Memorial Day of the Heroes of Krut. What was the fateful battle for the freedom of Ukraine?
Category
Ukraine
Publication date

Memorial Day of the Heroes of Krut. What was the fateful battle for the freedom of Ukraine?

Memorial Day of the Heroes of Krut. What was the fateful battle for the freedom of Ukraine?
Source:  online.ua

On January 29, Ukraine honors the memory of the Heroes of Kruty, who in 1918 were able to repel the rapid Bolshevik offensive on Kyiv, sacrificing their own lives.

Points of attention

  • The Battle of Kruty is a symbol of the heroism and patriotism of the Ukrainian people.
  • Ukrainian youth defended freedom and statehood, although the enemy forces were ten times superior.
  • The systematic heroization of the Battle of Kruty began during the era of the Ukrainian State under Hetman Pavlo Skoropadsky.

Ukrainian youth against Bolshevik troops

The battle near the Kruty railway station, 130 kilometers northeast of Kyiv, went down in history as the “Fight for the Future.”

It lasted four days and was actually able to change the course of Ukrainian history.

Several hundred young Ukrainian soldiers were able to stop an enemy army ten times larger than theirs — hundreds of Russian Bolsheviks were destroyed in the battle.

It was the heroic self-sacrifice of Ukrainians near Kruty that gave our diplomats time at the negotiations in Brest to achieve recognition of the independence of the UNR and receive foreign military assistance to repel Russian-Bolshevik aggression.

What is important to understand is that the least prepared elements of the newly formed Ukrainian army rushed to stop the Red Guard forces — we are talking about several hundred Kyiv cadets, as well as students and high school students.

The most famous battle plan near Kruty, depicted by centurion Serhiy Goryachko (Photo — Wikimedia)

How the Battle of Kruty is remembered by its participants

One of the Ukrainian soldiers, Nikifor Avramenko, who was lucky enough to survive, said that his kuren retreated after the battle and left under the cover of an "armored train."

Their personnel losses amounted to about 30 killed and up to 60 wounded.

Despite this, as Nikifor notes, the losses of the Russian Bolsheviks were many times greater, since it was the enemy who was conducting the offensive.

Another hero, Levko Lukasiewicz, recalls that by the end of the battle, the cadets had only a few bullets left.

"It was a very difficult retreat. We, the soldiers, realized that we were partially surrounded. The ammunition was getting less and less. Many shooters' rifles jammed from overheating and stopped firing. They, like the less experienced shooters, gave the ammunition to the better shooters, and they themselves put a bayonet on their rifles as their only last weapon, and sadly retreated under the bullets of the enemy advancing from all sides," says the Ukrainian soldier.

Grave of the Krutyan warriors Volodymyr Naumovich and Volodymyr Shulgin in Kyiv

By staying online, you consent to the use of cookies files, which help us make your stay here even better 

Based on your browser and language settings, you might prefer the English version of our website. Would you like to switch?