The siege of Chernihiv was a military engagement in the city of

Chernihiv Chernihiv (, ; , ) is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast and Chernihiv Raion within the oblast. Chernihiv's population is The city was designated as a Hero City of Ukraine ...

, in

Chernihiv Oblast Chernihiv Oblast (), also referred to as Chernihivshchyna (), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in northern Ukraine. The capital city, administrative center of the oblast is the city of Chernihiv. There are 1,511 sett ...

in the north of

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. It began on 24 February 2022, as part of the northern Ukraine offensive, during the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

. On 4 April 2022, Ukrainian authorities stated that the Russian military had left

. The city was about 70% destroyed due to the siege.

Initial battle

Before the invasion, Ukraine's 1st Tank Brigade, numbering 2,000 men, was headquartered at a base in Honcharivske, which was struck by Russian missiles early in the morning of 24 February 2022. Hours into the war, an estimated 30,000 Russian troops began moving towards the city of Chernihiv, crossing the Ukrainian border from three directions. Their plan was to rapidly take Chernihiv to facilitate an advance on Kyiv along the eastern bank of the

Dnieper River The Dnieper or Dnepr ( ), also called Dnipro ( ), is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. Approximately long, with ...

, according to Ukrainian officials. Pre-war defense plans called for the Ukrainian military to hold a defensive line between

Ripky Ripky () is a rural settlement in Chernihiv Raion, Chernihiv Oblast, northern Ukraine. The village of Hlynenka is subordinated to Ripky. It hosts the administration of Ripky settlement hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: Histor ...

and

Horodnia Horodnia (, ) is a small city in Chernihiv Raion, Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine. It has had city status since 1957. Horodnia hosts the administration of Horodnia urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: 11,240 (2023 estimate), Geo ...

, about 35 kilometers from the border of Belarus. Due to the speed of the Russian advance, the 1st Tank Brigade failed to reach Ripky in time, and Russian forces managed to reach and

Sedniv Sedniv (Ukrainian language, Ukrainian: Седнів, Yiddish language, Yiddish: סעדניוו) is a Populated places in Ukraine#Rural settlements, rural settlement in Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine. Located in Chernihiv Raion, Sedniv is the seat of t ...

, 20-25 kilometers from Chernihiv, before encountering resistance. The first columns of Russian vehicles to approach Chernihiv were ambushed and destroyed by the 1st Tank Brigade on the highway north of the city, stalling the Russian advance and giving the Ukrainians time to prepare defenses. According to Major General Viktor Nikoliuk, commander of Ukraine's

Operational Command North The Operational Command North () is a command of the Ukrainian Ground Forces in northern Ukraine. It was formed in 2013 from the Operational Command West and Territorial Directorate North by reforming the 13th Army Corps (Ukraine), 13th Army Corps ...

, the brigade's first battles took place near , where five Russian tanks were damaged. In the afternoon of 24 February, Ukrainian commander-in-chief

Valerii Zaluzhnyi Valerii Fedorovych Zaluzhnyi (; born 8 July 1973) is a Ukrainian four-star general and diplomat who is currently serving as Ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom. He served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from 2 ...

announced that a reconnaissance platoon of the Russian 74th Motorized Rifle Brigade had surrendered near Chernihiv, with the unit's commander claiming "nobody thought that we were going to kill". The same day, the Ukrainian military repelled a Russian attack in Chernihiv and seized Russian equipment and documents. According to the

British Ministry of Defence The Ministry of Defence (MOD or MoD) is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for implementing the defence policy set by the government and serves as the headquarters of the British Armed Forces. ...

, Russian forces had failed to capture the city and instead opted to bypass the city through an alternative route to

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

. Ukrainian officials reported that the Russian forces were heading towards the nearby towns of

and Semenivka.

Siege

February

On 25 February 2022, the

Russian Ministry of Defense The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation (; MOD) is the governing body of the Russian Armed Forces. The President of Russia is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Commander-in-Chief of the forces ...

announced that Russian forces had surrounded Chernihiv and were laying siege to the city. The next day, Ukrainian forces claimed the defeat of a Russian military unit that attempted to capture the city. Several Russian tanks were allegedly seized by Ukrainian forces. The Ukrainian government also said that Russian

BM-21 Grad The BM-21 "Grad" () is a self-propelled 122 mm multiple rocket launcher designed in the Soviet Union. The system and the M-21OF rocket were first developed in the early 1960s, and saw their first combat use in March 1969 during the Sino-S ...

multiple rocket launcher A multiple rocket launcher (MRL) or multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) is a type of rocket artillery system that contains multiple rocket launcher, launchers which are fixed to a single weapons platform, platform, and shoots its rocket (weapon ...

s (MRL) hit hospitals and kindergartens in Chernihiv, though this claim was not independently verified. That day, an archive of the

Security Service of Ukraine The Security Service of Ukraine ( ; abbreviated as SBU [] or SSU) is the main Internal security, internal security agency of the Government of Ukraine, Ukrainian government. Its main duties include counter-intelligence activity and combati ...

(SBU) was bombed by Russian forces. On 27 February, Ukrainian officials said that Russian forces damaged most of Chernihiv's city center with missiles, and destroyed the historic

Shchors cinema Building of the Chernihiv Regional Youth Center (), formerly Shchors cinema () was a building in Chernihiv, Ukraine. The building was an architectural monument of local significance in Chernihiv. A former cinema, the building has housed the Chern ...

. Russian forces later claimed that they had completely blockaded the city. Ukrainian sources also claimed that 56 Russian fuel trucks were destroyed by Ukrainian forces. On 28 February, the village of Kyinka came under fire. Cluster munitions, repudiated by most countries, were used in the attack. Saboteurs with the support of armored vehicles also tried to break into Chernihiv; they were found and killed in the outskirts of Chernihiv. On this day, the villages of Mykhailo-Kotsiubynske and came under Russian occupation.

March

On 1 March, Ukrainian officials stated that

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

joined the Russian invasion and was sending a column of military vehicles towards Chernihiv from the Belarusian city of

Grodno Grodno, or Hrodna, is a city in western Belarus. It is one of the oldest cities in Belarus. The city is located on the Neman, Neman River, from Minsk, about from the Belarus–Poland border, border with Poland, and from the Belarus–Lithua ...

. US officials disagreed with this claim, stating that there was "no indication" that Belarus had invaded.

Vyacheslav Chaus Vyacheslav Anatoliyovych Chaus (; born on 28 August 1977) is a Ukrainian politician who is currently the governor of Chernihiv Oblast since 4 August 2021. Biography Vyacheslav Chaus was born in Chernihiv on 28 August 1977. In 1995, he graduat ...

, the

governor of Chernihiv Oblast The governor of Chernihiv Oblast is the head of executive branch for the Chernihiv Oblast. The office of governor is an appointed position, with officeholders being appointed by the president of Ukraine, on recommendation from the prime ministe ...

, stated that every access point to the city was heavily mined. On 2 March, the mayor of Chernihiv, Vladyslav Atroshenko, predicted that

urban warfare Urban warfare is warfare in urban areas such as towns and cities. Urban combat differs from combat in the open at both Military operation, operational and the Military tactics, tactical levels. Complicating factors in urban warfare include the p ...

in the city was possible. Two missiles hit a hospital in the city during the day, according to the health administration chief Serhiy Pivovar. On 3 March, a Russian airstrike was reported to have hit residential buildings and two schools. Around 47 people were reported killed, and 18 others were injured. On 2 March, according to historian Oleksandr Yasenchuk, Russian forces were pushed back along the Chernihiv-

Sosnytsia Sosnytsia () is a Populated places in Ukraine#Rural settlements, rural settlement in Koriukivka Raion (raion, district) of Chernihiv Oblast (oblast, province) in north-central Ukraine. It is located on the west bank of the Ubid River, a tributary ...

highway up until the intersection with the road to

. North of Chernihiv, he said that Ukrainian forces were holding positions at Khaliavyn. He also claimed that Russian forces had taken control of the long-defunct Chernihiv Shestovytsia Airport due to the fact that they were using old Soviet-era maps. Between 3-4 March, Russian forces of the 55th Mountain Motor Rifle Brigade managed to cross the

Desna River The Desna ( Russian and ) is a river in Russia and Ukraine, a major left-tributary of the Dnieper. Its name in means "right hand". It has a length of , and its drainage basin covers .Yahidne, using a pontoon bridge that withstood Ukrainian bombardment. Major General Nikoliuk, who narrowly escaped an ambush in Yahidne, said that the village was burned by Russian troops. Additional roadblocks and fortifications were established on the section of the M01 highway south of Chernihiv, to prevent the Russians from encroaching on the city from their bridgehead. On the night of 4 March, a Ukrainian checkpoint outside of Yahidne was destroyed by Russian mortar shelling, missiles, and airstrikes, forcing the Ukrainians to retreat. After destroying the checkpoint, Russian troops stormed , between 5-8 March, where five BMPs and up to 50 personnel of Ukraine's 58th Motorized Brigade were stationed. The five BMPs were destroyed, and multiple Ukrainian soldiers were killed in action as the unit escaped encirclement and withdrew from Ivanivka. Several Russian attacks on were subsequently repelled, with an armored assault by a Russian mechanized company decisively defeated in the center of the village by a tank detachment of the 58th Brigade and a unit of the

National Guard of Ukraine The National Guard of Ukraine (NGU; , ; /NHU ) is the Ukrainian national gendarmerie and internal military force. It is part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, responsible for public security. Originally created as an agency under the dire ...

. Ukrainian forces then held Kolychivka for the duration of hostilities. On 5 March, on the outskirts of Chernihiv, in , the Ukrainian military shot down a Russian attack aircraft; both pilots were captured. On 6 March, as of the morning, 141 settlements in the region were left without electricity. Attacks continued as the Russian Air Force dropped heavy bombs intended for fortifications on residential buildings. The city received humanitarian aid (food, medicine, etc). Due to the threat of shelling, the trucks were immediately unloaded. On 10 March, Mayor Vladyslav Atroshenko said that Russian forces had completed the encirclement of Chernihiv, adding that the city was completely isolated and critical infrastructure for its 300,000 residents was rapidly failing as it came under repeated bombardment. A Russian airstrike also damaged the Chernihiv Arena. On 11 March, the Chernihiv Stadium and a library were badly damaged by a Russian airstrike. The "Hotel Ukraine" building in the city was destroyed on 12 March. Ukrainian forces later claimed to have destroyed a Russian missile unit shelling the city, with some Russian troops surrendering. On 13 March, a Russian airstrike at 05:46 hit a dormitory, killing five civilians according to the State Emergency Services. A church on the cemetery Yatsevo was destroyed by shelling (about 3,000 graves on this cemetery were also damaged during the siege). Ukrainian forces later claimed to have shot down a Russian fighter jet while it was bombing Chernihiv. On 14 March, Chaus stated that Russian airstrikes had destroyed the

Chernihiv Polytechnic National University The Chernihiv Polytechnic National University () is a state-sponsored higher educational institution in Chernihiv, Ukraine, of IV level of accreditation, founded in 1960. History The activities of CPNU began in 1960 as the general technical f ...

. The Office of the

Prosecutor General of Ukraine The Prosecutor General of Ukraine (also ''Procurator General''; , ) heads the system of official prosecution in courts known as the Office of the Prosecutor General (, or, before 2020, ). The prosecutor general is appointed and dismissed by th ...

stated that ten civilians were killed during the shelling of the city. Near Chernihiv, the Ukrainian military defeated an enemy tank unit that was to participate in an attack on Kyiv. On 16 March, a Russian attack killed at least 18 and injured 26 civilians, who were waiting in a line for bread. On 25 March, Ukrainian authorities said that Russian forces had cut-off the northern city of Chernihiv after destroying a road bridge across the Desna in the south, while attempts to fully encircle the city remained unsuccessful. On 30 March 2022, the Korolenko Chernihiv Regional Universal Scientific Library was bombed, along with the market in the city center. Also a specialized table tennis hall in the Khimik Sport Complex was hit by the Russian army. Russian forces aimed at the sports complex, but the rocket did not reach the building, leaving a funnel on the sports ground nearby. The depth of the funnel reached about ten meters. The Khimik Sport Complex, received severe damage – all the windows were broken, plaster crumbled, tables, floor, ceiling, electrical equipment were damaged. Practically, the center for table tennis became unusable.

Russian withdrawal

On 31 March, the Ukrainian army recaptured a main road connecting Kyiv and Chernihiv, ending the siege, according to

David Axe David Axe (born April 11, 1978) is an American military correspondent, blogger, and graphic novelist. Axe founded the website ''War Is Boring'' in 2007 as a webcomic, and later developed it into a news blog. Early life and education David Axe ...

, citing

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

users. Chaus and the city's deputy mayor reported that 31 March marked the first quiet night since the war began. On 1 April, Ukraine claimed that Russian forces were withdrawing from the Chernihiv region. On 31 March, the Ukrainian army reportedly recaptured the village of Shestovytsia, having retaken the village of Sloboda on 30 March. The 58th Brigade's recapture of Sloboda forced the Russians to withdraw from Lukashivka to avoid encirclement; Ukrainian forces entered Lukashivka by 31 March. By 2 April, Ukrainian forces had taken the settlements of Mykhailo-Kotsiubynske, Yahidne, Ivanivka and . By 3 April, the Ukrainian army had recaptured the village of Kolychivka. as Governor Chaus stated that the Russian military left Chernihiv Oblast, but that it had planted mines in many areas.Russian Military Leaves Chernihiv Region, Plants Mines In Many Areas - Governor Chaus

Ukrainian News Agency The Ukrainian News Agency ( ) is a Kyiv-based Ukrainian news agency. It produces and provides political, business and financial information, as well as a popular photo reporting service. Since February 2008 the company is part of the Inter Medi ...

(4 April 2022) On 5 April, Russia completed their withdrawal from the

, conclusively ending fighting in the region. The discovery of abandoned Russian army uniforms in Yahidne, , and Zolotynka led Nikoliuk to conclude that Russian forces had changed into civilian clothing and gone into hiding. Russian soldiers hiding out in villages in the region were periodically discovered by the National Guard of Ukraine in the aftermath of the hostilities.

Aftermath

On 2 March, ''

The Kyiv Independent ''The Kyiv Independent'' is an English-language Ukraine, Ukrainian online newspaper founded in November 2021, three months before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, by former staff of the ''Kyiv Post'' and media c ...

'' reported on a

WhatsApp WhatsApp (officially WhatsApp Messenger) is an American social media, instant messaging (IM), and voice-over-IP (VoIP) service owned by technology conglomerate Meta. It allows users to send text, voice messages and video messages, make vo ...

audio message allegedly recorded by a woman from

Aleysk Aleysk () is a town in Altai Krai, Russia, located on the Aley River ( Ob's tributary), southwest of Barnaul. Population: 32,000 (1968). Administrative and municipal status Within the framework of administrative divisions, Aleysk serves a ...

, Russia. The woman stated that nearly all of a "tank brigade", part of the

35th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade The 35th Separate Guards Volgograd-Kiev Orders of Lenin, Suvorov and Kuzov Red Banner Motor Rifle Brigade (; Military Unit Number 41659) is a unit of the Russian Ground Forces. It traces its history back to the formation of the Soviet 4th Tank Co ...

which is based in Aleysk, had been killed in battle near Chernihiv; only 18 soldiers of the original 150 survived. The woman described the dead soldiers as "mostly very young men". The woman stated that 45 coffins were expected to arrive on the day of her message. The Chernihiv Regional Prosecutor's Office stated that at least 123 Ukrainian soldiers, 100 civilians and five policemen, had been killed as of 15 March. On 16 March, Ukrainian and American officials claimed that Russian forces attacked a group of civilians who were waiting in a breadline, killing 10.

governor

stated on 17 March that 53 people were killed in the city during the previous day alone. By the end of the siege, more than half of the city's population of almost 300,000 had fled. The total civilian casualty count is unknown; however, the city's mayor Vladyslav Atroshenko told reporters that he estimated 350–400 civilians had been killed with up to 100 people being buried a day. Humanitarian workers claimed the same numbers, but mostly Ukrainian and Russian soldiers. Chernihiv's governor, Vyacheslav Chaus, said that secure evacuation corridors were being hastily established before an anticipated return of Russian forces to the city. Residents of the outlying town of Lukashivka reported Russian forces performed beatings and mock executions, as well as confiscating phones, passports, household items such as carpets and pillows, and executing livestock to harass the locals before the town was recaptured by Ukrainian forces on 1 April. Despite fully withdrawing from the region in late March, Russian shelling of Chernihiv continued throughout April and May. On 17 May, a Russian missile strike in the Desna region of Chernihiv killed 8 civilians and wounded an additional 12. In August 2022, a Russian sergeant who was captured by Ukrainian forces was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment for committing

war crimes A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hos ...

during the siege.

Analysis

According to a ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' piece on the battle for Kyiv, the Ukrainian resistance in Chernihiv played a "critical role" in preventing the Russian military from succeeding its assault on the capital. ''

Ukrainska Pravda ''Ukrainska Pravda'' is a Ukrainian socio-political online media outlet founded by Heorhii Gongadze in April 2000. After Gongadze’s death in September 2000, the editorial team was led by co-founder Olena Prytula, who remained the editor-in ...

'' opined that if Chernihiv had fallen, the defense of Kyiv would have become impossible. Col. Leonid Khoda, commander of the 1st Tank Brigade, said after the siege that control over a hilltop northeast of Chernihiv was crucial to the defense of the city. It was fiercely contested for several days, with Russian

FAB-500 The FAB-500 is a Soviet-designed general purpose air-dropped bomb with a high-explosive warhead, primarily used by the Russian Aerospace Forces, former Soviet republics and customer countries. The original M-54 model was rolled out in 1954, ...

bombs ultimately destroying much of the hill itself. While Chernihiv was often portrayed in media as a "city under siege", there was a Ukrainian-held "

road of life The Road of Life () was the set of ice road transport routes across Lake Ladoga to Leningrad during the Second World War. They were the only Soviet winter surface routes into the city while it was besieged by the German Army Group North und ...

" through the village of that connected the city with its southern outskirts, which were defended by the 58th Motorized Infantry Brigade. The destruction of a concentration of Russian armor in proved to be critical in preventing a full siege of Chernihiv. Khoda said that by mid-March, the Russians were suffering from logistical issues, had accumulated significant losses of personnel and equipment, and no longer had sufficient forces to enter Chernihiv.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chernihiv, Siege of

Sieges of the Russo-Ukrainian War February 2022 in Ukraine March 2022 in Ukraine April 2022 in Ukraine

Siege A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...