Battle of Vasylkiv

Battle context

The Battle of Vasylkiv occurred on 26 February 2022, two days into Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian forces under Aleksandr Chaiko had crossed the Belarus–Ukraine and Russia–Ukraine borders into northern Ukraine, pushing into the Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, and Zhytomyr oblasts with the stated operational objective of capturing Kyiv and decapitating the Ukrainian government. Vasylkiv, situated in the broader Kyiv axis, was part of this opening thrust. Ukrainian forces numbering approximately 20,000 faced a Russian force of around 70,000, sustaining some 200 casualties. The engagement took place in forested terrain that shaped the conditions of contact. The broader Russian northern offensive ultimately failed to seize Kyiv, and the fighting around Vasylkiv was part of the Ukrainian resistance that contributed to stalling that advance.