Global InformationBattle of Debaltseve information
| Battle of Debaltseve | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the war in Donbas and the Russo-Ukrainian War | |||||||||
 Map showing the encirclement and withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Debaltseve and its surrounding areas. | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Ukraine |
 Donetsk PR Luhansk PR Russia | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
Serhiy Shaptala[4] Oleksandr Syrskyi[5] Semen Semenchenko (WIA) Isa Munayev †[6] Adam Osmayev[7] Yevhen Yukhanov †[8] Dmytro Zaharia (WIA)[9] |
Alexander Zakharchenko (WIA)[10] Aleksey Mozgovoy[11] Nikolai Kozitsyn[12] | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
|
Ukrainian Armed Forces:
|
| ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 2,500-5,000[22] |
12,000–17,000 (Ukrainian claim)[23] | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
|
267 killed[24] 112–121 captured[*][25][26] 508–668 wounded[4][22][27] (Ukrainian claim) |
868 killed (Ukrainian claim)[23] 58 killed (separatist claim)[11][28][29][30] 70 Russian soldiers killed (Russian opposition claim)[31] | ||||||||
| 500+ civilians killed (separatist claim)[32] | |||||||||
| * 104 prisoners were released.[33] | |||||||||
The Battle of Debaltseve was a military confrontation in the city of Debaltseve, Donetsk Oblast, between the pro-Russian separatist forces of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), and the Ukrainian Armed Forces, starting in mid-January 2015 during the war in the Donbas region. The Russian forces composed mostly of "Wagner Group" soldiers[34] recaptured Debaltseve, which had been under Ukrainian control since a counter-offensive by government forces in July 2014. The city lay in a "wedge" of Ukrainian-held territory bordered by the DPR on one side, and the LPR on the other, and is a vital road and railway junction.[35]
Separatist and Russian forces began a concerted effort to force Ukrainian troops out of the city on 16–17 January, sparking the battle. Heavy fighting went on until 18 February 2015, when Ukrainian forces retreated from Debaltseve to Artemivsk (present-day Bakhmut).
It was the last major battle during the 2014–2015 phase of the war in Donbas, as the Minsk II ceasefire took effect on 15 February 2015, although fighting continued in Debaltseve for several days after.
- ^ a b Kramer, Andrew; Herszenhorn, David (18 February 2015). "A Bloody Retreat From Debaltseve as Ukrainian Forces Suddenly Withdraw". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
KP2323was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
moregroundwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "After Debaltseve Defeat, What Next?: Out from Debaltseve hell and back to the trenches". Kyiv Post. 20 February 2015.
- ^ "Новий командир на Донбасі: що відомо про генерала Сирського". BBC News Україна (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 6 December 2021.
- ^ a b "Isa Munayev died in the battle for Debaltseve". Info News. 2 February 2015. Archived from the original on 3 February 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
- ^ "Adam Osmayev: Cotswolds public schoolboy turned Ukraine militia commander". The Telegraph. 7 February 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- ^ "Debaltseve police chief killed". Kyiv Post. 11 February 2015.
- ^ "Загария.Парасюк: Начальник милиции Львовской области Загария жив, но тяжело ранен / Гордон". gordonua.com. 10 February 2015.
- ^ Self-proclaimed Donetsk republic head Zakharchenko slightly injured in Debaltseve, Kyiv Post
- ^ a b c "Alexei Mozgovoi's "Ghost" brigade in the Debaltsevo operation". Life News. 29 January 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
- ^ a b "Who Are The Cossack Fighters Who Spearheaded Rebels' Capture Of Debaltseve In Eastern Ukraine?". International Business Times. 22 February 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
- ^ "Захоплені життям".
- ^ "40th battalion near Debaltseve almost surrounded, pleads for reinforcements". Retrieved 23 April 2016.
- ^ "Ukraine's casualties spike as separatist spies and saboteurs roam behind army lines". Kyiv Post. 1 February 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
NYT13FEBYwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Examiner: Russian media admits that regular Russian troops took Debaltseve". KyivPost. 21 February 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
- ^ Andrei Gorianov; Olga Ivshina (31 March 2015). "Боец "спецназа ДНР": помощь России была решающей" (in Russian). BBC. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
- ^ "Severely Injured Russian Soldier Describes Deployment To Ukraine". The Interpreter Magazine. 2 March 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
- ^ a b c d Sutyagin, Igor (March 2015). "Russian Forces in Ukraine" (PDF). Briefing Paper. Royal United Services Institute: 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 October 2015.
- ^ "Мы все знали, на что идем и что может быть". Новая газета. 2 March 2015.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
endangeredwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Бірюков повідомив про загибель майже 3 тисяч бойовиків в районі Дебальцевого [Biryukov reported the death of almost 3 thousand fighters in the Debaltsevo region]. Ukrainian Pravda (in Ukrainian). 20 February 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
- ^ Книга пам'яті загиблих [Book of remembrance of the fallen] (in Ukrainian). memorybook.org.ua. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- ^ "Colonel General Stepan Poltorak: 2,130 Ukrainian soldiers have left Debaltseve". 21 February 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
- ^ "Втрати під Дебальцеве з 24.01.15 по... - Oleksandr Budulych - Facebook". Facebook. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- ^ Weaver, Courtney (9 February 2015). "City of Debaltseve emerges as a tipping point in Ukraine's war". Financial Times.
- ^ "Ukraine town 'deserted and destroyed' after rebel offensive". Zee News. 10 February 2015.
- ^ "Ukraine rebels bury dead who fell hours before ceasefire". Agence France-Presse. 16 February 2015.
- ^ "Ukraine conflict: Rebels celebrate victory in Debaltseve". CBC News. 19 February 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
- ^ "Nemtsov Report: 220 Russian Soldiers Died in Ukraine Battles". VOA. 12 May 2015. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
OCHA27FEBYwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "139 Ukrainian troops released in war prisoner exchange". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
- ^ Quinn, Allison (30 March 2016). "Vladimir Putin sent Russian mercenaries to 'fight in Syria and Ukraine'". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
- ^ "US warns of more sanctions on Russia". BBC. 28 January 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2015.