On January 29, Ukraine pays tribute to Ukrainian soldiers who, at the cost of their own lives, stopped the Bolshevik offensive on Kyiv in 1918. This day has been celebrated at the state level since 2003. The annual commemoration of the Heroes of Kruty is enshrined in the resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of May 16, 2013, “On Commemorating the Deed of the Heroes of the Battle of Kruty.”

On January 29, 1918, near the Kruty railway station, 130 kilometers from Kyiv, an unequal battle took place between the Bolshevik army and the defenders of the UNR. The Ukrainian forces numbered no more than 600 people and consisted of officers and cadets of the 1st Kyiv Military School named after Bohdan Khmelnytsky and the Auxiliary Student Kuren of the Sich Riflemen. In contrast, the Bolshevik troops in the Kruty area outnumbered the Ukrainians by almost ten times. About 3 thousand soldiers of the enemy army were directly involved in the battle. The Ukrainian soldiers were armed with 16 machine guns and one cannon. The Bolsheviks had an armored train and artillery.

Thanks to their advantageous position and heroism, the Ukrainians managed to inflict significant losses on the Russians and hold off the advance until dark. Then, under enemy pressure, the Ukrainian fighters retreated in an organized manner to the echelons and headed towards Kyiv, destroying the railway tracks behind them. But one student platoon (unit) – 27 soldiers, got lost in the darkness, returned to the Kruty station, which by that time had already been occupied by the Bolsheviks. They were captured. The guys were tortured and then executed. Later, almost all the heroes were buried at Askold's grave in Kyiv.

It was thanks to the victory and courage of the Ukrainian soldiers that the Bolshevik attack on Kyiv was stopped for several days. At that time, negotiations were underway between the Ukrainian People's Republic and the countries of the Quadruple Bloc. It was important that at that time the Ukrainian capital was under the control of the Central Rada.

The Brest Peace Treaty was signed on February 9, 1918. It meant the recognition of the independent Ukrainian People's Republic as a subject of international relations.

Kruty is a symbol of the struggle for Ukraine's independence in the 20th–21st centuries. The feat of the Kruty residents, like that of all the heroes of the liberation struggle, became an example for the defenders of Ukraine in the modern Russian-Ukrainian war.

In early March 2022, near the site of the feat of the Heroes of Krut, battles between the defenders of Ukraine and the Russian occupiers who were advancing on Kyiv took place. After 104 years, Ukrainian soldiers managed to defend this area, preventing the enemy from advancing closer to Kyiv.

Iryna Piskareva