At the beginning of the 1812 French invasion of Russia, the active squadrons of the regiment, numbering 1,116 men, were part of the Sergei Kamensky's corps in the Third Reserve Army of Observation, positioned in Volhynia. The reserve squadrons, formed in the Novgorod-Seversky Recruitment Depot, were planned to form part of the 14th Cavalry Division, but were instead used as replacements. The Pavlograd Hussars fought in the Battle of Kobryń and the Battle of Gorodechno , suffering casualties of eighteen men in the latter. At the end of September, the regiment's eight squadrons numbered 939 men. Subsequently, as part of Chaplits' detachment, the regiment distinguished itself in the Slonim affair and fought in the Battle of Berezina. On 27 December, when the Russian cavalry were reorganized, the Pavlograd Hussars became part of the 3rd Hussar Division, with six active and one reserve squadrons.