Shelling of Orikhiv

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Battle of Orikhiv
Part of the southern Ukraine campaign of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Orikhiv City Council (located in a 19th century mansion) after shelling on 21 May 2022
Date8 March 2022 – present
Location
Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine
Result Ongoing
Belligerents
Russia Russia Ukraine Ukraine
Commanders and leaders
Russia Alexander Romanchuk[1]
 Ukraine Oleksandr Tarnavskyi[1]
Casualties and losses
Unknown Unknown
30 civilians killed

The battle of Orikhiv is a military engagement between Russian and Ukrainian forces that began on 8 March 2022 in the area of Orikhiv as part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Events

In the first days of the invasion, Russian forces were able to take over many towns in the south, including the cities of Melitopol,[2] Berdiansk[3] and Enerhodar.[4] Orikhiv and villages around it were subjected to strong artillery and aerial attacks, but Russian forces were not able to capture it.[5] On May 7, Ukrainian sources claimed that Russians shelled the hospital in the city.[6] After that came numerous reports of Russian shelling taking a heavy toll on the city, destroying its gymnasium and city council (located in a 19th century mansion) on May 21.[7][8] On 25 October, deputy mayor of the city claimed 70% of it has been destroyed.[9]

On 4 April 2023, deputy mayor Svitlana Mandrich reported that Russian missile strikes had been so constant that the 2,000 residents who remained in Orikhiv, including 60 children, rarely left their basement shelters. She estimated that the city could endure up to 500 explosions in a single day and reported that 30 civilians had been killed in Orikhiv since the shelling began.[10]

On 10 June 2023 during the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive, CNN reported that only 1,400 civilians remained in the city, mainly living in basements and makeshift bunkers.[11]

During a Russian attack on Orikhiv on 26 June, a woman was killed when a shell hit her house, and her injured husband was taken to the hospital.[12][13] Further shelling of Orikhiv and Preobrazhenka resulted in a number of elderly residents being injured and one dying.[14]

On 10 July 2023, a Russian glide bomb hit a school building being used to distribute aid, killing 7 people and injuring 11. The Ukrainian General Prosecutor's office said the incident was being investigated as a war crime.[15]

On 22 January 2024, it was reported that not a single high-rise building in Orikhiv was left standing and that the city has been without gas and electricity since the second month of the invasion.[16]

On 21 February 2024, a Russian 550-pound glide bomb tore through the dome of the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary located in the center of Orikhiv. The explosion caused the stained-glass windows to be destroyed with shrapnel being scattered all over the edifice. An icon of Jesus was reported to have survived the explosion.[17]

In March 2024, Orikhiv was characterized by The Economist as a "ghost town", as an estimated 1,000 civilians remained in the city, with every building said to have been either damaged or destroyed. The 3rd Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine was coordinating drone strikes in nearby Robotyne from basements in Orikhiv.[18]

On 7 May 2024, Russian forces launched 16 attacks west of Verbove and Robotyne, on what Ukrainska Pravda called the "Orikhiv front".[19] On 12 May 2024, Ukrainian forces claimed to have repelled 17 Russian attacks towards Staromaiorske, Robotyne, Verbove and Novodanylivka, which they referred to collectively as the "Orikhiv direction".[20]

References

  1. ^ a b Miller, Sergio (1 October 2022). "Tactical Lessons: The Battle of Orikhiv". Wavellroom. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  2. ^ "Russia says it has captured Ukraine's Melitopol". Reuters. 26 February 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  3. ^ "Бердянськ захопили бойовики, у Харкові та Сумах – тиша: Арестович про ситуацію в Україні | Факти ICTV". 2022-02-28. Archived from the original on 2022-02-28. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  4. ^ "Ukraine after 11th night of war: Mayor killed, towns taken, Moscow promises civilian corridors to Russia". Baltic News Network. 2022-03-07. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  5. ^ Schwirtz, Michael; Addario, Lynsey (2022-04-26). "Standing in the path of war, a small Ukrainian town braces as Russians advance". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  6. ^ "Російські війська завдали удару по лікарні Оріхова, – ФОТО | Перший Запорiзький". 1news.zp.ua. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  7. ^ "В Оріхові в результаті ворожих обстрілів зруйновано гімназію та старовинну будівлю міськвиконкому". 061.ua - Сайт міста Запоріжжя (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  8. ^ "Храми, палаци та маєтки. Найкрасивіші пам'ятки України, зруйновані Росією під час війни". BBC. 2023-08-13.
  9. ^ "Оріхів у Запорізькій області зруйновано на 70% – влада міста". Українська правда (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  10. ^ Query, Alexander (4 April 2023). "Stranded civilians brave shelling, return to Ukraine's front-line towns". Kyiv Independent. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  11. ^ "'What is there to be afraid of?' Ukrainians in battered southern town hopeful about counteroffensive". CNN. 10 June 2023.
  12. ^ Roshchina, Olena (27 June 2023). "Woman killed in attack on Orikhiv, her husband hospitalised". Ukrainska Pravda. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  13. ^ "Woman killed, three injured in Zaporizhzhia region due to shelling over past day". Ukrinform. 27 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  14. ^ "Russian troops strike at Orikhiv in Zaporizhzhia, killing, wounding civilians". Ukrinform. 27 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  15. ^ "Russian attack on humanitarian aid point kills seven, Ukraine says". 10 July 2023.
  16. ^ https://war.ukraine.ua/articles/how-does-the-frontline-town-of-orikhiv-live/
  17. ^ https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/apr/14/once-center-of-ukraines-hopes-town-of-orikhiv-now-/
  18. ^ "A grinding, difficult war on Ukraine's southern front". The Economist.
  19. ^ "16 attacks in 24 hours: Russian forces intensify operations on Orikhiv front".
  20. ^ "Ukrainian defence forces repelled 17 Russian attacks in Orikhiv direction and 5 on left bank of Dnipro". 12 May 2024.

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