Battle of Orikhiv | |||||||
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Part of the southern Ukraine campaign of the Russian invasion of Ukraine | |||||||
![]() Orikhiv City Council (located in a 19th century mansion) after shelling on 21 May 2022 | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Casualties and losses | |||||||
Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
30 civilians killed |
The battle of Orikhiv is a military engagement between Russian and Ukrainian forces that began on 8 March 2022 in the area of Orikhiv as part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In the first days of the invasion, Russian forces were able to take over many towns in the south, including the cities of Melitopol,[2] Berdiansk[3] and Enerhodar.[4] Orikhiv and villages around it were subjected to strong artillery and aerial attacks, but Russian forces were not able to capture it.[5] On May 7, Ukrainian sources claimed that Russians shelled the hospital in the city.[6] After that came numerous reports of Russian shelling taking a heavy toll on the city, destroying its gymnasium and city council (located in a 19th century mansion) on May 21.[7][8] On 25 October, deputy mayor of the city claimed 70% of it has been destroyed.[9]
On 4 April 2023, deputy mayor Svitlana Mandrich reported that Russian missile strikes had been so constant that the 2,000 residents who remained in Orikhiv, including 60 children, rarely left their basement shelters. She estimated that the city could endure up to 500 explosions in a single day and reported that 30 civilians had been killed in Orikhiv since the shelling began.[10]
On 10 June 2023 during the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive, CNN reported that only 1,400 civilians remained in the city, mainly living in basements and makeshift bunkers.[11]
During a Russian attack on Orikhiv on 26 June, a woman was killed when a shell hit her house, and her injured husband was taken to the hospital.[12][13] Further shelling of Orikhiv and Preobrazhenka resulted in a number of elderly residents being injured and one dying.[14]
On 10 July 2023, a Russian glide bomb hit a school building being used to distribute aid, killing 7 people and injuring 11. The Ukrainian General Prosecutor's office said the incident was being investigated as a war crime.[15]
On 22 January 2024, it was reported that not a single high-rise building in Orikhiv was left standing and that the city has been without gas and electricity since the second month of the invasion.[16]
On 21 February 2024, a Russian 550-pound glide bomb tore through the dome of the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary located in the center of Orikhiv. The explosion caused the stained-glass windows to be destroyed with shrapnel being scattered all over the edifice. An icon of Jesus was reported to have survived the explosion.[17]
In March 2024, Orikhiv was characterized by The Economist as a "ghost town", as an estimated 1,000 civilians remained in the city, with every building said to have been either damaged or destroyed. The 3rd Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine was coordinating drone strikes in nearby Robotyne from basements in Orikhiv.[18]
On 7 May 2024, Russian forces launched 16 attacks west of Verbove and Robotyne, on what Ukrainska Pravda called the "Orikhiv front".[19] On 12 May 2024, Ukrainian forces claimed to have repelled 17 Russian attacks towards Staromaiorske, Robotyne, Verbove and Novodanylivka, which they referred to collectively as the "Orikhiv direction".[20]
Part of the Russo-Ukrainian War | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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