March, Ukrainian forces tried to retake the town.[30]

On 24 March, the Russian military said that it had taken Izium.[31][32] Ukraine said that fighting was still going on.[33][34] According to a local official, Russian forces had the northern part of the town, while Ukrainian soldiers were in the south. He also said that Izium was blockaded and that the city had been "completely destroyed".[9]

By 27 March, the Russian military took the nearby village of Kamyanka and two other villages southwest and southeast of Izium. Ukrainian forces said that they quickly took back all three villages.[35] They also said they shot down a Russian Sukhoi Su-34 fighter aircraft near Izium.[36] Two days later, it was confirmed Kamyanka was under Russian control.[37]

On 1 April, the Ukrainian military confirmed Izium was under Russian control.[1][2][3] The following day, in an interview for Ukrinform, Izium's Deputy Mayor Volodymyr Matsokin said that 80% of the city's houses had been destroyed and that there was no power, heating, or water in the city.[18]

Civilian casualties

Main page: Izium mass graves

Mass graves with more than 440 bodies were found after the Russians were driven out of the town.[15]

Recording of phone call, that points to possible war crimes

In late November, a phone call from a Russian soldier in the 27th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade discussing killing of Izium's citizens during the September retreat was leaked. The soldier detailed a secondhand account of where his commanding officer Colonel Sergey Igorevich Safonov and another officer had stabbed an elderly Ukrainian woman and shot her husband respectively, killing both.[38][39]

Battle Of Izium (2022) Media

  • Izium after Russian occupation (2022-09-14) 01

  • Street of Izium after shelling and bombardments, 6 March

  • City council after the battle

  • Remains of a residential building where 54 people were killed by a Russian airstrike in March

  • Polovtsian stone sculptures of 9-13 centuries on Mount Kremenets in Izium after the battle. The statue in the right was completely destroyed; nearby monument to WWII heroes (in the background) is partially destroyed.

  • Exhumation of the bodies from the mass graves

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, APRIL 1". Institute for the Study of War.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "На Київщині ЗСУ звільнили 15 населених пунктів – зведення Генерального штабу". Радіо Свобода.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "The russians are controlling Izyum – General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces".
  4. ↑ "For the failure of the "special operation": Putin fired the general who commanded the 1st Tank Army". 26 March 2022.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 report, Ground (23 March 2022). "Who was Russian Colonel Nikolay Ovcharenko Killed in Ukraine?". Ground Report.
  6. ↑ "RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, MARCH 24". Institute for the Study of War.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Dresch, Matthew (23 March 2022). "Vladimir Putin loses 15th top commander in Ukraine near city besieged by Russia". mirror.
  8. ↑ "First Russian Su-35S Flanker-E Confirmed Destroyed in Ukraine". 3 April 2022.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Russia and Ukraine battle for control of eastern city already "completely destroyed" in fighting". CNN. 24 March 2022.
  10. ↑ "Ukraine war: Bodies of 44 civilians found as battle for Izyum rages". BBC News. 10 May 2022. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61396800. 
  11. ↑ "Ukrainian family killed in Russian attack, despite denials". Associated Press. 27 September 2022.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Изюм взят: что даёт России контроль над этим важным украинским городом" (in ru). topcor.ru. 7 March 2022. https://topcor.ru/24381-izjum-vzjat-chto-daet-rossii-kontrol-nad-jetim-vazhnym-ukrainskim-gorodom.html. Retrieved 7 March 2022. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 "FIRST ON CNN: Major infrastructure in central Izyum is destroyed, new satellite images show". CNN. 25 March 2022.
  14. ↑ Santora, Marc; Lukinova, Anna (10 September 2022). Ukrainian Forces Take Key City, Igniting New Phase in War. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/09/10/world/ukraine-russia-war. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Mass grave of more than 440 bodies found in Izium, Ukraine -police. Reuters. 15 September 2022. https://www.reuters.com/article/ukraine-crisis-zelenskiy-grave/ukraine-finds-a-mass-grave-in-recaptured-city-of-izium-zelenskiy-idUSKBN2QG248. 
  16. ↑ Orlova, Alisa (2022-09-13). "Over 1,000 Civilians Killed During Russian Occupation of Izyum - Kyiv Post - Ukraine's Global Voice". Kyiv Post. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Ukraine: Beleaguered town of Izium at breaking point after constant attack from Russian forces - new testimony". Amnesty International. 16 March 2022.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Izyum city government: Izyum 80% destroyed". Ukrayinska Pravda. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  19. ↑ desk, The Kyiv Independent news (8 March 2022). "Russian troops destroy central hospital in Izyum, Kharkiv Oblast".
  20. ↑ "Russia to open Ukraine 'humanitarian routes', but fears persist". Agence France-Presse. 8 March 2022. https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220308-russia-to-open-ukraine-humanitarian-routes-but-fears-persist. Retrieved 8 March 2022. 
  21. ↑ Marsi, David Child,Mersiha Gadzo,Jihan Abdalla,Federica. "Latest Ukraine updates: Strike hits Mariupol hospital complex". www.aljazeera.com.
  22. ↑ "RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, MARCH 12".
  23. ↑ "Reportedly footage of Russian troops in the city of Izyum, Kharkiv region Izium,Kharkiv Oblast - Ukraine Interactive map - Ukraine Latest news on live map - liveuamap.com". Ukraine Interactive map - Ukraine Latest news on live map - liveuamap.com.
  24. ↑ "RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, MARCH 13".
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 "Ukraine resists Russia's invasion. Day 23: Russian troops not able to advance, more terror against civilians, Russia to brandish nuclear weapons".
  26. ↑ BBC News (17 March 2022). "Pentagon says Russian advance is frozen". BBC News. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 "RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, MARCH 18". Institute for the Study of War. 18 March 2022. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  28. ↑ "RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, MARCH 20".
  29. ↑ "На Харьковщине российский полковник погиб при переправе через Северский Донец — ОстроВ". www.ostro.org.
  30. ↑ "Signs of Ukrainian forces 'going after' Russians: Pentagon". Al Arabiya English. 22 March 2022.
  31. ↑ "Russian troops taken full control of Ukrainian city of Izyum". Apa.az.
  32. ↑ Ukraine war news from March 24: Biden warns on chemical weapons, G7 cracks down on Russia's ability to sell gold. 23 March 2022. https://www.ft.com/content/9a3bdc8c-0bfe-494d-a6c3-71fa5a4250d6. 
  33. ↑ "Russia claims control of Ukrainian city, state media reports". CNN. 24 March 2022.
  34. ↑ Breslin, Maureen (25 March 2022). "Russia says it has gained control of Ukrainian city Izyum".
  35. ↑ "Sources: Most intense combat in Ukraine war shifting east". KyivPost. 28 March 2022.
  36. ↑ "Ukrainian troops shoot down Russian Su-34 aircraft near Izium". www.ukrinform.net.
  37. ↑ "RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, MARCH 29".
  38. ↑ Trad, Ruslan (December 2, 2022). "New reports of Russian forces killing Ukrainian civilians". Atlantic Council. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  39. ↑ Krutov, Mark; Dobrynin, Sergei; Egoshina, Valeria (November 30, 2022). "Нехороший человек". Российский полковник и убийство мирных жителей ["Bad person". Russian colonel and the killing of civilians] (in Ukrainian). Svoboda. Retrieved December 8, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)

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