Battle of Lebedyn

Coordinates: 50°34′59″N 34°28′56″E / 50.58306°N 34.48222°E / 50.58306; 34.48222
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Battle of Lebedyn
Part of the battle of Sumy in the northern Ukraine offensive of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Date26 February – 26 March 2022 (1 month)
Location
Result Ukrainian victory
Belligerents
 Russia  Ukraine

A series of clashes began on 26 February 2022 around the city of Lebedyn, Sumy Oblast, during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Timeline[edit]

26–27 February[edit]

On the evening of 26 February, Ukrainian forces held the Russian forces on the outskirts of the city. The Russians reportedly suffered significant losses. At 22:45, a battle began in Kamiane.[1] Five soldiers were brought to the hospitals of Lebedyn on the morning of 27 February. Almost all of them were wounded in and around Batiutenko Street. According to the Regional Centre of Emergency Care and Disaster Medicine, no wounded civilians arrived.[2] On the night of 27 February, 37-year-old Olexandr Smilian, born in Kapustyntsi, died in the battle of Lebedyn.[3]

28 February[edit]

In the afternoon, a column of Russian military vehicles went to Trostianets coming from the direction of Lebedyn. About 18:00, Ukrainian troops reportedly destroyed a Russian military base at Kulychka [uk] near Lebedyn with a Bayraktar TB2 UAV. They reportedly destroyed 96-100 tanks, 20 "Grad" multiple rocket launcher systems and eight tanker trucks. There were no civilians in the area.[4][5][6]

2–3 March[edit]

In the early hours of 2 March, the Sumy administration claimed that about 100 Russian military vehicles, mainly tanks and armored personnel carriers (APCs), had been destroyed in the village of Byshkin [uk].[7]

On the afternoon of 3 March, the 93rd Mechanized Brigade announced that Ukrainian artillery had destroyed a Russian column near the village of Moskovskyi Bobryk [uk].[8] During their stay in the village, the Russians looted the local shops and burnt the car of the head of the village, according to residents.[9] Also on 3 March, Russian troops shelled Lebedyn amid a large bombardment across Sumy Oblast.[10]

4–7 March[edit]

Lebedyn was completely cut off from electricity for the 4 and 5 of March. On 5 March at 7 a.m., civilians heard an air raid alarm in Lebedyn as the Russians began shelling the city.[11] The explosions blew out windows in multistoried buildings. The artillery shelling went on all day long.[6] An electric substation, the Lebedyn bakery, and a gas station were destroyed by Russian shelling.[12]

By the evening of 5 March, Russians had been reported to have captured civilians driving by cars through the countryside. Dmytro Zhyvytskyi, the Head of the Military Administration, said that people could not leave Lebedyn, Sumy, Okhtyrka and Trostianets at the moment because "the Russian troops rob and occasionally shoot at the cars of peaceful Ukrainians."[citation needed]

On the evening of 5 March, a column of Russian tanks arrived at Lebedyn having seized the village of Stanova [uk] near Trostianets along the way. They placed tanks in every yard along the central and side streets. According to the Head of the Military Administration Dmytro Zhyvytskyi, Russians took away people's cellphones. They broke into houses asking for food and a bath. Thus they were sheltering themselves with a human shield almost all day long.[13]

Shelling and airstrikes[edit]

According to the Military Administration, Russian artillery shelling and the airstrikes of 6 March left many inhabitants of Lebedyn without electricity. The prosecution launched a pre-trial investigation into the destruction of the Lebedyn bakery by the strikes of Russian military planes.[6]

On 7 March, the electricity supply to Lebedyn was partially restored.[6]

Bombed out building in Lebedyn, 7 March

On the night of 8 to 9 March, the Russian air forces attacked Lebedyn. Two houses in Shevchenka Street were ruined. Five people, two children among them, were retrieved from the debris. The officers of the 5th State Fire and Rescue Brigade, who were in charge that night, worked at the site from 01:45 on 9 March.[13]

On the night of 11 March, the Russian troops shelled houses in Kerdylivshchyna [uk] killing two locals – Vasyl Masliuk and Valeriy Sukhanov.[13]

As of 13 March, 22,500 civilians in Sumy Oblast had no electricity. According to the Military Administration, shelling damaged the power lines in Okhtyrka, Trostianets, Lebedyn and Sumy.[14]

Occupation of villages[edit]

By the 10 of March, the village of Vorozhba in Lebedyn district had been occupied by Russian forces. According to the Head of the Military Administration Dmytro Zhyvytskyi, Russian soldiers drove people to the streets, robbed them, looted and set fire to local houses. The Russians also pulled people out of cellars where many were hiding. "They are shielding themselves with peaceful locals against the Bayraktars," Zhyvytskyi said.[6]

From March 17 to March 25, the village of Malyi Vystorop [uk] was occupied. They were destroyed from the Russian military both apartment buildings and private. Local college has been caused by considerable damage. Russian invaders have been cited for eight days. Living the village on March 25, they fired at the tanks.[15]

The village of Steblianky [uk], in the Sumy district, was occupied from March 19 to March 26 was occupied by the Russian military - there were 26 Russian military vehicles. Russian troops forced their way into unoccupied houses and looted them.[16]

Humanitarian corridors[edit]

"Green corridors" for evacuation functioned in Sumy Oblast on 12 March. People could go from Sumy, Trostianets, Konotop, Lebedyn, Velyka Pysarivka, and Krasnopillia through Romny to Poltava. According to the Head of the Military Administration Dmytro Zhyvytskyi, they finally managed to reach an agreement about Lebedyn, which had no electricity or communication at that point. At 9:00, a column of private transport and buses gathered at Lebedyn city council. The route was from Lebedyn via Shtepivka, Nedryhailiv, Korovyntsi, Romny, Andriyashivka, Lokhvytsia, Lubny and Poltava. Overall, 28 vehicles with 83 civilians and four buses with 52 civilians left Lebedyn.[17][18]

On March 15, the humanitarian corridors worked in Sumy region on five routes - from Sumy, Trostyanets, Lebedin, Konotop and Shostka. The final destination of all routes was Lubny in Poltava region.[19]

Humanitarian corridors worked in Sumy region on March 18. It was possible to leave the Velyka Pysarivka, Trostianets, Krasnopillia, Sumy, Lebedyn and Konotop communities.[20] Lebedyn could leave on personal transport and buses from 9 am from the square near the city council. From the city the column moved through Shtepivka, Nedryhailiv, Korovyntsi, Romny, Andriiashivka and further to Poltava Oblast through Lokhvytsia to Lubny.[21] The column was traditionally accompanied by representatives of the International Organization of the Red Cross. According to the regional military administration, as of 5:00 pm, 4 buses carrying 50 citizens had left Lebedyn.[22]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Христенко, Лілія (2022-02-27). "Ворожа техніка через Сумщину продовжує курс на Київ. Тривають бої". Суспільне | Новини (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  2. ^ Скрипняк, Анна (2022-02-27). "До Лебединської лікарні на Сумщині госпіталізували п'ятьох військових". Суспільне | Новини (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  3. ^ Марковська, Юлія (2022-02-28). "У бою під Лебедином загинув військовий з Роменщини". Суспільне | Новини (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  4. ^ Суспільне (2022-03-05). "В Охтирці продовжують розбирати завали обстріляної ТЕЦ". Суспільне | Новини (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  5. ^ Zaxid.net. "ЗСУ знищили на Сумщині базу росіян із 96 танків і 20 "Градів"". ZAXID.NET (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Бои под Сумами: артиллерия и "Байрактары" уничтожили 100 танков и 20 "Градов" оккупантов". Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  7. ^ Суспільне (2022-03-03). "Військове вторгнення Росії в Україну: що відбувається на Сумщині. ОНЛАЙН". Суспільне | Новини (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  8. ^ Суспільне (2022-03-10). "Військове вторгнення Росії в Україну: події на Сумщині. Тиждень другий. Онлайн". Суспільне | Новини (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  9. ^ Суспільне (2022-03-03). "Біля Московського Бобрику на Сумщині артилерія знищила танкову колону РФ". Суспільне | Новини (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  10. ^ ""Територія пекла". Окупанти почали масове бомбардування Сумської області". РБК-Украина (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference auto1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ "Casualties in battle near Sumy". Ukrayinska Pravda. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  13. ^ a b c Суспільне (2022-03-06). "Російські війська окупували Тростянець на Сумщині: що відбувається в місті". Суспільне | Новини (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  14. ^ Суспільне (2022-03-16). "Військове вторгнення Росії : що відбувається на Сумщині. Тиждень третій. Онлайн". Суспільне | Новини (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  15. ^ Юлія Ніколаєва, Катерина Ворона, Суспільне (2022-04-15). ""Вся вулиця без заборів, без вікон", — жителі села на Сумщині про наслідки від російської окупації". Суспільне Новини (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-06-10.
  16. ^ Юлія Ніколаєва, Анна Скрипняк, Суспільне (2022-04-14). "Спали сидячи й топили сніг. Жителі села Стеблянки на Сумщині розповіли, як пережили окупацію". Суспільне Новини (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  17. ^ Суспільне (2022-03-20). "Закупи у Сумах: що можна придбати на ринках міста". Суспільне | Новини (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  18. ^ Суспільне (2022-03-12). "Понад 10 тисяч людей поїхали з Сумщини "зеленим коридором" 12 березня". Суспільне | Новини (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  19. ^ "Евакуація із Сум 15 березня: як усе відбувається". 2022-03-25. Archived from the original on 25 March 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  20. ^ "Вторгнення Росії в Україну: що відбувається на Сумщині. Тиждень четвертий. Онлайн". Суспільне. Новини (in Ukrainian). 2022-03-24. Archived from the original on 26 April 2022. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  21. ^ "На Сумщині 18 березня працюватимуть гуманітарні коридори для евакуації людей". Суспільне. Новини (in Ukrainian). 2022-03-18. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
  22. ^ "Майже 4 тисячі людей евакуювали із Сум 18 березня "гуманітарним коридором"". Суспільне. Новини (in Ukrainian). 2022-03-18. Retrieved 2022-04-04.

50°34′59″N 34°28′56″E / 50.58306°N 34.48222°E / 50.58306; 34.48222