Atlas of Battles

battle, major, First World War

Battle of Kruty

Battle of Kruty was a battle fought on 17 January 1918 at Kruty, in what is now Ukraine. It was part of the Ukrainian–Soviet War, which ran from 1917 to 1921.

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Map of the Battle of Kruty.
Map of the Battle of Kruty.. Yevhen Malaniuk, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought17 January 1918
WhereKruty, Ukraine51.082N, 32.146E
OutcomeTactical Bolshevik victory; Massacre of students who defended the station from the Bolshevik offensive; Strategic Ukrainian victory; Capture of Kiev by Russian forces delayed; Conclusion of the Peace Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
BelligerentsUkraineagainstSoviet Russia
Casualties and lossesLess than 260; 36 prisoners (28 later executed)andHeavy, about 300
Part ofUkrainian–Soviet War1917 to 1921

Where it sits in the Ukrainian–Soviet War

Battle of Kruty, 1918Kyiv Arsenal January Uprising, 1918Proskuriv offensive, 1919Trypillian Incident, 191919181919Battle of Kruty, 1918
4 placed engagements of the Ukrainian–Soviet War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date17 January 1918
PlaceKruty, Ukraine
51.082N, 32.146E
KindBattle, First World War
StrengthTotal: 600 soldiers; 500 students; 2 armored trains; ~100 CossacksTotal: 3,000-4,000 soldiers; 1,000 men (strike force); 2,000+ men (reserves); 2 armored trains; artillery battery
Casualties and lossesLess than 260; 36 prisoners (28 later executed)Heavy, about 300
Commanders
  • Mikhail Artemyevich Muravyov
  • Pavel Yegorov
  • Reinholds Bērziņš
Battle of KrutyBattle of KrutyBattle of DohorynkaBattle of BakhmachSack of BaturynBattle of KonotopSiege of ChernihivBattle of DohorynkaSack of BaturynSiege of ChernihivKyivChernobylNizhynShostka100 km51.082N, 32.146E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Kruty
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 5 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Kruty today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-09-23. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 131 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 122 to 155 m, 34 m of relief, flat country and today it is 66% cropland, 17% tree cover, 16% grassland.

cropland: 66%tree cover: 17%grassland: 16%cropland 66%tree cover 17%grassland 16%
west to east, 10.0 km124 to 148 mnorth to south, 10.0 km125 to 152 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1918

Battle of Kruty is one of 4,429 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 321 in present-day Ukraine.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q644021, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Kruty, revision 1380613346, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.