In the early days of the full-scale invasion, on February 27, 2022, up to 700 Russian invaders broke into Kharkiv. Most of them were eliminated that same day, and over 25 were taken prisoner.
This was revealed by Colonel Serhii Huzchenko (cal sign Al-Kut), who led the city’s defense from February to April 2022, in an interview with Ukrinform.
According to him, the invaders used civilian trucks to cover their advance. However, Ukrainian forces were aware of their plans and monitored the movement of Russian soldiers through city cameras.
“I had information from my superiors that Russian groups were expected to enter the city. The likely direction of their movement was also known. But what did they do? They took trucks from the occupied territory near Kozacha Lopan (close to the Hoptivka checkpoint). There were about 20 or more trucks, forming a convoy, tying white ribbons on the mirrors of the lead trucks, and sent them towards Kharkiv from different directions. The trucks were empty — just a distraction,” Huzchenko explained.
Following these trucks, Russian forces entered the city.
“In Piatykhatky, we anticipated it would be the main direction, so our guys opened fire, and they didn’t advance. But there was a breakthrough from Oleksiivka (another district of Kharkiv). However, from the command center, I could see all their movements on the monitors: who they were, where they were heading, and how many of them there were. The city cameras worked to our advantage. By that time, we had already formed groups to strengthen the security and defense of key state facilities. As the invaders entered, we blocked and eliminated them. The battle at School No. 134, which was completely destroyed, was just one episode of that day,” the colonel said.
By the end of the day, all the invaders who had dispersed throughout the city were either eliminated or captured.
“We counted around 700 soldiers who entered. But we managed to stop, block, and chase them down. By nightfall, all the commanders responsible for key locations in the city reported that the groups had been blocked, captured, or destroyed. Kharkiv was cleared. We captured over 25 Russian soldiers and seized their weapons and equipment,” Huzchenko concluded.
As reported earlier, on January 24, a book titled “Kharkiv. 17 Conversations About Resilience” was presented, documenting the defense of the city during the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
Source: Kharkiv Defense Commander dwelling on early days of full-scale invasion
