(1917-1921).

In the final years of the First World War the Russian Empire was coming to its end. it had been devastated by revolution and finally transformed into the first communist country in the world in the years following revolution. Non Russian nations that lived under the house of Romanov sought to secure their long lost independence. One of these was Ukraine.

From 1917 until 1921, the Ukrainians struggled to build and secure an independent country fighting against the new regime, against the neighbors in the west and amongst themselves. When in February 1917, the revolution had overthrown the monarchy in Russia and the event had echoed throughout the entire empire. In Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, the central radar or the central council had takeover the control of the country which on June 23, 1917 proclaimed the free Ukrainian national Republic without serving its connections with the Russian state.

The nation began to awake, however the vast territory of ukraine under control was a difficult task and the country rapidly slid into Anarchy- the collapse of the Russian forces and Galatia made the matters even worse.

1918 The Battle of Kruty’ by Aleksey Shaparev

Is top and tailed by a contemporary Ukrainian soldier visiting the memorial to those killed at Kruty in January 1918 the tale tells the story of a group of students, their loves and families, as plucky efforts are made to stave off the conquest of Ukraine by the burgeoning and enormous forces of the Bolshevik army

After Math

Eleven of the students were re-buried at Askold’s Grave in the centre of Kiev after the return of the Tsentralna Rada to the capital in March 1918. At the funeral the then President of the Ukrainian People’s Republic, Mykhailo Hrushevsky, called every one of the 400 students who fought in the battle, heroes. In addition, poet Pavlo Tychyna wrote about the heroic death of the students.

After the fall of the Ukrainian People’s Republic the bodies of the students were moved to the Lukyanivske Cemetery in Kiev.

Forbidden memory

For the students of Kruty, their story would not end here. Some of the bodies of those killed in the battle were later buried at Askold’s Grave in Kyiv in March 1918 — with the ceremony attended by Mykhailo Hrushevsky, President of the Ukrainian Republic, who addressed a large crowd that had gathered for the occasion. With Bolshevik rule eventually coming to Ukraine, the Soviet authorities worked to Supress the memory of Kruty, fearing it would undermine their authority and inspire future Ukrainian independence movements.

Thankfully, the Battle of Kruty would not be forgotten. In modern day Ukraine, the bravery of the troops at Kruty has in recent times been commemorated, and in Kyiv a monument was erected in 2006 to remember the event. The battle has become a symbol of Ukranian Independence and National Identity, which has in turn generated its fair share of myths.

These myths have often blurred the historical reality of the battle, with details ranging from the number of troops present or even the exact date it occurred becoming obfuscated in the historiography of the event. However, what we can ascertain with certainty is the courage of those students involved: faced with limited supplies, heavily outnumbered and fearing brutal reprisals, the soldiers at Kruty made a valiant last stand against a vastly superior army and fought gallantly in defence of Kyiv.

As the horrific Russian invasion of Ukraine unfolds before our eyes today, the harrowing scenes of everyday Ukrainians bravely resisting occupation and protecting their homeland draws parallels with the heroes of Kruty. With the people of Ukraine facing an unjustified war waged by President Putin, the spirit of Kruty is still visible today — and it seems that the present will once again mirror the past.