Every year on January 29, Ukraine honors the feat of the heroes of the Battle of Kruty. 107 years ago, brave Ukrainian youth stood up to defend their country's independence from the advance of the Bolsheviks, who outnumbered and outgunned them, with honor and self-sacrifice.
In January 1918, cadets of a youth school, students, high school students, and volunteers, at the cost of their own lives, were able to stop the advance of Mikhail Muravyov's troops for several days.
ICTV Facts tells the main facts of the Battle of Kruty and the history of the Day of Remembrance of the Heroes of Kruty.
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Battle of Kruty — history and main facts
During 1917-1921, a number of events related to the national liberation struggle took place on the territory of Ukraine. The Ukrainian people and their political elite desired their own statehood. The reason for the beginning of the Ukrainian Revolution (1917-1921) was the February Revolution in Petrograd, which liquidated tsarism in the Russian Empire.
On November 7 (October 25), 1917, the October Revolution began in Petrograd — the Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, seized power. Thus began the formation of the communist totalitarian regime, as well as the struggle for control over Ukraine. The Soviet government declared the Ukrainian Central Rada (created on March 17, 1917), which had high authority among Ukrainians, its rival.
On December 17, 1918, the Council of People's Commissars (Bolsheviks) issued an ultimatum to the Ukrainian authorities: allow the transfer of Bolshevik troops from the front to the Don and abandon the formation of the Ukrainian Front. The Ukrainians rejected the demands. Therefore, the Council of People's Commissars decided that the Central Rada was in a state of open war against Soviet power in Russia and Ukraine.
On January 7, 1918, the Bolsheviks launched an offensive against Ukraine. By mid-January 1918, the Red Army controlled almost all of its left bank and was advancing toward Kyiv. On January 22, the Ukrainian Central Rada proclaimed the independence of the Ukrainian People's Republic by the IV Universal. This did not please the Bolsheviks even more.
After the capture of Poltava, the 1st Revolutionary Army advanced west along the railway, and the 2nd Army advanced from Gomel (Belarus) to the city of Bakhmach, which is in the Chernigov region. It was at the intersection of the railways that both armies planned to unite.
The Bakhmach railway station was defended for a long time by soldiers from Department 1 of the Ukrainian Youth Military School of centurion Averky Goncharenko. The Bolsheviks surrounded them, so the soldiers were forced to retreat to the Kruty station, where they began to fortify themselves.
On January 28, two Soviet armies under the command of Mikhail Muravyov united in Bakhmach and began to advance toward Kyiv.
— Comrades, I know that many of you are tired, but you have a little work to do. Our task is to take Kyiv, and then you can return home. You have suffered a lot, but they will answer for your suffering with blood. We will show them, just let them get to Kyiv. If necessary, I will spare nothing: I will leave no stone unturned in Kyiv.
Don't spare the residents, they didn't spare us, they tolerated the Haidamaks' management. We'll shoot and cut them all. We'll show them there's nothing to fear from bloodletting. Whoever is not with us is against us, Muravyov said.
However, already on January 29, the Red Army soldiers stopped at the Kruty station. Students of the Kyiv Youth Military School named after Bohdan Khmelnytsky and the Local Student Kuren of the Sich Riflemen (18-20-year-old youths from the University of St. Vladimir, the Ukrainian People's University, the Kyiv Cyril and Methodius Gymnasium) came out against a numerous and stronger enemy.
The youths were unprepared and had poor weapons. The guys were joined by about 80 volunteers from the Free Cossacks units from Nizhyn.
How the battle near Kruty took place
According to historians, the Ukrainian youths fought bravely and heroically. The only cannon fired at the enemy was the centurion Semyon Loshchenko. The boys were able to inflict significant losses on the Bolsheviks and hold off the offensive until dark. There were significantly more Red Army soldiers, so our soldiers were forced to retreat and head in the direction of Kyiv.
On January 29, 1918 there were up to 520 Ukrainian soldiers, young men and students at Kruty station, armed with 16 machine guns and one cannon. The Russians were almost ten times superior, had an armored train and artillery. The UPR troops near Kruty were commanded by Averky Goncharenko.
But one student group – 27 guys, lost in the dark – returned to the Kruty station and were captured by the enemy. The young men were tortured and then executed.
According to various estimates, 70-100 Ukrainians died in the battle near Kruty. Today, the names of 20 of them are known.
- Students of the People's University: Alexander Sherstyuk, Isidor Purik, Borozenko-Kononchuk, Golovashchuk, Chizhov, Sirik, Omelchenko (centurion);
- Students of the Kyiv University of St. Vladimir: Alexander Popovich, Vladimir Shulgin, Nikolai Lizogub, Bozhko-Bozhinsky, Dmitrenko, Andreev;
- High school students of the 2nd Cyril and Methodius Gymnasium: Andrei Sokolovsky, Evgeniy Ternavsky, Vladimir Gnatkevich, Grigor Pipsky, Ivan Sorokevich, Pavel Kolchenko (ensign), Nikolai Gankevich.
Later, almost all the heroes were buried at Askold's Grave in Kyiv.
The losses of the Red Army soldiers reached 300 man.
The feat of Ukrainian students held back the advance of Bolshevik troops on Kyiv for four days — this gave time for negotiations to conclude the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk on February 9.
Unfortunately, on February 4, 1918, Mikhail Muravyov's troops nevertheless approached Kyiv and began a massive artillery bombardment.
However, in April, thanks to the support of German and Austro-Hungarian troops (according to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk), the Ukrainians liberated almost all of Ukraine from the Bolsheviks.
Traditions of honoring the feat at Kruty
Since 2003, on January 29, Ukrainians come to the memorial cross to the Heroes of Kruty in Kyiv, where they light lamps and lay flowers. Also on this day, reconstructions of the battle near Kruty are organized.
In 2006, a Memorial to the Heroes of Kruty was opened at the Kruty station. In 1998, the National Bank issued a commemorative coin worth 2 hryvnia for the 80th anniversary of the battle, and in 2019, a film about the heroes was made, Kruty 1918.
Today, the heroes of Kruty are compared to the defenders of the Donetsk airport, who fought bravely and gave their lives during the war in Donbass.
More facts about the battle of Kruty can be read in our article.
