Battle of Volnovakha

Battle of Volnovakha
Part of the Eastern Ukraine offensive of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
File:Volnovakha Reuters.jpg A man on a bicycle rides past a destroyed vehicle in Volnovakha, after the battle.
Date 25 February – 12 March 2022 (2 weeks and 1 day) Location Volnovakha, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine Status Russian victory Volnovakha claimed to be completely destroyed Mariupol is surrounded by Russian troops
Belligerents
Russia Donetsk PR	Ukraine
Commanders and leaders
Alexei Berngard Vladimir Zhoga† Artem Zhoga	Pavlo Sbytov†
Units involved
DPR Armed Forces Sparta Battalion 100th Brigade 3rd Regiment	Ukraine Armed Forces Ukraine Army 15th Mountain Assault Battalion Georgian Legion Ukrainian Navy 503rd Naval Infantry Battalion National Guard of Ukraine Azov Battalion Donbas Battalion
Casualties and losses
Unknown 1 Su-25 lost 1 Mi-8 lost	Unknown 1 Su-25 lost 1 pilot captured

The battle of Volnovakha was a military engagement which lasted from 25 February 2022 until 12 March 2022, as part of the Eastern Ukraine offensive during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russian and DPR forces engaged Ukrainian forces at the small city of Volnovakha in Donetsk Oblast, which is located close to the Ukrainian-DPR border.

The battle was spearheaded by DPR forces and led to the widespread destruction of the town and heavy casualties on both sides.

Battle

On 25 February, the second day of the invasion, Russian forces shelled Volnovakha, hitting civilian areas. The Guardian wrote that Russian bombing of Volnovakha resembled tactics that Russia had previously used on civilian targets in Syria. On February 25, DPR forces captured the neraby town of Mykolaivka according to Russian media. Ukrainian officials reported that Volnovakha was on the verge of humanitarian crisis by February 28, and was almost destroyed by March 1, with nearly 90% of its buildings either damaged or destroyed. The city was also cut off from food, water, and electricity. Following the bombardment, bodies laid uncollected in the streets, according to local MP Dmytro Lubinets.

By 1 March, nearly 500 civilians were evacuated from Volnovakha by Ukrainian authorities.

On 4 March, a Russian Sukhoi Su-25 was shot down over Volnovakha. A Russian Mil Mi-8 helicopter was later shot down as it approached the wreck of the Su-25.

On 5 March, DPR authorities announced that Colonel Vladimir Zhoga, the commander of Sparta Battalion and a close confidant of Arsen Pavlov, had been killed in action at Volnovakha. Denis Pushilin, the Head of the Donetsk People's Republic, posthumously awarded Zhoga with the award Hero of the Donetsk People's Republic, while Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, posthumously awarded him the title of Hero of the Russian Federation. Artem Zhoga, his father and chief of staff, succeeded him as commander of Sparta Battalion. On 7 March, Ukrainian and Russian forces agreed to the establishment of a demilitarized humanitarian corridor through Volnovakha and the nearby city of Mariupol, which had been under siege since 24 February, in order to evacuate civilians from the two cities; however, Russian forces allegedly violated the demilitarization zone.

On 11 March, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that DPR forces had captured Volnovakha. Videos later posted on social media showed Russian soldiers and vehicles stationed in the city, as well as abandoned Ukrainian tanks.

On 12 March, Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of Donetsk Oblast, stated that Russian forces had completely destroyed Volnovakha and that the city had "effectively ceased to exist", but that fighting continued. The Associated Press confirmed that the city had been captured by pro-Russian separatists and much of it had been destroyed in the fighting. Later, Ukrainian officials reported that Captain Pavlo Sbytov, the commander of the Ukrainian 503rd Naval Infantry Battalion, had been killed in battle.

On 14 March, a Ukrainian Su-25 was shot down by Russian forces in near Volnovakha. The pilot, Roman Vasyliuk, captured by Russian forces was later released on 24 April, by a Russo-Ukrainian prisioner swap.