Battle of Horlivka

Last updated

Battle of Horlivka
Part of the war in Donbas
Damaged apartment building in Gorlivka, Donbass, August 7, 2014.jpg
Damaged building in Horlivka
Date21 July – 6 September 2014
(1 month, 2 weeks and 2 days)
Location
Horlivka, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine
48°18′N38°3′E / 48.300°N 38.050°E / 48.300; 38.050
Result DPR victory
  • Ukrainian forces remain in outskirts of Horlivka
Belligerents
Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine

Flag of Russia.svg  Russia

Flag of Donetsk People's Republic.svg  Donetsk People's Republic
Commanders and leaders
Flag of Ukraine.svg Roman Zasukha

Flag of Russia.svg Sergei Surovikin

Flag of the Donetsk People's Republic.svg Igor Bezler
Flag of the Donetsk People's Republic.svg "Botsman" [1]
Units involved

Ensign of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.svg Armed Forces of Ukraine:

Banner of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (obverse).svg Russian Armed Forces

Flag of Donbass People's Militia.svg Donbas People's Militia:

Strength
≈2,500 ≈3,000
Casualties and losses
Unknown

Ukrainian Reports: 7 Confirmed Dead

DPR Reports: 5 Confirmed Dead
36+ civilians killed [2]

The Battle of Horlivka began when the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) attempted to recapture the city of Horlivka, in Donetsk Oblast, from separatist insurgents affiliated with the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) on 21 July 2014.

Contents

Background

Horlivka is a large city in Donetsk Oblast, north of Donetsk city. Amidst rising unrest across eastern and southern Ukraine, armed men stormed and took control of a police station in Horlivka on 14 April. Soon after this, the men stormed the city administration, and gained effective control over the city for the breakaway Donetsk People's Republic. After DPR forces withdrew from Sloviansk in northern Donetsk Oblast on 5 July, many travelled to Horlivka, which remained under DPR control. [3]

On April 12 at 20:00, the protesters attempted to seize the city's Department of Internal Affairs, they demanded the issue of weapons, but this attempt was stopped by police officers led by the head of the Horlivka police department, Andrei Krishchenko. On April 14, the protesters occupied the city council and raised the flags of Russia and the Donetsk People's Republic, in addition, the activists managed to take control of the Department of Internal Affairs in Horlivka. Part of the Horlivka police force went over to the side of the DPR. On April 30, the city came under the control of the DPR.

After the withdrawal of the DPR forces from Sloviansk in the north of the Donetsk region on July 5, many activists headed for Horlivka, which remained under the control of the DPR.

On June 14, a Su-24 attack aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force launched an airstrike on the city's ATC, which housed the headquarters of the supporters of the DPR, after which the plane was shot down.

Events

Starting on 21 July, Ukrainian forces made repeated attempts to enter Mayorsk, a suburb of Horlivka. [4] Light skirmishes were reported across the city. [5] A fighter jet from the Air Force of Ukraine was shot down over Horlivka on 23 July, after it attacked DPR positions in the city. [6]

After a lull, fighting resumed in Horlivka on 27 July. [7] Government forces launched an offensive to recapture the city, and said that they had encircled it. They also said that they had destroyed checkpoints manned by DPR insurgents on the outskirts of the city. DPR leaders said that they maintained control over some positions on the city outskirts. Ukrainian government said the fighting killed at least thirteen people, including two children. [8] 27 July has proven to be one of the most tragic in terms of civilian casualties as result of a "Grad" salvo fired at the centre of the town with both sides blaming each other. A spokesman for the government military operation in the Donbas said that DPR forces had fired Grad rockets on civilian areas in an attempt to discredit government forces. [9] DPR commanders in Horlivka said that if government forces did not withdraw from the city, they would kill hostages they had been holding, and also blow-up the city's chemical plants. [10] During the fighting, government forces said they killed at least twenty insurgents, and destroyed eight military vehicles on the outskirts of the city. [11]

On the following day, it was reported that seventeen civilians had been killed during the fighting in Horlivka, and that forty-three had been wounded. [12] DPR commander in Horlivka Igor Bezler, nom de guerre "Demon", left the city amidst the near-constant fighting. [13] Government forces tried to encircle the city again on 31 July. [14] Clashes continued over the following days. At least one civilian died on 3 August, whilst 16 were wounded. [15] By 6 August, at least 250 houses in the city had been left without gas service, and many more houses were simply destroyed. [16] On the following day, an artillery shell struck a bus stop, killing five civilians, and wounding ten more. A power station was also destroyed, leaving much of the city without electricity. [17]

DPR forces blew up a bridge that connected the city centre to northern districts on 6 August. [18] This was an attempt to stop Ukrainian forces from advancing on their positions. Heavy fighting continued into 14 August. [19] Chechen fighters that had been manning posts in the city abandoned them on 16 August. [20] Ukrainian forces said that they had once again encircled Horlivka on 18 August. [21] Despite this, fighting continued. A broad counter-offensive by Russian and DPR forces across the Donbas pushed Ukrainian forces back in many areas over the course of late August. During fighting in Horlivka and nearby Ilovaisk on 27 August, Ukrainian forces said that they killed 200 insurgents. [22]

Despite a ceasefire signed on 5 September, DPR forces said that Ukrainian forces were shelling their positions in Horlivka on 6 September. [23] The ceasefire held, nonetheless.

In 2017, the town established a memorial to victims of the conflict. According to the monument erected, over three days the fighting took the lives of 235 civilians, including 22 children. One of the victims, Kristina Zhuk, who was killed with an infant, was widely described in Russian media as "The Madonna of Gorlovka". According to Ukraine, "the shelling was carried out by pro-Russian militants, led by field commander Igor Bezler (Bes), to discredit the Ukrainian Armed Forces." The deaths were then used by Russian propaganda to claim Ukraine's guilt. [24]

Continued hostilities

On 19 February 2021, fierce battles broke out again near Horlivka. According to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the pro-Russian separatist forces violated the ceasefire five times and received a harsh response from the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Fighting lasted from the 19th to the 21st of February; multiple casualties were reported on both sides for control of the Western Suburb Region of Mayorsk. The fighters of the 503rd separate battalion of the Marine Corps of the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of the Yuzhnaya mine and the settlement of Toretsk north of Horlivka, inflicted damage on the enemy with return fire. Ukrainian Armed Forces officer Anatoliy "Shtirlits" Shtefan reported that the Ukrainian military killed seven opponents near Horlivka. According to the DPR, five soldiers were killed from their own ranks. The former commandant of Horlivka, Igor Bezler, said that 20 DPR separatists were killed near Horlivka.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian separatist forces in Ukraine</span> Pro-Russian paramilitary groups in eastern Ukraine

Russian separatist forces in Ukraine, primarily the People's Militias of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), were pro-Russian paramilitaries in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. They were under the overall control of the Russian Federation. They were also referred to as Russian proxy forces. They were active during the war in Donbas (2014–2022), the first stage of the Russo-Ukrainian War. They then supported the Russian Armed Forces against the Ukrainian Armed Forces during the 2022 Russian invasion. In September 2022, Russia annexed the DPR and LPR, and began integrating the paramilitaries into its armed forces. They are designated as terrorist groups by the government of Ukraine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Sloviansk</span> 2014 siege during the Donbas war

The siege of Sloviansk was conducted by Ukraine between 12 April 2014 and 5 July 2014. It began immediately after Sloviansk was seized by the separatist group, the Donetsk People's Republic, which, having received support from Russia, declared itself independent from Ukraine on 7 April. Following three months of heavy fighting between the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the DPR People's Militia, the Ukrainian government retook the city as the pro-Russia rebels retreated to Donetsk. The engagement in Sloviansk marked the first military engagement of the War in Donbas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War in Donbas</span> 2014–2022 war between Ukraine and Russia

The war in Donbas, also known as the Donbas war, was a phase of the Russo-Ukrainian War in the Donbas region of Ukraine. The war began in April 2014, when a commando unit headed by Russian citizen Igor Girkin seized Sloviansk in Donetsk oblast. The Ukrainian military launched an operation against them. The war continued until subsumed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Kramatorsk</span> 2014 battle in the Donbas war

A series of armed skirmishes and confrontations between the Armed Forces of Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists affiliated with the Donetsk People's Republic took place from 12 April until 5 July 2014, and is known as the Battle of Kramatorsk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle in Shakhtarsk Raion</span> July–August 2014 battle of the war in Donbas

The Battle in Shakhtarsk Raion began on 16 July 2014, when the Armed Forces of Ukraine attempted to cut off the Russian backed separatists’ supply lines from Russia. Fighting broke out around the towns of Marynivka, Dmytrivka, Stepanivka, Shakhtarsk, as well as the strategic hill of Savur-Mohyla. It later spread to the cities of Snizhne and Torez. While the battle was in progress, a civilian passenger airliner, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, was shot down near Hrabove on 17 July. Amidst a wide counter-offensive by the Russian proxy forces and their Russian backers across Donbas, government troops were forced out of Shakhtarsk Raion on 26 August.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Zakharchenko</span> Ukrainian separatist leader (1976–2018)

Alexander Vladimirovich Zakharchenko was a Ukrainian separatist leader who was the head of state and Prime Minister of the Donetsk People's Republic, a self-proclaimed state and Russian-backed rebel group which declared independence from Ukraine on 11 May 2014. Zakharchenko was appointed prime minister in August 2014 after his predecessor Alexander Borodai resigned, and went on to win the early November 2014 election for the position.

On 18 August 2014, during the war in Donbas, a convoy of refugees fleeing heavy fighting near Luhansk, Ukraine, was hit by an artillery strike. At least 17 people were killed in the strike which the Ukrainian government blamed on insurgents affiliated with the Luhansk People's Republic. The insurgents denied striking any convoy and blamed the attack on the Ukrainian government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Ilovaisk</span> 2014 battle in the Donbas war

The Battle of Ilovaisk started on 7 August 2014, when the Armed Forces of Ukraine and pro-Ukrainian paramilitaries began a series of attempts to capture the city of Ilovaisk from pro-Russian insurgents affiliated with the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and detachments of the Russian Armed Forces. Although Ukrainian forces were able to enter the city on 18 August, they were encircled between 24 and 26 August by overwhelming Russian military forces that crossed the border, joining the battle. After days of encirclement, Ukrainian forces rejected the DPR's proposal to open a humanitarian corridor on the condition that they abandon their armored vehicles and ammunition, and on the morning of 29 August 2014 began to leave Ilovaisk with their weapons. The Russian side opened fire on the evacuating Ukrainian soldiers, many of whom died whilst trying to escape.

Insurgents affiliated with the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), backed by Russian troops, opened a new front in the war in Donbas on 25 August 2014, when they attacked the Ukrainian government-controlled city of Novoazovsk in southern Donetsk. Government forces were forced to retreat from Novoazovsk to the city of Mariupol, leaving DPR forces in control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humanitarian situation during the war in Donbas</span>

During the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War between the Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists in the Donbas region of Ukraine that began in April 2014, many international organisations and states noted a deteriorating humanitarian situation in the conflict zone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Offensive on Mariupol (September 2014)</span> Covert, illegal invasion of sovereign nation

In late August and early September 2014, Russian and Russian-backed separatist troops supporting the Donetsk People's Republic advanced on the government-controlled port city of Mariupol in southern Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. This followed a wide offensive by Russian-allied forces, which led to their capture of Novoazovsk to the east. Fighting reached the outskirts of Mariupol on 6 September.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minsk agreements</span> Series of agreements to stop the Donbas war

The Minsk agreements were a series of international agreements which sought to end the Donbas war fought between armed Russian separatist groups and Armed Forces of Ukraine, with Russian regular forces playing a central part. After a defeat at Ilovaisk at the end of August 2014, Russia forced Ukraine to sign the first Minsk Protocol, or the Minsk I. It was drafted by the Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine, consisting of Ukraine, Russia, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), with mediation by the leaders of France and Germany in the so-called Normandy Format. After extensive talks in Minsk, Belarus, the agreement was signed on 5 September 2014 by representatives of the Trilateral Contact Group and, without recognition of their status, by the then-leaders of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR). This agreement followed multiple previous attempts to stop the fighting in the region and aimed to implement an immediate ceasefire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Battle of Donetsk Airport</span> 2014–2015 battle during the Donbas war

The Second Battle of Donetsk Airport was an engagement between the Ukrainian military and Russian military and its proxy forces of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) during the War in Donbas. An earlier battle in May 2014 had left Donetsk International Airport in Ukrainian control. Despite a ceasefire agreement, the Minsk Protocol, in place since 5 September 2014, fighting broke out between the warring parties on 28 September 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volnovakha bus attack</span> Rocket strike on a Ukrainian highway checkpoint

The Volnovakha bus attack was an attack on a highway checkpoint near the village of Buhas outside of the Volnovakha municipality in the Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on 13 January 2015. It resulted in the deaths of 12 passengers of an intercity bus and injuries to 18 others in the area. The attack was the largest single loss of life since the signing of the Minsk Protocol in September 2014, which attempted to halt the War in Donbas. The incident has been labeled an "act of terror" by both the Ukrainian authorities as well as the rebels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Debaltseve</span> 2015 battle in the Donbas war

The Battle of Debaltseve was a military confrontation in the city of Debaltseve, Donetsk Oblast, between the pro-Russian separatist forces of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), and the Ukrainian Armed Forces, starting in mid-January 2015 during the war in the Donbas region. The Russian forces composed mostly of "Wagner Group" soldiers recaptured Debaltseve, which had been under Ukrainian control since a counter-offensive by government forces in July 2014. The city lay in a "wedge" of Ukrainian-held territory bordered by the DPR on one side, and the LPR on the other, and is a vital road and railway junction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shyrokyne standoff</span> 2015 battle in the Donbas war in Ukraine

The Shyrokyne standoff was a battle for the control of the strategic village of Shyrokyne, located approximately 11 km (6.8 mi) east of Mariupol city limits, between Ukrainian forces led by the Azov Regiment, and Russian-backed separatists, between February and July 2015. It was part of the larger war in Donbas. On 10 February 2015, the Azov Regiment launched a surprise offensive against pro-Russian separatists associated with the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) with the aim of pushing the separatist forces away from Mariupol city limits. The village is located just 10 km (6.2 mi) from the Ukrainian-controlled city of Mariupol, and was used as a launching point for separatist attacks on the city, which served as the administrative centre of Donetsk Oblast whilst DPR forces control Donetsk city. Fighting continued until 3 July 2015, when DPR forces unilaterally withdrew from Shyrokyne. Subsequently a cease-fire was declared in the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Marinka (2015)</span> 2015 battle in the Donbas war

The Battle of Marinka was a short battle in the war in Donbas in and around Marinka, Donetsk Oblast which took place on 3 June 2015. Ukrainian forces fought the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic's (DPR) Republican Guard and Pyatnashka Brigade under Akhra Avidzba. The town of Marinka was briefly seized by the DPR forces before it was recaptured by the Ukrainians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the war in Donbas (2014)</span>

This is a timeline of the war in Donbas for the year 2014.

The combatants of the war in Donbas included foreign and domestic forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battles for Karlivka</span> 2014 military engagement

During May–July 2014, a series of military engagements took place for control of the village of Karlivka in Donetsk Oblast, in eastern Ukraine.

References

  1. ↑ "Prisoners of 'Demon' in war-torn Ukraine". BBC. 9 August 2014.
  2. ↑ "About 36 people die in Horlivka on July 27–29". Kyiv Post. 30 July 2014.
  3. ↑ "Pro-Kremlin Rebels Flee Stronghold as Ukraine Military Campaign Escalates".
  4. ↑ "Ukrainian government forces enter Horlivka suburb". Kyiv Post. 21 July 2014.
  5. ↑ "Anti-Terrorist Operation: Summary for July 21, 2014".
  6. ↑ "East Ukraine militias shoot down two jets of Ukrainian Air Force". Information Telegraph Agency of Russia. 23 July 2014.
  7. ↑ "Ukrainian Forces Battle For Horlivka". Morning Star. 21 July 2014. Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  8. ↑ "Fighting rages in Ukraine town; 2 children among 13 dead". CNN. 27 July 2014.
  9. ↑ "АТО: В Горловке боевики устроили кровавый теракт". Украинская правда (in Russian). Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  10. ↑ "Terrorists issue ultimatum in Horlivka". Euromaidan Press . 27 July 2014.
  11. ↑ "ATO Forces Kill 20 Separatists, Destroy 8 Pieces of Equipment Near Horlivka, Donetsk Region". Ukrainian News. 27 July 2014. Archived from the original on 11 August 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  12. ↑ "17 Killed, 43 Wounded Due To Shelling in Horlivka, Donetsk Region on July 28". Archived from the original on 9 September 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  13. ↑ "The Flight of 'The Demon': A Brutal Russian Officer Reportedly Flees His Place in the Ukraine War". Atlantic Council. 28 July 2014. Archived from the original on 9 September 2014. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  14. ↑ "Ukrainian army intensifies offensive on Donetsk". ITAR-TASS. 31 July 2014. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014.
  15. ↑ "Civilians die in latest Ukraine offensive". Al Jazeera. 3 August 2014.
  16. ↑ "One killed, four injured in Horlivka shelling - city council". Interfax-Ukraine. 5 August 2014.
  17. ↑ "In Ucraina si torna a sparare: 5 civili morti a Gorlivka". 7 August 2014.
  18. ↑ "Self-Defense Forces Blast Bridge in Horlivka, Ukraine to Stop Kiev Army". RIA Novosti. 6 August 2014.
  19. ↑ "Terrorists Mounting Counter Attacks in Several Directions". Ukrainian News. 14 August 2014. Archived from the original on 9 September 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  20. ↑ "Clashes in Ukraine as aid agreement reached". Al Jazeera. 16 August 2014.
  21. ↑ "Horlivka fully encircled - Information Resistance". Interfax-Ukraine. 18 August 2014.
  22. ↑ "Breakthrough hopes dented as Ukraine accuses Russia of new incursion". Reuters. 27 August 2014. Archived from the original on 31 August 2014.
  23. ↑ "Kiev Forces Continue Shelling Despite Ceasefire: Donetsk Militia". RIA Novosti. 6 September 2014.
  24. ↑ ""Stolen childhood". How Russian propaganda justifies the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia and accuses Ukraine of these crimes". en.detector.media. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.