Battle of Brest (1792)

Battle context

The Battle of Brest formed part of the broader Polish–Russian War of 1792, in which Russian forces moved against the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth following the adoption of the Constitution of 3 May 1791. At Brest, a Polish–Lithuanian force of approximately 5,000 troops attempted to block the Russian advance toward Warsaw, opposing a Russian detachment of roughly equal strength under Ivan Fersen. Commonwealth casualties of 356 indicate the engagement was contested, though no decisive result is recorded. The battle reflected the wider strategic pressure the Commonwealth faced as Russian columns drove toward the capital, contributing to the conditions that ultimately forced the Commonwealth's capitulation and the abandonment of the May 3rd Constitution.