Battle of Pisky

Last updated
Battle of Pisky
Part of the eastern Ukraine campaign of the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Battle of Pisky, during the Russian invasion of Donetsk.jpg
Ruins in Pisky, after the battle
Date28 July 2022 – 24 August 2022 [1]
(3 weeks and 6 days)
Location
Pisky, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine
Result Russian-DPR victory
Territorial
changes		 Russian and DPR forces gain control of Pisky
Belligerents
Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine
Units involved

Flag of Donetsk People's Republic.svg DPR Armed Forces

Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukrainian armed forces

Casualties and losses
Unknown 500 soldiers killed [5]

The battle of Pisky was a series of military engagements for control of the ghost town of Pisky, located just outside of the city of Donetsk, between the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and the allied separatist Donetsk People's Republic during the battle for Donbas of the eastern Ukraine campaign. Russian and separatist forces fully captured Pisky on 24 August 2022. [6]

Contents

Background

Pisky was a frontline settlement in Donetsk Oblast that is considered a ghost town, having had no significant civilian population since 2014. Located mere yards from separatist territory prior to the battle, Ukraine's 56th Motorized Brigade spent years fortifying the town, with garrison personnel fighting from basements and trenches, and using highway overpasses as staging areas. [7] [3] Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) authorities accused Ukraine of carrying out shelling attacks on Donetsk city from the areas of Pisky and Krasnohorivka. [8] [9]

Clashes around Pisky intensified in April 2022 with the start of the battle of Donbas, with Ukrainian lieutenant Denys Gordiev stating that Russian bombing and rocket attacks were a daily occurrence in the town. [10] Ukrainian forces on the ground were using Soviet-era weaponry around this time, with small amounts of foreign armaments. [11] By April 2022, only 11 people remained in the town, from a pre-war population of 2,160. [11]

On the night of 18 April, Russian forces launched an intensive bombing campaign against Ukrainian positions in Luhansk, Donetsk, and Kharkiv Oblasts, beginning the battle of Donbas. [12] Russian shelling of Pisky continued throughout July, with Ukraine claiming that Russian forces had worn Ukrainian uniforms during an assault in late July. [13] [14] On the night of 28–29 July, the Russians accused the Ukrainians of having launched an attack with American-supplied HIMARS rocket systems from the area of Pisky, Marinka, and Vuhledar, and on the same day it was decided to launch a general offensive in the direction of those three places. [15]

Battle

Russian and DPR separatist forces launched an assault on Pisky on 28 July, with the DPR claiming unspecified gains, and Ukraine claiming to have repulsed the attacks. [16] Russian and DPR forces made further advances throughout the following days, with DPR information minister Daniil Bezsonov claiming the DPR had captured the southeastern part of Pisky. [17] On 5 August, the DPR falsely claimed that they had taken full control of Pisky [18] with Donetsk Oblast governor Pavlo Kyrylenko stating Pisky was still contested. [19] Russian and DPR claims of capturing the town were repeated three more times between 5 August and 2 September. [20]

In early August, Ukraine claimed to repel Russian attacks on Pisky daily, although Russian forces were making incremental gains in the town. [21] [22] Geolocated combat footage emerged on 7 August showing Russian troops in the centre of Pisky. [23] Ukrainian soldiers described the fighting in Pisky as "a senseless meat-grinder", citing heavy losses and a lack of counter-battery fire capabilities in response to Russian artillery bombardment. [24] [25] [26] Volodymyr Rehesha, a Ukrainian commander during the battle, claimed that battles in the town were being fought "pushing [Ukrainians] out by 1 meter, 10 meters". [27] Combat footage and satellite imagery revealed on 11 August that much of Pisky had been leveled by Russian artillery bombardment, which reportedly included TOS-1A thermobaric artillery systems. [28] [29]

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a U.S.-based think tank and war observer, assessed that DPR and Russian forces were in control of much of Pisky by 24 August, with fighting ongoing in the northern outskirts of the town. Geolocated footage posted online showed DPR troops hoisting a Soviet Victory Banner near the centre of Pisky, seemingly unconcerned about Ukrainian artillery fire. [1] [30] [31]

Vitalii Barabash, the mayor of Avdiivka, claimed on 29 August that Ukraine controlled half of Pisky. [32] However, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu confirmed on 2 September that Pisky was under Russian control. [20]

Casualties

Ukrainian commander Volodymyr Rehesha claimed on 28 August 2022 that Ukraine had suffered 500 combat fatalities and an unspecified number of wounded during the battle of Pisky. [5]

Aftermath

In August 2022, Russian forces consolidated gains in Pisky, and the last Ukrainian units in the town retreated towards Pervomaiske, forming a line of defense between the towns of Nevelske, Krasnohorivka, and Pervomaiske. [33] After securing Pisky, the Russians began advancing westward towards Pervomaiske, capturing a hilly area in the Pisky area and the DPR's 11th Regiment capturing a bridge on the approach to the town, according to Russian sources. [34] [35] President of the DPR, Eduard Basurin, claimed the offensives near Pisky were part of a larger attempt to encircle Avdiivka. [36]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khrestivka</span> City in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine

Khrestivka or Kirovske is a city in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. Its population is approximately 27,370.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donetsk People's Republic</span> Disputed Russian republic in eastern Ukraine

The Donetsk People's Republic is a republic of Russia, comprising the occupied parts of eastern Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast, with its capital in Donetsk. The DPR was created by Russian-backed paramilitaries in 2014, and it initially operated as a breakaway state until it was annexed in 2022. The entire territory of DPR is viewed as sovereign territory of Ukraine by nearly all UN member states.

<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">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">Luhansk People's Republic</span> Disputed Russian republic in eastern Ukraine

The Luhansk or Lugansk People's Republic is a republic of Russia in the occupied parts of eastern Ukraine's Luhansk Oblast, with its capital in Luhansk. The LPR was proclaimed by Russian-backed paramilitaries in 2014, and it initially operated as a breakaway state until it was annexed by Russia in 2022. The entire territory of LPR is viewed as sovereign territory of Ukraine by nearly all UN member states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Khodakovsky</span> Military commander in rebel-held Ukraine territory

Alexander Sergeevich Khodakovsky is a Russian separatist paramilitary commander who is the commander of the Vostok Battalion, which formed in early May 2014 during the early phases of the War in Donbas.

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

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.

<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">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.

Pisky is a destroyed rural settlement in Pokrovsk Raion, Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It is located about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) northwest from the center of the administrative center of the oblast, Donetsk, and about two kilometres (1.2 mi) from the western border of Donetsk airfield. Before 2014, the village was a former wealthy suburb of Donetsk. It had a population of 2,160 in the 2001 census, but most residents left during the war in Donbas, with only 9 people remaining as of 2019. In 2022, the village came under Russian occupation following a battle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Territorial control during the Russo-Ukrainian War</span>

This page provides information on the most recently known control of localities in Ukraine during the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War, which started in 2014 and escalated with the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It includes all larger localities across the country, as well as some smaller localities close to current or recent lines of contact. It also includes a timeline of changes in territorial control, both of individual settlement captures and changes in the overall area under Russian control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the war in Donbas (2019)</span>

This is the timeline of the war in Donbas for the year 2019. More than 110 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the conflict between Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed separatists in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Ukraine campaign</span> Ongoing military offensive in Ukraine

Ukraine's easternmost oblasts, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kharkiv, have been the site of an ongoing theatre of operation since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Volnovakha</span> Engagement during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

The battle of Volnovakha was a military engagement which lasted from 25 February 2022 until 12 March 2022, as part of the Eastern Ukraine offensive during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russian and DPR forces engaged Ukrainian forces at the small city of Volnovakha in Donetsk Oblast, which was located close to pre-invasion front line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Avdiivka (2023–2024)</span> Battle in the Russian invasion of Ukraine

The battle of Avdiivka was a major battle between the Russian and Ukrainian Armed Forces for control of Avdiivka, a city in Donetsk Oblast, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. After more than a year and a half of intermittent fighting along the city's outskirts, Russian forces launched an offensive to capture Avdiivka on 10 October 2023, resulting in what was considered one of the bloodiest and fiercest battles of the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Donbas (2022)</span> Battle in the Russian invasion of Ukraine

The battle of Donbas was a military offensive that was part of the wider eastern Ukraine campaign of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The offensive began on 18 April 2022 between the armed forces of Russia and Ukraine for control of the Donbas region. Military analysts consider the campaign to have been the second strategic phase of the invasion, after Russia's initial three-pronged attack into Ukraine.

During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a battle took place between Russian forces and Ukrainian forces for control over the city of Marinka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Soledar</span> Battle in the Russian invasion of Ukraine

The battle of Soledar was a series of military engagements in and around the urban-type settlement of Soledar during the battle of Donbas in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vostok Brigade</span> Military unit

The Vostok Brigade or 114th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade is a military unit of Russian Ground Forces. Until January 1, 2023, it was part of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR). It is attached to the 51st Donetsk Combined Arms Army. The brigade was created and is commanded by Alexander Khodakovsky. According to an interview with The Washington Post, DPR president Denis Pushilin, the battalion was formed by local separatists and has nothing to do with the Chechen unit of the same name.

The Battle of Velyka Novosilka was a battle of the Russo-Ukrainian War between the Russian and Ukrainian military from March 2022 to June 2023 in the Ukrainian town of Velyka Novosilka.

References

  1. 1 2 Hird, Karolina; Philipson, Layne; Barros, George; Kagan, Frederick W. (25 August 2022). "RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, AUGUST 25". Institute for the Study of War . Archived from the original on 2022-09-01. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
  2. ↑ "Russian War Report: Ukraine intensifies offensive attacks in Kharkiv Oblast". 9 September 2022.
  3. 1 2 "The Russians Want Pisky. The Ukrainians Want Pisky. Neither Army Has Enough Troops For A Quick Victory". Forbes. 16 August 2022. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  4. 1 2 ""He who deviates from military canons becomes successful in war" volunteer Volodymyr Regesha "Santa"". YouTube . 4 November 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-01-03. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  5. 1 2 ""Де ж ми перемагаємо? У фейсбуці, ютубі, інстаграмі. І все", — Володимир Регеша ("Санта") про "зраду" і "контрнаступи" на фронті" ["Where do we win? On Facebook, YouTube, Instagram. And that's it," - Volodymyr Rehesha ("Santa") about "betrayal" and "counterattacks" at the front]. Fakty i Kommentarii (in Ukrainian). 28 August 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-09-21. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
  6. ↑ "Russian-backed separatists say they have taken Pisky village in east Ukraine, TASS reports". Reuters. 2022-08-05. Archived from the original on 2022-09-20. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  7. ↑ Cookman, Liz (10 February 2022). "'They Are No Longer Our Brothers'". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 2023-01-03. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  8. ↑ "Deadly artillery attack hits Donetsk market - media". Reuters Video. Archived from the original on 2023-07-13. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  9. ↑ "Latest Developments in Ukraine: June 13". VOA. 13 June 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-09-21. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  10. ↑ "Ukraine war: 'I can't lose my country now', says platoon commander fighting in the east since 2014". Sky News. Archived from the original on 2023-01-03. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  11. 1 2 Kozyreva, Tanya (2022-05-10). "Opinion | I Spent Weeks on Ukraine's Front Lines. Everything Has Changed". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2023-01-03. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  12. ↑ "Massive Bombardment Signals Russia's Renewed Offensive In eastern Ukraine". Forbes . Archived from the original on 21 April 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  13. ↑ "Russian forces dress in Ukrainian military uniform during assault operations near Pisky General Staff report". news.yahoo.com. 28 July 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-08-04. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  14. ↑ Beecher, Jay (2022-07-30). "Ukrainian Troops 'Neutralize' Russian Reconnaissance Group - Kyiv Post - Ukraine's Global Voice". Kyiv Post. Archived from the original on 2022-08-05. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  15. ↑ "Ukrainian Troops 'Neutralize' Russian Reconnaissance Group". Kyiv Post. 30 July 2022. Archived from the original on 5 August 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  16. ↑ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 29". Critical Threats. Archived from the original on 2022-07-30. Retrieved 2022-07-30.
  17. ↑ "RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, JULY 31". Institute for the Study of War. 3 August 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-08-01. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
  18. ↑ "Russian-backed separatists say they have taken Pisky village in east Ukraine, TASS reports". Reuters. 5 August 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-09-20. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
  19. ↑ "Kyrylenko: Ukraine's Armed Forces control Pisky village in Donetsk region". 6 August 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-08-06. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
  20. 1 2 "Shoigu Announces Capture Of Pisky Village In Donetsk Region. This Is Fourth Such Statement Of Russia In Month". Ukranews. 2 September 2022. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  21. ↑ "UK intelligence agency says Russia building new ground force". ABC News. 2022-08-11. Archived from the original on 2023-01-03. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  22. ↑ "Russian invaders advancing toward Maryinka, Pisky in Donbas, says Ukraine's General Staff". sports.yahoo.com. 11 August 2022. Archived from the original on 2023-01-03. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  23. ↑ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 8". Critical Threats. Archived from the original on 2022-08-09. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
  24. ↑ Цензор.НЕТ (2 August 2022). "Піски. М'ясорубка". Цензор.НЕТ (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 2023-01-03. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  25. ↑ Axe, David. "This Village In Eastern Ukraine Is A 'Meat Grinder' For Two Armies". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2023-01-03. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  26. ↑ Axe, David. "The Russians Want Pisky. The Ukrainians Want Pisky. Neither Army Has Enough Troops For A Quick Victory". Forbes. Archived from the original on 2022-10-18. Retrieved 2023-01-03.
  27. ↑ "He who deviates from military canons becomes successful in war" volunteer Volodymyr Regesha "Santa", 4 November 2022, archived from the original on 2023-01-03, retrieved 2023-01-03
  28. ↑ "Russian vacuum bombs destroy Ukrainian town in horrifying new footage". Yahoo News. 12 August 2022. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  29. ↑ "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Archived from the original on 2022-03-25. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
  30. ↑ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 14". The Institute for the Study of War. 14 August 2022. Archived from the original on 25 August 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  31. ↑ Hird, Karolina; Philipson, Layne; Barros, George; Kagan, Frederick W. (25 August 2022). "RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, AUGUST 25". Institute for the Study of War . Archived from the original on 2022-09-01. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
  32. ↑ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 29". The Institute for the Study of War. 29 August 2022. Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  33. ↑ Hird, Karolina (August 23, 2022). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 23". ISW. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  34. ↑ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, September 6". The Institute for the Study of War. 6 September 2022. Archived from the original on 6 October 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  35. ↑ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, September 8". The Institute for the Study of War. 8 September 2022. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
  36. ↑ Barros, George (September 8, 2022). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, September 8". ISW. Archived from the original on September 9, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2023.

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.