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It has been suggested that this article be merged into Battle of Donbas (2022). (Discuss) Proposed since March 2024.

Battle of Siversk
Part of the battle of Donbas in the eastern Ukraine offensive of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
Residential building in Siversk and remains of a cluster rocket in August 2022
Date 3 July – 8 September 2022 (2 months and 5 days) Location Siversk, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine Result Ukrainian victory
Belligerents
Russia  Donetsk PR  Luhansk PR	Ukraine
Units involved
55th Mountain Motor Rifle Brigade Donetsk People's Militia Luhansk People's Militia	115th Mechanized Brigade
Casualties and losses
Ukrainian claim: 30+ soldiers killed	DPR claim: 29+ soldiers killed 100+ wounded

The battle of Siversk was a military engagement during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, as part of the battle of Donbas of the wider eastern Ukraine offensive, that began on 3 July 2022. Russian forces ceased launching assaults on and around Siversk on 28 July, with a lull in fighting throughout August. Due to gains made from the Kharkiv counteroffensive, Russian forces were unable to make further gains towards Siversk from September 8.

Background

On 25 June, Russian forces captured Sievierodonetsk and the surrounding villages. Russian forces captured the twin city of Lysychansk on 2 July, fully capturing Luhansk Oblast.

Battle

On 3 July 2022, the LPR announced that fighting for Siversk had begun, although this claim was rejected by Ukraine and Western observers. Fighting intensified on 4 July for the villages of Verkhniokamianske, Hryhorivka, Spirne, and especially Bilohorivka, the last town in Luhansk Oblast under Ukrainian control. A separatist official claimed that Russian forces captured the village of Hryhorivka on 9 July. On 11 July, Russian forces reached to just within a few kilometers of Siversk, although the Ukrainian General Staff claimed that a Russian assault on Spirne and Ivano-Darivka suffered serious losses.

An LPR official told TASS on 13 July that Russian and separatist forces had entered Siversk, saying the town could fall "in a couple of days". The next day, Luhansk Oblast governor Serhiy Haidai said that Russian forces were trying to "break into" Siversk through small settlements in order to eventually advance on Bakhmut.

On 15 July, Russian forces launched a failed attack on Verkhnokamyanske and Spirne. Between 16–19 July, clashes began around Ivano-Darivka, Bilohorivka, and Berestove. These battles spread to Spirne, Serebrianka, and Verkhnokamyanske on 19 July, with Ukrainian forces also falling back to the center of Hryhorivka. On 23 July, the Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian forces failed to advance in the directions of Verkhnokamyanske and Siversk. According to the ISW, the language of the Ukrainian report suggested that Russian forces may have advanced closer to the outskirts of Siversk itself.

On 28 July, Russian forces reportedly did not conduct any assaults towards Siversk for the first time since the battle began. On 9 September, Russian forces did not conduct any attacks on Siversk for the first time since July, having withdrawn from their positions surrounding the town.

Casualties

Four foreign volunteers—two Americans, one Canadian, and one Swede—fighting for Ukraine were killed by tank fire on 22 July during an attempt to clear Russian forces out of a ravine in Hryhorivka, according to territorial defense forces commander Ruslan Miroshnichenko.

The head of the military administration of the Donetsk Oblast reported 30 Russian soldiers killed in a raid in the peripheral area on 28 July, while also claiming that Russian losses were constantly increasing.

According to a senior DPR official, Ukrainian casualties since the beginning of the battle were over 29 soldiers killed and at least 100 wounded. The same officer later attributes these losses to accurate multiple rocket launcher strikes by Russian and separatist forces.

Analysis

On 20 July, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) stated that the Russian grouping in the Siversk area was likely still severely degraded by recent operations to complete the capture of the Luhansk Oblast and was therefore only making slow and grinding progress towards Siversk, and that they were continuing to degrade their own offensive combat power in localized fights for small and relatively unimportant settlements. It was also stated that Russian troops were struggling to move across relatively sparsely-settled and open terrain, and would encounter terrain much more conducive to the Ukrainian defenders the closer they would get to the E40 around Sloviansk and Bakhmut due to the increasing population density and built-up nature of those areas. The ISW concluded that the current Russian offensive in Donbas would likely to culminate somewhere along the E40 in the following weeks.

On 28 July, the ISW stated that Russian forces may be de-emphasizing attempts to take Siversk in order to concentrate on Bakhmut, as they have been struggling to make concrete gains around Siversk and have not made any confirmed advances toward the city since the capture of the Luhansk Oblast Administrative border in early July. The ISW concluded that Russian command is likely seeking to maintain momentum around Bakhmut, potentially at the expense of continued pressure on Siversk.

See also

• Outline of the Russo-Ukrainian War

References

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18. Miller, Christopher. "Russian tank attack in eastern Ukraine kills 2 Americans, Canadian and Swede". Politico. Archived from the original on 2023-07-13. Retrieved 2022-07-24.
19. "Two Americans Killed in the Donbass". Atlas News. 2022-07-23. Archived from the original on 2022-07-24. Retrieved 2022-07-24.
20. ^ "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Archived from the original on 2022-03-25. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
21. "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 20". Institute for the Study of War. 20 July 2022. Archived from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
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• Articles to be merged from March 2024
• Battles of the Russian invasion of Ukraine
• July 2022 events in Ukraine
• August 2022 events in Ukraine
• September 2022 events in Ukraine
• Eastern Ukraine offensive
• Battles of the war in Donbas
• Donetsk Oblast in the Russian invasion of Ukraine
• Siversk
• Battles in 2022