Battle of Krynky

Battle of Krynky
Part of Dnieper campaign (2022–present)
Date 20 October 2023 – 17 July 2024 (8 months, 3 weeks and 6 days) Location Krynky, Kherson Oblast, Ukraine Result Russian victory
Belligerents
Russia	Ukraine
Commanders and leaders
Oleg Makarevich [1] Mikhail Teplinsky	Yurii Sodol
Units involved
Russian Armed Forces   Russian Navy Coastal Defense Troops 810th Guards Naval Infantry Brigade   Russian Ground Forces Southern Military District 18th Combined Arms Army 70th Motor Rifle Division Russian Airborne Forces 104th Guards Air Assault Division	Armed Forces of Ukraine   Ukrainian Navy   Ukrainian Marine Corps 35th Marine Brigade [2] 36th Marine Brigade 37th Marine Brigade 38th Marine Brigade Territorial Defence Forces 34th Coastal Defense Brigade 39th Coastal Defense Brigade Special Operations Forces 73rd Naval Special Operations Center Security Service of Ukraine 414th Strike UAV Brigade
Casualties and losses
Ukrainian claims: [3] 1,216 killed 2,217 wounded 24 tanks destroyed 48 armored vehicles destroyed 89 artillery systems and mortars destroyed 9 multiple launch rocket systems destroyed	According to UALosses: [4] 264 killed 765 missing 34 POW

Battle of Krynky was a battle waged between Russian and Ukrainian armed forces over the village of Krynky, which lasted from 20 October 2023 to 17 July 2024, when the Ukrainian Armed Forces retreated across the Dnieper.

Background

During the first day of Russian invasion of Ukraine the village of Krynky was occupied by the Russian Armed forces.

Timeline of the battle

2023

In September 2023 the Katran group of troops has been formed as part of the Ukrainian armed forces to conduct an offensive operation on the left bank of the Dnieper river. Initially comprising only two TDF brigades as well as SOF and HUR units, it was expanded to include all of the Ukrainian Marine Corps. ^[5] The purpose of the operation was to divert the troops of the Russian Armed Forces from Donbass to the southern front, consisting of following objectives: ^[5]

• Objective minimum: occupation of the defensive line along the left bank of the Dnieper river from Kinburn spit to Kakhovka. Cut the Russian logistics on the M14 highway.
• Objective maximum: Establishing control over a part of the left bank of the Kherson region from Antonovsky Bridge to Perekop, opening the path to Crimea.

On October 20 AFU troops landed in Krynky. ^[6] The amphibious operation proved to be challenging with Ukrainian forces being attacked midstream or even before crossing the river. ^[7]

As the battle progressed, by December the village of Krynky became almost completely destroyed, with Russian airstrikes turning the river bank "into a mass of mud and splintered trees". ^[8]

2024

In May 2024 thre were rumors that Ukrainian army will abandon Krynky. This was denied by the Head of Communications of the Defense Forces of the South Dmitry Pletenchuk. ^[9]

On 16 July 2024, it became known that Ukrainian units had withdrawn from Krynky. According to the military in this area, it happened already "a few weeks ago." ^[10] After that, the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that the main positions of the Ukrainian military "were destroyed by intense, combined and prolonged enemy fire" of the Russian Armed Forces. ^[11]

Casualties

Ukrainian

As a result of the fighting (from October 2023 to the end of June 2024), 788 Ukrainian servicemen were reported by Ukrainian sources to be Missing In Action. At the same time, the number of dead soldiers who were taken out identified and buried there amounted to 262 people during this period. ^{[12] [13]}

On 19 July 2024, The Telegraph reported that more than 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers were thought to have been killed during the battle. ^[14]

On 26 July 2024, Suspilne reported that many of the relatives of the missing soldiers were struggling to obtain information from the Ukrainian military about them. ^[15]

As of 9 September 2025, UALosses has confirmed the names of 264 Ukrainian soldiers killed, 765 missing, and 34 who are currently prisoners of war. ^[16]

Evacuating bodies from the left bank presented a real challenge for the attacking side, with some bodies not being evacuated for months. ^[8]

Russian

According to the UK Defense Ministry, Russian casualties in the battle included a large number of elite units like marines or airborne troops. ^{[17] [3]}

According to the Ukrainian Marine Corps, Russian losses included 1,216 killed, 2,217 wounded, 24 tanks, 48 armored vehicles, 89 artillery systems and mortars, and nine multiple launch rocket systems. ^[3]

Dmytro Lykhovyi, the spokesman for the Tavria Operational Group, claimed that Russian equipment losses were 4-5 times higher than Ukrainian equipment losses. ^[18]

In November 2023, Major General Vladimir Zavadsky, deputy commander of the 14th Army Corps, was killed near Krynky. ^[19]

References

1. Until 29 October 2023
2. Axe, David. "The Battle For Krynky Is A Nightmare For Both Sides. But It's Not 'Suicide'—It's Attritional Warfare". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-01-11.
3. "With Krynky lost, what did the perilous operation accomplish?". The Kyiv Independent. 18 July 2024. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
4. "UA Losses". ualosses.org. 9 September 2025. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
5. "Що насправді сталося в Кринках. Нерозказана історія висадки морпіхів на лівому березі Дніпра". Українська правда (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 19 November 2024. Retrieved 2025-07-03.
6. "ЗСУ закріпилися в селі на лівому березі Херсонської області, – ISW". 24 Канал (in Ukrainian). 2023-10-21. Retrieved 2025-07-03.
7. Gall, Carlotta; Chubko, Oleksandr; Lima, Mauricio (2024-11-29). "Ukraine's River of Anguish". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2025-07-03.
8. Gall, Carlotta; Chubko, Oleksandr; Konovalova, Olha; Lima, Mauricio (2023-12-16). "Ukrainian Marines on 'Suicide Mission' in Crossing the Dnipro River". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2025-07-03.
9. "ЗСУ спростували інформацію про вихід із Кринків". Гордон | Gordon (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2025-07-03.
10. "Украинские военные отошли от Крынков в Херсонской области — «Суспильное»". hromadske (in Russian). 2024-07-16. Retrieved 2025-07-03.
11. Méheut, Constant (2024-07-18). "Ukraine Loses Hard-Won Position Near Dnipro River in the South". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2025-07-03.
12. "«Я бачив пекло, і назва йому «Кринки», — бійці, які утримували село на лівому березі. І зникли там безвісти". Slidstvo.info (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2025-07-03.
13. "Под натиском российской армии ВСУ уступают позиции, которые держали долгие месяцы — и даже годы Где ждать кульминации наступления ВС РФ? Карта боев на 19 июля". Meduza (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-07-03.
14. "Ukraine loses more than 1,000 men in battle for single village". www.telegraph.co.uk. 19 July 2024. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
15. Іванців, Анастасія (July 18, 2024). "Історії жінок, які чекають та шукають безвісти зниклих в Кринках".
16. "UA Losses". ualosses.org. 9 September 2025. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
17. "UK Defense Ministry: Russian paratroopers suffers heavy losses in Kherson Oblast". The Kyiv Independent. 14 December 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
18. "У ЗСУ розповіли про втрати росіян під час боїв за Кринки". hromadske. July 18, 2024.
19. "Russian losses in the war with Ukraine. Mediazona count, updated". Mediazona. 29 August 2025. Retrieved 9 September 2025.