Battle of Krynky
Battle of Krynky was a battle waged between Russian and Ukrainian armed forces over the village of Krynky, which lasted from 20 October 2023 to 17 July 2024, when the Ukrainian Armed Forces retreated across the Dnieper.
Background
During the first day of Russian invasion of Ukraine the village of Krynky was occupied by the Russian Armed forces.Timeline of the battle
2023
In September 2023 the Katran group of troops has been formed as part of the Ukrainian armed forces to conduct an offensive operation on the left bank of the Dnieper river. Initially comprising only two TDF brigades as well as SOF and HUR units, it was expanded to include all of the Ukrainian Marine Corps.The purpose of the operation was to divert the troops of the Russian Armed Forces from Donbass to the southern front, consisting of following objectives:
- Objective minimum: occupation of the defensive line along the left bank of the Dnieper river from Kinburn spit to Kakhovka. Cut the Russian logistics on the M14 highway.
- Objective maximum: Establishing control over a part of the left bank of the Kherson region from Antonovsky Bridge to Perekop, opening the path to Crimea.
As the battle progressed, by December the village of Krynky became almost completely destroyed, with Russian airstrikes turning the river bank "into a mass of mud and splintered trees".
2024
In May 2024 it was rumored that Ukrainian army would abandon Krynky. This was denied by the Head of Communications of the Defense Forces of the South Dmitry Pletenchuk.On 16 July 2024, it became known that Ukrainian units had withdrawn from Krynky. According to the military in this area, it happened already "a few weeks ago." After that, the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that the main positions of the Ukrainian military "were destroyed by intense, combined and prolonged enemy fire" of the Russian Armed Forces.
Casualties
Ukrainian
As a result of the fighting, 788 Ukrainian servicemen were reported by Ukrainian sources to be Missing In Action. At the same time, the number of dead soldiers who were taken out identified and buried there amounted to 262 people during this period.On 19 July 2024, The Telegraph reported that more than 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers were thought to have been killed during the battle.
On 26 July 2024, Suspilne reported that many of the relatives of the missing soldiers were struggling to obtain information from the Ukrainian military about them.
As of 129 January 2026, UALosses has confirmed the names of 287 Ukrainian soldiers killed, 755 missing, and 35 who are currently prisoners of war.
Evacuating bodies from the left bank presented a real challenge for the attacking side, with some bodies not being evacuated for months.
Russian
According to the UK Defense Ministry, Russian casualties in the battle included a large number of elite units like marines or airborne troops.According to the Ukrainian Marine Corps, Russian losses included 1,216 killed, 2,217 wounded, 24 tanks, 48 armored vehicles, 89 artillery systems and mortars, and nine multiple launch rocket systems.
Dmytro Lykhovyi, the spokesman for the Tavria Operational Group, claimed that Russian equipment losses were 4-5 times higher than Ukrainian equipment losses.
In November 2023, Major General Vladimir Zavadsky, deputy commander of the 14th Army Corps, was killed near Krynky.