For other events, see Liberation of Kherson and Bombing of Kherson (2022–present).

The battle of Kherson was a military engagement between Russian and Ukrainian forces that began on 24 February 2022 as part of the southern Ukraine campaign of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The battle ended on 2 March 2022 with the capture of the city of Kherson and a pocket of land on the right bank of the Dnieper river by Russian forces. It was the first major city, and the only regional capital, to be captured by Russian forces during the invasion.[1] The Russian occupation of Kherson Oblast followed thereafter.

Russian offensive and capture of Kherson

February

24 February

On 24 February, Russian forces invaded Kherson Oblast from the south through Crimea, with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying "Our troops are fighting fierce battles near the outskirts of Kherson, the enemy is pressing from the occupied Crimea, trying to advance towards Melitopol."[7]

At 4:30 AM, Russian forces began shelling the Kherson International Airport with Kalibr missiles in an attempt to destroy Ukrainian helicopters.[citation needed] However, the Ukrainian military was aware of the Russian invasion ahead of time and had moved the helicopters away from the airport.[citation needed] At approximately 10:00 AM, Russian troops entered Nova Kakhovka, briefly capturing the city, with the Russian flag being hung on the roof of the Kakhovka Dam. Around 11 AM, Russian forces disembarked from helicopters around the Antonivka Bridge as well as the towns of Antonivka, and Sadovoy.[8] By the evening of 24 February, Russian forces reached the city of Kherson and captured the Antonovskiy Bridge,[9][10] which is a strategic crossing over the Dnieper River, and provided a route towards the important junction city of Mykolaiv.[11]

25 February

By the early hours of 25 February, Ukrainian forces recaptured the bridge in a battle that was described as fierce and left dead soldiers and several destroyed military vehicles lying on the bridge.[10][12][13] The counterattack forced the Russians to push north and capture the next closest crossing of the Dnieper, the city of Nova Kakhovka.[14][15] Russian troops once again seized the Antonovskiy Bridge later in the day.[5]

Antonovskiy Bridge in 2006

26 February

On 26 February, Ihor Kolykhaiev, the mayor of Kherson, stated that Russian forces pulled back from Kherson after a Ukrainian air strike on Russian armored vehicles, allowing the city to remain under Ukrainian control.[16][17] A Ukrainian official, Anton Herashchenko, later claimed that a Russian army column was defeated by Ukrainian forces near the town of Oleshky, just south of Kherson.[18] Later, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General, Iryna Venediktova, claimed that Russian forces killed a journalist and an ambulance driver near Kherson. Venediktova stated that Ukrainian law enforcement had opened criminal proceedings into the shootings.[19]

27 February

On the morning of 27 February, the Russian Ministry of Defence stated that Russian forces had encircled Kherson and, according to Ukrainian officials, captured a part of the city, including Kherson International Airport.[20][21][22] Later in the morning, the Ukrainian Air Force allegedly conducted a successful drone strike against Russian forces in the town of Chornobaivka, just to the north of Kherson.[23]

Ukrainian officials alleged that beginning on 27 February, Russian forces began moving civilians from nearby villages towards Kherson, attempting to use them as human shields.[24]

28 February

On 28 February, Russian troops entered the village of Zimivnyk from the Chornobayiv airport after having completely surrounded Kherson.[citation needed]

March

1 March

In the early morning of 1 March, Ukrainian officials stated that Russian forces had launched a renewed assault on Kherson and were advancing from Kherson International Airport to the highway between Kherson and Mykolaiv. While conducting heavy shelling, Russian forces surrounded the city and reached the highway, advancing to the village of Komyshany before establishing a checkpoint.[25][26] Russian forces entered Kherson later in the day.[27] Kolykhayev described the impact on citizens in the city, stating that many remained in their homes and in bomb shelters. He also claimed that schools and high rise buildings were damaged by the fighting, while residential buildings were being fired upon by Russian forces. Kolykhayev also claimed that on 1 March, Russian soldiers shot citizens armed with Molotov cocktails.[28] In the early morning of 2 March, Kolykhayev reported that Russian forces captured a railway station and a river port.[28] Later in the morning, Russian forces were seen at Svobody Square in central Kherson, where the Kherson Regional Administration building is located.[25] The Russian Ministry of Defense later claimed to have captured the city,[29] while Ukrainian and American officials denied the claim and stated that fighting continued.[30][31]

2 March

Later on 2 March, a group of around ten Russian officers, including a commander, entered the city council building where Kolykhaiev was.[1] That evening, Kolykhaiev announced that he had surrendered the city and that the Russian commander intended to set up a military administration.[1] Kolykhaiev acknowledged the Ukrainian military was no longer present in Kherson, and another official stated the Russian military was in all parts of the city. According to Kolykhaiev, the battle led to the deaths of around 300 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians and severe destruction of the city's infrastructure.[1] He also said that bodies were being buried in mass graves, and that many remains were unrecognizable.[1][32]

Occupation

Main article: Russian occupation of Kherson Oblast

After the city fell, a military occupation began of the city and the Kherson Oblast. On 23 March, Ukrainian forces launched counterattacks against Russian forces in Kherson Oblast.[33][34] A senior US defense official claimed that the Russian forces no longer had full control of Kherson as the Ukrainians fought "fiercely" to recover the city. However, CNN reported the situation in the city remained unchanged, citing residents confirming Kherson was under full Russian control.[35] Ukrainians in Kherson also "questioned the Pentagon’s assessment, saying that the city remained in Russian hands".[36][37]

See also

References

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