Battle of Ilovaisk

Battle of Ilovaisk
Part of the War in Donbass

Burnt civilian car in Ilovaisk after shelling
Date7 August – 2 September 2014[1]
(3 weeks and 5 days)
LocationIlovaisk
Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine
Result Decisive DPR victory[2][3] and signing of the Minsk Protocol
Belligerents
 Ukraine Donetsk People's Republic[4][5]
Commanders and leaders
Ukraine Col. Gen. Valeriy Heletey[6]
Ukraine Lt. Gen. Ruslan Khomchak[7]
(Sectoral commander)
Ukraine Semen Semenchenko (WIA)[8]
Ukraine Yuriy Bereza (WIA)[9]
(Dnipro Battalion commander)
Ukraine Ruslan Storcheus †[9]
(Kherson Battalion commander)		 Russia General Valery Gerasimov
(claimed by the SBU)[10]
Aleksandr Zakharchenko
Alexander Khodakovsky
Mikhail Tolstykh ("Givi")[11]
Russia Arseny Pavlov ("Motorola")[12]
Units involved

Armed Forces of Ukraine:

Internal Affairs Ministry:

Donbass People's Militia:

Russian Armed Forces (denied by Russia)

Strength
1,200[16] 4,000–4,100[17]
Casualties and losses
366–459 killed, 158 missing, 429–478 wounded, 128–545 captured (acc. Armed Forces of Ukraine)[18][19][20]
1,000+ killed (acc. Verkhovna Rada & People's Front)[17]		 150–300 killed,[21][22] 20 captured[8] (acc. government & Russian opposition)
100 civilians killed[12]

The Battle of Ilovaisk[note 1] started on 7 August 2014, when the Armed Forces of Ukraine and pro-Ukrainian paramilitaries began a series of attempts to capture the city of Ilovaisk from pro-Russian insurgents affiliated with the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR).[2][23] Whilst government forces were able to enter the city on 18 August, they quickly became encircled by the insurgents.[24] After days of encirclement, government forces made an agreement with the insurgents, favoured by Russian president Vladimir Putin, to allow them to retreat from the city.[25] This agreement was not honoured, and many soldiers died whilst trying to escape.[8][26]

Events

Ilovaisk is an important city between the insurgent strongholds of Donetsk and Luhansk. Government forces hoped to cut-off insurgent supply lines between these two cities, and hence intended to rout insurgents from the city. Government forces made their first attempts to breach the DPR-controlled city on 7 August 2014.[2] Artillery fire was reported in the town on 10 August 2014. Over the next few days, government forces made multiple attempts to enter the city, but were bogged down by heavy fighting with the insurgents.[23]

Government forces enter Ilovaisk

DPR fighters and BTR-80 assault the Azov and Dnipro Battalions
Motorola's Division fighters in Ilovaisk

Government forces made an attempt to enter Ilovaisk during the day on 18 August, but failed. Led by the Donbas Battalion, government forces made another attempt to storm the city on the night of 18–19 August.[24][27][28] This attempt was successful, and they raised the Ukrainian flag over the city administration building without any casualties. Ukrainian media viewed this victory as an example of the strength and effectiveness of the government "Anti-Terrorist Operation" (ATO) against the insurgents.[24] As government forces entered the city, Donbas Battalion commander Semen Semenchenko was wounded after being struck by mortar fire[29] and was evacuated for medical treatment. Following the flag-raising, the Internal Affairs ministry said that volunteer territorial defence battalions, including the Donbas, Dnipro and Azov, were "clearing" the city of "terrorists", specifically mentioning that they killed "a great number" of insurgents from the Oplot Battalion of the Donbass People's Militia.[28] They also said that reinforcements from the National Guard of Ukraine were forthcoming.[24] After a day of fighting, roughly fifty percent of Ilovaisk was under government control. Governments forces also captured six insurgents, including one Serbian volunteer.[30]

On the following day, 20 August, government forces said they took complete control of Ilovaisk. This was denied by DPR officials, who said that they remained in control. Over the course of the day, government forces fought off numerous insurgent counter-attacks.[31] Street battles took place across the city, and at least nine Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the fighting. Following this, the Donbas Battalion requested reinforcements.[32] By 21 August, amidst heavy and constant fighting, the Internal Affairs ministry stated that twenty-five percent of those from volunteer paramilitary battalions killed since the ATO began were killed in Ilovaisk.[24] No reinforcements for government forces arrived. According to commander Semenchenko, some members of the Donbas Battalion were killed when insurgents flying the Ukrainian flag attacked an ambulance. Semenchenko described this act as "medieval savagery".[24] He also said that the Donbas Battalion had been "abandoned" by both the Ukrainian government and the other volunteer paramilitary battalions, both of which largely withdrew from the city.[24]

Encirclement of government forces; Ilovaisk under siege

The remaining government forces in Ilovaisk became completely encircled by DPR insurgents and Russian reinforcements on 24–26 August, and the fighting continued to take its toll.[8] Ukrainian soldiers started seeing Russian regular army troops on 24 August, and their presence increased over the next few days.[5][25] According to the DPR, a large number of Ukrainian soldiers and paramilitaries were trapped in the town.[33] During the fighting, the Ukrainian commander of the Dnipro Battalion suffered a concussion, while the commander of the Kherson Battalion was killed.[9] In response to commander Semenchenko's pleas, many Euromaidan activists in the Ukrainian capital Kiev protested what they saw as the government's "abandonment" of the volunteers fighting against the insurgents.[34] Repeated artillery barrages launched by insurgent forces from nearby villages caused heavy casualties amongst the trapped government forces.[8]

Government forces retreat and massacre

After days of being under siege in Ilovaisk, commanders of government forces in the city attempted to negotiate an agreement that would allow them to withdraw from the city.[8][11] Russian president Vladimir Putin said in the early morning on 29 August that a "humanitarian corridor for besieged Ukrainian soldiers" should be established, allowing the trapped soldiers to leave Ilovaisk.[25] Yuriy Bereza, a commander in the Dnipro Battalion, managed to quickly reach an agreement with Russian commanders in Ilovaisk to establish such a corridor.[8] DPR prime minister Alexander Zakharchenko confirmed that an agreement had been made, and also said that Ukrainian forces were required to leave their armoured vehicles and ammunition behind as a condition of the agreement.[35] Government forces regrouped at Mnohopillya, just south of Ilovaisk proper, and prepared to withdraw.[36] As this was happening, the Russian commanders attempted to change the terms of the agreement, suggesting a new route out of Ilovaisk, demanding that Ukrainian forces surrender all weaponry, and that they leave behind the volunteer battalions. Lt. General Ruslan Khomchak, commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Ilovaisk, replied that his troops would leave as agreed previously, and ordered them "to march in full battle readiness".[36]

At 06:00, government forces began to move out of Ilovaisk in a column of sixty vehicles.[8] The first lorry in the column, carrying dead and wounded soldiers, was flying a white flag. The column advanced 10 kilometres (6 1⁄4 mi) along the corridor, about an hour's drive, but was then surrounded by Russian and insurgent troops.[8][25] These troops opened fire on the column with mortars and heavy machine guns. Vehicles exploded, and the column was obliterated.[8] Soldiers attempted to flee, but many were captured by Russian and insurgent forces. One fleeing Ukrainian soldier described the situation as "a real meat grinder".[25] At least 100 soldiers were killed in the ambush, with many more injured or taken prisoner. The Ukrainian government described the events as a "massacre".[9][37] One insurgent commander said he had taken 173 Ukrainian soldiers prisoner near Ilovaisk, in the aftermath of the ambush. He said that he would use them as laborers to rebuild destroyed Donbass cities.[25] A Ukrainian official said that, in total, more than 500 Ukrainian soldiers had been taken prisoner by pro-Russian forces.[5] Commanders and soldiers of the pro-government volunteer paramilitary battalions, blamed the Ilovaisk incident on Ukrainian army leadership, and felt "betrayed by Ukraine" in its aftermath.[25] According to an advisor of Internal Affairs minister Arsen Avakov, 97 Ukrainian soldiers managed to escape from Ilovaisk on 1 September.[38][39]

Aftermath

A criminal probe into the failure of government troops in Ilovaisk was opened 4 September.[6] Two months after the battle, many bodies of Ukrainian soldiers were still being found around Ilovaisk. According to head of the Verkhovna Rada's Iloviask investigative committee Andriy Senchenko, up to 1,000 soldiers died in the Battle of Ilovaisk. Defence minister Valeriy Heletey was forced to resign on 14 October, in part because of his responsibility for the failure of military coordination during the battle.[6][40]

Notes

  1. ↑ In the Ukrainian language, the battle is referred to as the "Ilovaisk Kettle" (Ukrainian: Іловайський котел, Ilovays'kyy kotel). The word "kettle" refers to encirclement by enemy forces, which is termed "falling into the kettle". The word is also used to refer to battles during the Second World War, such as the "Kiev Kettle". It is also applied to the early 2015 Battle of Debaltseve, which has been described as a "Second Ilovaisk".

References

  1. ↑ Kate Parkinson (2 September 2014). "Anti-gov't forces in control of eastern town of Ilovaisk". China Central Television News. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 Tim Judah (5 September 2014). "Ukraine: A Catastrophic Defeat". The New York Review of Books. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  3. ↑ Peter Leonard (30 August 2014). "Pro-Russia rebels confident after making gains". bigstory.ap.org. Archived from the original on 2014-09-02. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  4. ↑ Lindsey Hilsum (2 September 2014). "Evidence of Russian presence in Ukraine - video". Channel 4 News. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 Shaun Walker; Oksana Grytsenko (3 September 2014). "Russian soldier: 'You're better clueless because the truth is horrible'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 "Bodies of victims of Ilovaisk massacre still being found, counted weeks later". Kyiv Post. 16 October 2014. Archived from the original on 17 October 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  7. ↑ Howard Amos in Moscow and Roland Oliphant in Mariupol (31 August 2014). "Vladimir Putin demands negotiations over 'statehood' for eastern Ukraine". The Daily Telegraph.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Ukraine Suffers Harsh Defeat in Eastern Town". The Wall Street Journal. 2 September 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Oksana Grytsenko (3 September 2014). "Survivors recall Ilovaisk massacre". Kyiv Post. Archived from the original on 7 September 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  10. ↑ "Russian Army General Staff Chief Gerasimov, ten Russian military servicemen suspected of involvement in Ilovaisk tragedy - SBU". Kyiv Post. 5 August 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
  11. 1 2 "Pro-Russian rebels take Ukrainian town". CNN. 3 September 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  12. 1 2 Lucian Kim (4 November 2014). "The Battle of Ilovaisk: Details of a Massacre Inside Rebel-Held Eastern Ukraine". Newsweek. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  13. ↑ Oksana Grytsenko (3 September 2014). "Survivors recall Ilovaisk massacre". kyivpost.com. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  14. ↑ Roman Svyrydov (26 August 2014). "Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs: Commander of the Kherson Battalion and its driver were lost near Ilovaysk". News.pn. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  15. ↑ Shaun Walker; Oksana Grytsenko; Leonid Ragozin (4 September 2014). "Russian soldier: 'You're better clueless because the truth is horrible'". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  16. ↑ Dan Peleschuk (29 August 2015). "Ukraine is still at war, and its bloodiest battle isn't over". GlobalPost. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  17. 1 2 "About 1,000 soldiers killed in Ilovaisk battle - parliament commission". uatoday.tv. 26 August 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  18. ↑ "The missing: what have they done with our sons?". The Guardian. 3 February 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  19. ↑ Interfax Ukraine (17 April 2015). "Up to 459 Ukrainian soldiers killed near Ilovaisk in 2014 - Ukraine's chief military prosecutor".
  20. ↑ "Ukraine crisis: Troops abandon Luhansk airport after clashes". BBC News. 1 September 2014. Archived from the original on 31 August 2014.
  21. ↑ "Nemtsov allies release report on Russian involvement in Ukraine". The Malaysian Insider. AFP. 12 May 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  22. ↑ "107 Ukrainian and 300 Russian soldiers Killed near Ilovaisk - Defense Minister". 14 September 2014.
  23. 1 2 Батальоны "Донбасс" и "Азов" понесли потери в бою за Иловайск [Battalions "Donbass" and "Azov" suffered losses in the battle for Ilovajsk]. TSN (in Russian). 11 August 2014. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014.
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Lily Hyde (24 August 2014). "Abandoned Donbas Battalion fights on". Kyiv Post. Archived from the original on 25 August 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Oksana Grytsenko (3 September 2014). "Survivors recall Ilovaisk massacre". Kyiv Post. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  26. ↑ Jamie Dettmer (24 November 2014). "Should the U.S. Arm Ukraine's Militias?". The Daily Beast (Dnipropetrovsk). Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  27. ↑ Из "иловайского котла" вырвались еще 84 украинских бойца. Segodnya (in Russian). 1 September 2014. Archived from the original on 26 September 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
  28. 1 2 "Government forces clearing Ilovaisk of snipers". National News Agency of Ukraine. 19 August 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  29. ↑ "Ukrainian troops inch closer to rebel city Donetsk". Hindustan Times. Associated Press. 19 August 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  30. ↑ "Serbian national from Slovakia is captured after the Battle of Ilovaisk". Euromaidan Press. 19 August 2014. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  31. ↑ "Ukraine conflict: Fierce battle for town of Ilovaisk". BBC News. 20 August 2014. Archived from the original on 21 August 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  32. ↑ Richard Balmforth (20 August 2014). "Street Battles in Eastern Ukraine Town Kill Nine: Ministry". Business Insider/Reuters. Archived from the original on 25 September 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  33. ↑ "Donetsk militias encircle Ukrainian troops near Ilovaisk". Information Telegraph Agency of Russia. 26 August 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  34. ↑ "Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine based on information received as of 18:00 (Kyiv time), 28 August 2014" (Press release). Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. 29 August 2014. Archived from the original on 15 September 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  35. ↑ "Eastern Ukraine rebel leader agrees to let encircled Ukraine troops leave". Reuters. 29 August 2014. Archived from the original on 30 August 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  36. 1 2 Lucian Kim (4 November 2014). "THE BATTLE OF ILOVAISK: DETAILS OF A MASSACRE INSIDE REBEL-HELD EASTERN UKRAINE". Newsweek. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  37. ↑ Pavel Polityuk; Kiryl Sukhotski (2 September 2014). "Russian forces strengthening positions in Ukraine - Kiev military". Reuters. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  38. ↑ "97 soldiers of "Donbas" battalion break siege near Ilovaisk". The National Radio Company of Ukraine. 1 September 2014. Archived from the original on 1 September 2014. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  39. ↑ "Kyiv says over 50 soldiers break siege near Ilovaisk". Kyiv Post. Interfax-Ukraine. 1 September 2014. Archived from the original on 2 September 2014. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  40. ↑ "Ukraine Turns To New Defence Chief Ahead of Russia Talks". Defense News. Agence France-Presse. 13 October 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.

External links

Coordinates: 48°20′00″N 38°25′00″E / 48.3333°N 38.4167°E / 48.3333; 38.4167

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, April 15, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.