# Battle of Tokmak

The battle of Tokmak was a military battle fought between units of the Russian Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the city of Tokmak. The battle began in the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine during Russia's initial southern offensive in Ukraine, leading to the beginning of the battle on 26 February and its conclusion on the 2 March.

## Battle

After Russian forces entered Ukraine, they made rapid advances all along the frontline, with one of the quickest and most successful being their offensive in the south. Subsequently, a Russian armored brigade broke into Tokmak on 26 February 2022 despite the resistance of Ukrainian defenders. During the night of 27 February and the early morning of 28 February, Russian forces again attacked the city, while simultaneously an infiltrated Russian sabotage and reconnaissance group that had previously stolen Ukrainian military uniforms from a Ukrainian military depot attacked. According to a report from the Zaporizhzhia State Administration, as a result of the confrontation, the Russians had "lost a large number of personnel and retreated to the southern outskirts of the city."
On 2 March 2022, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced that the city had been captured by Russian troops. Deputy Mayor Volodymyr Kharlov disputed this claim, although he reported that the situation in the city was extremely difficult the city was surrounded. However, by 4 March, Mayor Ihor Kotelevskyi announced that the city authorities were working on the restoration of power to the city and that an agreement had been made with the Russian armed forces to establish humanitarian corridors. By 7 March, Tokmak was confirmed to be under the control of Russian forces, corroborating earlier Russian reports about its successful capture.

## Aftermath under Russian occupation

After the Russians took control of Tokmak in March, 2022, many of the city's citizens reportedly held rallies against the occupation of the Russian military throughout the rest of March. On 3 April 2022, it was reported that the Russian military intended to hold a "referendum" in the city of Tokmak. The leaders of the Zaporizhia Oblast appealed to citizens with a message that the referendum would not be legal.
On 7 May 2022, news broke of the death of Mayor Igor Kotelevskyi. The cause of Kotelevsky's death is unknown, but "Ukrinform" noted at the time that, according to the unofficial version, he allegedly committed suicide. Kotelevsky had been first elected Mayor of Tokmak in August 2009.
On 11 July 2022, Ukrainian forces struck a Russian military base in Tokmak. After several hits in the area of the military unit and warehouses, an ammunition storage site was destroyed.

## Significance of the city's capture on later events

Due to the location of Tokmak in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast, where Russia conducted its most successful offensive maneuver, the battle and the subsequent capture of the city is often overlooked and overshadowed by other military engagements, like the battles of Mellitopol, Enerhodar and Kherson. In reality, the capture of Tokmak was critical because of its central forward location in the Russian-controlled area of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast, essentially acting as a key Russian logistics and communications hub.
This was clearly acknowledged by both sides. Russia demonstrated the high value of Tokmak as extensive fortifications were built by the Russian military, called the Surovikin Line, which included a ring around Tokmak. The Russian Ministry of Defense had anticipated that the main thrust of the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive would be in the direction of the city, and three consecutive defensive belts were built, starting from the winter of 2022 and ending in the spring of 2023. These anticipations turned out to be true; the fortifications succeeded in their goal as the counteroffensive failed to penetrate the line and fell short of reaching Tokmak, causing heavy Ukrainian casualties and many losses of military equipment, which included tanks and armoured vehicles provided by the West.