Battle of Kharkiv (2022)

Battle of Kharkiv (2022)
	Part of the eastern Ukraine campaign of the Russian invasion of Ukraine
	; A street in downtown Kharkiv after being shelled
Date	24 February – 14 May 2022; (2 months, 2 weeks and 6 days)
Location	Kharkiv, Ukraine
Result	Ukrainian victory
Belligerents
Russia	Ukraine
Units involved
Russian Armed Forces; Russian Ground Forces; 1st Guards Tank Army 2nd 'Tamanskaya' Guards Motor Rifle Division; 4th Guards Tank Division; 47th Guards Tank Division; 27th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade; ; 20th Guards Combined Arms Army 3rd Motor Rifle Division; 144th Guards Motor Rifle Division 488th Motor Rifle Regiment; ; ; 6th Combined Arms Army; 41st Combined Arms Army; 14th Army Corps 200th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade; 80th Arctic Motor Rifle Brigade; ; PMC Redut	Ukrainian Armed Forces Ukrainian Ground Forces 40th OABr; 92nd OMBr 22nd Motorized Infantry Battalion; ; 93rd OMBr; ; Kraken Regiment; Territorial Defense Forces; 113th Kharkiv Defense Brigade; International Legion (by 27 February 2022); Ukrainian Air Force; National Guard of Ukraine; Security Service of Ukraine; National Police of Ukraine; Dzhokhar Dudayev Battalion; Sich Battalion; Ukrainian irregulars;
Strength
1st GTA: 25,000–30,000 troops; 20th CAA: 20,000 troops,; 560 BMP fighting vehicles,; 300 T-72 tanks; 80th Brigade: 2,000 troops; 200th Brigade: 1,400–1,600 troops;	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Ukrainian claim:; 4,099+ killed; Equipment losses: 308+ vehicles destroyed, including 131+ tanks (1st GTA)	Russian claim:; 276+ killed,; 471 captured
	Per Ukraine:; 606 civilians killed; 600,000+ evacuated;

The battle of Kharkiv was a military engagement that took place from February to May 2022 in and around the city of Kharkiv in Ukraine, as part of the eastern Ukraine offensive during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Kharkiv, located just 30 kilometres (19 mi) south of the Russia–Ukraine border and a predominately Russian-speaking city, is the second-largest city in Ukraine and was considered a major target for the Russian military early in the invasion. According to the testimony of a captured Russian officer, Russian forces were expected to capture the city within three days.

By 13 May, Ukrainian forces pushed Russian units attempting to encircle the city back towards the Russian border. Additionally, it was reported that Russia had withdrawn units from the area. The Institute for the Study of War opined that Ukraine had "likely won the battle of Kharkiv". However, bombardment continued, and by 20 May, Russian forces were again shelling Kharkiv city. As a result of the subsequent counteroffensive in the Kharkiv Oblast, Russian forces located close to the city were pushed back, resulting in significantly reduced pressure on Kharkiv.

On 12 June, Amnesty International claimed it found the evidence of widespread use of widely-banned cluster munitions by Russia, such as 9N210/9N235 cluster bombs, and "scatterable" munitions that eject small mines that explode later in timed intervals. Four months after the battle, Ukraine launched a major counteroffensive in September to recapture territories that were still under Russian control in Kharkiv Oblast.

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