The battle of Ivankiv was a military engagement that was part of the Kyiv offensive in the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

for control of the town of

Ivankiv Ivankiv ( uk, Іва́нків ) is an urban-type settlement in Vyshhorod Raion, Kyiv Oblast (province) of Ukraine. It is situated on the left bank of the Teteriv River. Ivankiv hosts the administration of Ivankiv settlement hromada, one of the hr ...

which is the location of a key crossing over the river

Teteriv The Teteriv () is a right tributary of the Dnieper River in Ukraine. It has a length of 365 km and a drainage basin of 15,300 km². In the underflow the valley of the Teteriv in Polissia on up to 4 km, the width of the river widens ...

. The combatants were elements of the

Russian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (, ), commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military forces of Russia. In terms of active-duty personnel, they are the world's fifth-largest military force, with at least two m ...

and

Ukrainian Ground Forces The Ukrainian Ground Forces ( uk, Сухопу́тні військá Збрóйних сил Украї́ни), also known as the Ukrainian Army, are the Army, land forces of Ukraine and one of the five Military branch, branches of the Armed For ...

. The battle lasted from 25 February 2022 to 31 March 2022 and ended with the withdrawal of Russian forces. The battle was part of a larger tactic to encircle

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

, the capital city of

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. While Russian forces captured the village on 27 February, the armed forces of Ukraine resisted the Russian advance in the capital's western suburbs of

Irpin Irpin ( uk, Ірпі́нь, ) is a Hero City of Ukraine located on the Irpin River in Bucha Raion, Kyiv Oblast (province) right next to the city of Kyiv in northern Ukraine. Irpin hosts the administration of Irpin urban hromada, one of the hroma ...

, Bucha, and

Hostomel Hostomel ( uk, Гостомель, ) is a city in Bucha Raion, Kyiv Oblast, northwest of the capital city of Kyiv. It hosts the administration of Hostomel settlement hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. The population of the settlement is app ...

Battle

In the early morning of 25 February 2022, Russian forces approached

from the northeast after making a breakthrough in the

Battle of Chernobyl During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone was captured on 24 February (the first day of the invasion) by the Russian Armed Forces, who entered Ukrainian territory from neighbouring Belarus and seized the entire ...

. Ukrainian forces destroyed the bridge crossing the

Teteriv River The Teteriv () is a right tributary of the Dnieper River in Ukraine. It has a length of 365 km and a drainage basin of 15,300 km². In the underflow the valley of the Teteriv in Polissia on up to 4 km, the width of the river widens ...

at Ivankiv, halting the advance of Russian tanks heading towards Kyiv. Ukrainian airborne assault troops engaged Russian soldiers at Ivankiv and the nearby village of

Dymer Dymer may refer to: * Dymer, Poland * Dymer, Kyiv Oblast Dymer ( uk, Димер, russian: Ды́мер) is an urban-type settlement in Vyshhorod Raion of Kyiv Oblast (province) of Ukraine with a population of It hosts the administration of Dyme ...

. Among reported Russian units involved was the 5th Separate Guards Tank Brigade, losing some vehicles. Some Russian forces were able to break through Ivankiv and captured the strategically significant

Antonov Airport Antonov Airport ( uk, аеропорт «Антонов» ), also known as Hostomel (or Gostomel) Airport ( uk, аеропорт «Гостомель»), is an international cargo airport and testing facility in Ukraine, located near Hostomel, wh ...

after a skirmish. The airport is located just northwest from Kyiv. Fighting in Ivankiv continued into the afternoon and evening of 25 February, with Russian forces shelling the town with

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

, causing some civilian casualties. Ivankiv is also the location of a major gas pipeline, which if destroyed could halt the transfer of Ukrainian gas to much of Europe. On 26 February, fighting in Ivankiv continued and on 27 February, the

Ivankiv Historical and Local History Museum The Ivankiv Historical and Local History Museum ( uk, Іванківський історико-краєзнавчий музей) was a history museum in Ivankiv, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine, which was destroyed during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukra ...

was destroyed by Russian forces during the battle, with the loss of over twenty works by Ukrainian artist Maria Prymachenko. In response, the Ukrainian Minister of Culture, Olexandr Tkachenko, requested that Russia lose its

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

membership. On the morning of 27 February, a convoy of Russian vehicles more than long was seen on satellite images heading towards Ivankiv. By 28 February, the convoy had grown to around long. The capture of Ivankiv by Russian forces was confirmed on 2 March.

Aftermath

On 31 March, Ukrainian forces retook control of Ivankiv and Dymer following a withdrawal by the Russian military from the town.RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, APRIL 1
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References

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History of Kyiv Oblast Kyiv offensive (2022)