Kozinka, Belgorod Oblast

Selo in Belgorod Oblast, Russia
Kozinka
Козинка
Selo
View of the center of the village in 2019
View of the center of the village in 2019
50°27′41″N 35°36′09″E / 50.46139°N 35.60250°E / 50.46139; 35.60250
CountryRussia
Federal subjectBelgorod Oblast
DistrictGrayvoronsky District
Time zoneUTC+3:00

Kozinka (Russian: Кози́нка) is a rural locality (a selo) and the administrative center of Kozinskoye Rural Settlement, Grayvoronsky District, Belgorod Oblast, Russia. The population was 1,097 as of 2010.[1] In 2023, the village was attacked and briefly occupied by pro-Ukrainian forces during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[2] Following the events of 2024 western Russia incursion Kozinka was severely destroyed.[3]

Geography

Kozinka is located 12 km southwest of Grayvoron (the district's administrative centre) by road. Glotovo is the nearest rural locality.[4]

History

The Church of John the Apostle in Kozinka is registered as a cultural heritage site by the Russian Ministry of Culture. Photo from 2014.
Church

A historical source testifies that the year 1663 is listed as the date of foundation of the settlement Verbovoye. Later, the Cherkasy (Little Russians) who arrived and settled there renamed the village Kozinka. According to archaeological finds, the village has a more ancient history, as evidenced by the arrowheads found in the left-bank part of the village, belonging to the Scythian culture.[citation needed]

In 1896, in honor of the accession and marriage of Emperor Nicholas II, the village's inhabitants began the construction of a church in the name of John the Apostle.[5]

2023–24 incursions

A map showing the 2023 incursion into Belgorod Oblast by anti-Putin Russian militants on the day of its beginning on 22 May 2023. Frontlines and control of settlements are approximate and based on both Russian and militant sources

In May 2023, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the governor of Belgorod Oblast, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said that Ukrainian "sabotage groups" entered Grayvoronsky District. Ukrainian media reported that the cross-border excursion was being performed by Russian rebel opposition groups, the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom of Russia Legion. The militants claimed to have captured the villages of Kozinka and Gora-Podol. They were later forced out of the villages.[6][7][8][9]

In March 2024, during an incursion into Russian territory from Ukraine, the Siberian Battalion raised its flag in the village of Kozinka, together with the Russian Volunteer Corps.[10]

On 20 March 2024, the Russian defence ministry claimed that pro-Kremlin forces had "fully cleared" Kozinka from the "militants", killing 650 of them with "air strikes and artillery fire." German milblogger Julian Roepke assessed that the Russian military had air-dropped high-explosive FAB-500 bombs in its efforts.[11]

As a result of the March 2024 incursions Kozinka was severely destroyed. According to a villager "There is not a single whole house left" in Kozinka, according to the report by The Moscow Times.[3]

References

  1. ^ "Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года. Белгородская область. 15. Численность неселения городских и сельских населённых пунктов" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-11-23. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
  2. ^ "Belgorod governor reports incursion into region by 'Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group'". Meduza. Archived from the original on 22 May 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  3. ^ a b "«Ни одного целого дома нет». Шойгу разбомбил село в Белгородской области из-за атаки украинских диверсантов". The Moscow Times (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  4. ^ Расстояние от Козинки до Грайворона
  5. ^ "Козинка". Archived from the original on 29 September 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  6. ^ "Russian governor says Ukrainian 'saboteurs' crossed border, Ukraine credits partisans". Reuters. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  7. ^ "Belgorod governor reports incursion into region by 'Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group'". Meduza. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  8. ^ "Russian Border Region Says Ukrainian 'Sabotage' Unit Carried Out Incursion". The Moscow Times. 22 May 2023.
  9. ^ Karolina Hird; Grace Mappes; Nicole Wolkov; Layne Philipson; Frederick W. Kagan. "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, May 22, 2023". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2023-05-23.
  10. ^ Henderson, Cameron (2024-03-18). "Ukraine-Russia war latest: Rogue Russian soldiers capture second village in two days". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  11. ^ https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/03/20/2-belgorod-civilians-killed-in-massive-border-shelling-governor-says-a84550
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