Episodes of the Russo-Ukrainian War: Fights for Bilohorivka in Luhansk Region (May — December 2022)

Abstract

The aim is to examine the course of combat operations along the border of Luhansk and Donetsk regions, in the area of the village of Bilohorivka, during the second strategic defensive and the first strategic offensive operations of the Ukraine’s Defense Forces (May — December 2022). The research methodology is based on the application of the problem-chronological method, as well as methods of analysis and synthesis, a historical-systemic approach, and the use of a wide range of official and unofficial sources. The scientific novelty lies in the comprehensive analysis of the course of fighting in a geographically limited area over a relatively long period, during both defensive and offensive operations. Main results. Since May 2022, the village of Bilohorivka, located in the western part of the Luhansk region, has become the epicenter of fierce fighting. In the first half of May, Ukrainian forces repelled several attempts by the enemy to cross the Siverskyi Donets River near Bilohorivka, which was not only a tactical but also a media success. In mid-July, Russian forces managed to occupy the village, but by mid-September, Bilohorivka was liberated. Since then, positional fighting continued in the immediate vicinity of the village, with Russian troops repeatedly attempting to storm Bilohorivka. The struggle for Bilohorivka had not only military but also political significance: it was the last settlement in the Luhansk region occupied by Russian forces and the first to be liberated by Ukraine’s Defense Forces. The prospects for further research include studying the course of fighting for the Siverskodonetsk-Lysychansk agglomeration (of which the battles for Bilohorivka in 2022 were a part), searching for new sources, and introducing them into academic circulation.