Defense of Kyiv by the Army of the Ukrainian People's Republic against the military of Bolshevik Russia in January-February 1919

Abstract

The era of revived but lost Ukrainian statehood in 1917–1921, provides invaluable lessons and allows us to contemplate the growth of the nation. The subject of the article is one of the key military events of this era, the defense of Kyiv in January-February 1919, during the second war of bolshevik Russia against the independent Ukrainian People's Republic. The actual material on how the army of bolshevik Russia successfully used the end of World War I to restore the occupation of the UPR is systematized. After all, the allies of Ukrainian statehood in 1918 lost the world war. The enemy also took advantage of a month-long military confrontation between the Ukrainian government and the opposition. It was revealed that a month after the removal of Hetman P. Skoropadskyi and the approval of the UPR Directory, the UPR armed forces had to organize the defense of the capital from the troops of Bolshevik Russia, which were advancing from Chernihiv and Poltava. After the anti-Hetman uprising, the command of the Ukrainian army failed to form sufficiently capable, politically stable, morally responsible, and patriotic forces to effectively confront the enemy. There were cases when units of the UPR Army formed during the anti-Hetman uprising, led by local atamans, refused to carry out orders, left the front, and raised uprisings in the rear. Combat forces could only hold off the enemy for a while, but not change the situation at the front. The organization of the defense of Kyiv was carried out by the command of the Sich Riflemen Corps. Previously, one strike group of the corps supported the forces holding back the enemy's offensive near Poltava. On February 5, 1919, the troops defending Kyiv left the capital without shifting the nature of the confrontation from defense to street fighting. Keywords Sich Riflemen, Army of the Ukrainian People's Republic, Bolshevik troops.