Russian Occupation Of Kharkiv Oblast

Russian forces failed to capture the capital city of the oblast, Kharkiv. However, other major cities including Izium, Kupiansk, and Balakliia were captured by Russian forces. As of November 2022, Russian forces only occupy a small portion of land in the Kharkiv Oblast.

Russian occupation of Kharkiv Oblast
Military occupation
Flag Coat of arms
Kharkiv Oblast:   Ukrainian territory never occupied   Ukrainian territory liberated from occupation   Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine
Occupied country	Ukraine
Occupying power	Russia
Russian-installed occupation regime	Kharkov military-civilian administration (21 April–present)
Eastern Ukraine campaign	24 February 2022
Ukrainian eastern counteroffensive	6 September 2022
Administrative centre	Kupiansk (until 8 September) Vovchansk (8 – 11 September)
Largest settlement	Izium (until 10 September 2022) Vovchansk (10–11 September) Kivsharivka (11–28 September) Borova (28 September – 3 October) Tavilzhanka (since 3 October)
Government
• Governor	Vitaly Ganchev [ru]
• Prime Minister	Andrey Alekseyenko (United Russia)

In early September 2022, Ukraine began a major counteroffensive, regaining several settlements in the region and ending numerous Russian military or military-civilian administrations. By 11 September, Russia had withdrawn from most of the settlements it previously occupied in the oblast, including Izium, Kupiansk and Vovchansk. The Russian Ministry of Defense also announced a formal withdrawal of Russian forces from all of Kharkiv Oblast west of the Oskil river stating that an "operation to curtail and transfer troops" was underway."

The Kharkov Military-Civilian Administration, originally based in Kupiansk, briefly relocated to Vovchansk on 8 September 2022, but moved again before the city was recaptured by Ukrainian forces on 11 September 2022. As of 18 September 2022, Russian forces only occupy a small strip of Kharkiv Oblast east of the Oskil. On 13 September 2022, Ukrainian forces had reportedly crossed the Oskil and had set up positions at multiple locations. On 16 September 2022, Ukrainian forces claimed to have recaptured Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi, Kupiansk's sister city on the eastern bank of the Oskil.

On 3 October 2022, Russian forces fled from Nyzhche Solone, Pidlyman, Nyzhnya Zhuravka, Borova, and Shyikivka, allowing Ukrainian authorities to regain control of almost all of the oblast.

The city of Izium was captured by Russian forces on 1 April 2022, beginning the Russian military occupation of the city.

On 21 April 2022, Russia appointed Vitaly Ganchev as head of the Kharkiv Oblast military-civilian administration. On 19 August Andrey Alekseyenko was appointed first deputy head of the Kharkiv Oblast military-civilian administration and Prime Minister.

On 8 July 2022, Vitaly Ganchev said that Kharkiv Oblast is an "inalienable" part of Russian territory and intended for Kharkiv Oblast to be annexed by the Russian Federation via referendum. But on 11 August, Ganchev told the Russia-24 TV channel that the authorities of the territories of the Kharkiv Oblast controlled by Russian troops are not yet ready to discuss a referendum on joining Russia, because "only 20 percent and no more" of the region is under Russian control. According to Ukrainian intelligence, before the Ukrainian counteroffensive, Russia planned to hold a referendum in Kharkiv Oblast in November, with a planned 75% vote in favour of joining Russia.

Ukraine began a counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region in early September. As of 10 September 2022, Ukraine recaptured Izium, ending the military-civilian administration and Russian occupation of the city.

According to The Guardian, inhabitants of occupied Izium had survived in their basements for three weeks without electricity, heating or running water. The report also claimed that Russian soldiers had prepared lists of individuals to “hunt”: gun owners, wealthy people and others deemed “dangerous” such as businessmen, activists, military, and their families. The Russian army was also accused of barring passage of humanitarian convoys while food and medicine available in the city was running out.

Following the end of the Russian occupation on 10 September, multiple bodies were discovered in the town of Zaliznychne [uk], reportedly killed by Russian troops during the early days of the war.

Izium mass graves

 

On 15 September 2022, several mass graves, including one site containing at least 440 bodies, were found in woods near the Ukrainian city of Izium after it was recaptured by Ukrainian forces during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The graves contained bodies of people who were killed by Russian forces. The Ukrainian government believes that over 1,000 people were killed during the battle for and subsequent Russian occupation of Izium.

According to Ukrainian investigators, 447 bodies were discovered in one of the sites including 414 bodies of civilians (215 men, 194 women, 5 children) and 22 servicemen. Most of the dead showed signs of violent death and 30 presented traces of torture and summary execution, including ropes around their necks, bound hands, broken limbs and genital amputation; others might have died from shelling and a lack of access to healthcare.

On 26 September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that two more mass graves had been found "with hundreds of people".

On 3 April 2022, the Ukrainian government stated that two Russian soldiers were killed and 28 others hospitalized after Ukrainian civilians handed out poisoned cakes to Russian soldiers of the Russian 3rd Motor Rifle Division in Izium.

On 11 July 2022, the Russian-appointed military-civilian administration leader of Velykyi Burluk, Yevgeny Yunakov, was assassinated in a car bombing.

On 23 November 2023 the Russian-appointed Deputy Head of the occupation administration Oleksandr Slisarenko was killed when his car exploded in Belgorod, Russia. An anonymous source told Ukrainska Pravda that the Security Service of Ukraine was responsible for his killing.

• Russian invasion of Ukraine
• Russo-Ukrainian War
• Outline of the Russo-Ukrainian War
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• Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation
• Russian annexation of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts