On 11 July 2015, on the initiative of the KMAMK, a memorial sign was erected in Konotop city park to commemorate the glorious victory in the Battle of Konotop.
Two weeks before, on Constitution Day, 28 June 2015, the memorial sign was blessed on Khreschatyk in Kyiv and then began a tour around Ukraine.
The blessing of the memorial sign, Khreschatyk, Kyiv, 28 June 2015
Glorious history
The Battle of Konotop (27 June — 29 June / 7 July — 9 July 1659) — the battle between Hetman Ivan Vyhovsky’s and the Crimean Khan’s armies on one side and Muscovite forces on the opposite side near Konotop (now Sumska Oblast, Ukraine). It was one of the critical episodes of the Muscovite-Ukrainian War 1658–1659 — Wikipedia. — Wikipedia
The realities of today compel us to remember the events of almost 360 years ago because there are so many parallels.
After the death of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, an internal confrontation started in Ukraine, much as it did during the Revolution of Dignity in 2013–2014. At the same time, Moscow began to violate the Pereyaslav Agreements, despite only a few years having passed since their conclusion (it took Russia 20 years to break the Budapest Memorandum).
Taking advantage of the internal conflict in Ukraine, the Muscovite government launched an armed invasion. Uniting with the enemies of Bohdan Khmelnytsky’s successor, Ivan Vyhovsky, Hryhoriy Romodanovsky’s army captured some Ukrainian cities, including Myrhorod, Lubny, and Pyriatyn, and not only slaughtered Vyhovsky’s supporters but also looted from civilians. Again, clear parallels can be seen with the actions of Strelkov, Bezler, Mozhayev (Cossack Babay), and others. Later, realising that Hryhoriy Romodanovsky’s forces were clearly insufficient, a large army (according to some historians, 150,000 troops) led by Oleksiy Trubetsky was sent to Ukraine. Similarly to the end of August 2014, the Russian regular army, complete with equipment and machinery, entered Ukraine because the forces previously sent could not contain the situation.
In mid-April, Muscovite troops approached Konotop, and on 21 April, the shelling of the city began. The Great Muscovite Army decided to capture Konotop before advancing further into Ukraine. The first assault was unsuccessful. For a long time — from mid-April to late June — the defenders of Konotop held a massive Muscovite army near the city walls. Colonel Hryhoriy Hulyanytsky from Nizhyn headed the defence. There is a clear analogy with Donetsk Airport, which held off the enemy army for 242 days.
The delay of the Muscovite army allowed Ivan Vyhovsky to organise his own army. In addition, an understanding of the threat posed by the Muscovite Army to all countries in the region helped to obtain assistance from Poland and Crimea. Vyhovsky’s Cossacks were joined by Potocki’s and Jablonowski’s volunteer cavalry detachments of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Lonczynski’s infantry. Bohdan Dubiaga, a Belarusian nobleman from the Mstislavl Voivodeship, and a small force of Serbian, German, and Moldavian soldiers also joined Vyhovsky’s army. An agreement was reached with the Crimean Khan Mehmed IV Giray for assistance. He personally appeared in early June at the head of an army of 30,000. All sides took an oath of allegiance in battle. The result of coordinated action was the defeat of the Muscovite army and the prospect of capturing Moscow.
However, Ivan Sirko’s attack on Crimea saved Moscow from capture. The Tatars were forced to abandon plans to march on Moscow and returned to Crimea. It is possible that if the Tatar-Ukrainian-Polish army had taken Moscow, Russia would have changed, just as Sweden did after the defeat of Charles XII or Germany after the defeat of Hitler. Having lost their imperial ambitions, these countries refocused their strategies on economics and became world economic leaders. Instead, in the face of Russia, we have a significant threat at the global level and a country whose economy is rapidly declining.
This memorial was erected in memory of the great victory of 28 June 1659 by the army of the peoples of Eastern Europe, who united against a common enemy.
