1918 Bolshevik military operation of Petrograd and the Moscow Red Guard to sack the capital of Ukraine
The Bolshevik capture of Kiev in February 1918 displaced the Ukrainian Central Council government and briefly established Soviet control over the Ukrainian capital.
Key Facts
- Operation dates (N.S.)
- 5–9 February 1918
- Operation dates (O.S.)
- 23–26 January 1918
- Bolshevik commander
- Mikhail Artemyevich Muravyov
- City occupied
- 9 February 1918
- Ukrainian government evacuated to
- Zhytomyr
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Amid the ongoing Brest-Litovsk peace negotiations, Bolshevik forces sought to extend Soviet power into Ukraine by targeting the Central Council (Rada) in Kiev. Red Guard formations from Petrograd and Moscow were mobilised under Muravyov as part of a broader Soviet expeditionary force also operating against the Don Cossack leader Kaledin.
Between 5 and 8 February 1918 (23–26 January in the Julian calendar), Bolshevik Red Guard units commanded by Muravyov stormed Kiev. The assault was carried out while Ukraine's delegation was still engaged in peace talks at Brest-Litovsk, leaving the Central Council without military reinforcement sufficient to repel the attackers.
Bolshevik troops completed the occupation of Kiev on 9 February 1918. The Ukrainian Central Council government was forced to evacuate to Zhytomyr, temporarily losing control of the capital and ceding it to Soviet authority until subsequent developments in the broader conflict altered the situation.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Mikhail Artemyevich Muravyov.
Side B
1 belligerent