Strilecha

Strilecha (Ukrainian: Стрілеча; Russian: Стрелечья) is a village in Kharkiv Raion (district) in Kharkiv Oblast of Ukraine, located 36.44 kilometres (22.64 mi) north-northeast (NNE) from the centre of Kharkiv. The settlement belongs to Lyptsi rural hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine.

Strilecha Стрілеча
Village
Strilecha Location of Strilecha within Ukraine Show map of Ukraine Strilecha Strilecha (Kharkiv Oblast) Show map of Kharkiv Oblast
Coordinates: 50.302778°N 36.401389°E / 50.302778; 36.401389
Country	Ukraine
Oblast	Kharkiv Oblast
Raion	Kharkiv Raion
Hromada	Lyptsi rural hromada
Founded	1695
Area
• Total	1.4 km2 (0.5 sq mi)
Elevation	154 m (505 ft)
Population  (2001 census)[1]
• Total	2,097
• Density	1,500/km2 (3,900/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	62411
Area code	+380 57

Strilecha is located at a distance of about 0.5 kilometres (0.31 mi) from the Russia–Ukraine border.^[2][3]

History

Strilecha was founded in 1695 as a frontier settlement of the expanding Tsardom of Russia.

The village was occupied by the Russian military on 24 February 2022, the first day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.^[4] Ukrainian troops first arrived in the village on 13 September 2022, after a counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region.^[4] The 247th Battalion of Ukraine's 127th Territorial Defense Brigade announced that its forces had recaptured Strilecha on 13 September 2022, raising the Ukrainian flag in the village.^[5][6]

Strilecha was once again captured by Russian forces on 10 May 2024 during the 2024 Kharkiv offensive.^[7][8][9]

Demographics

In 2001 the settlement had 2097 inhabitants. Native language as of the Ukrainian Census of 2001:^[1]

• Ukrainian – 67.62%
• Russian – 31.64%
• Armenian – 0.18%
• Belarusian – 0.06%

References

1. "All-Ukrainian population census". db.ukrcensus.gov.ua. State Statistics Service of Ukraine. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
2. Karolina Hird; Riley Bailey; Angelica Evans; Kateryna Stepanenko; Frederick W. Kagan (17 September 2023). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, September 17, 2023". understandingwar.org. ISW. Retrieved 18 September 2023. A Russian milblogger claimed that artillery and occasional combat engagements occur near Strilecha (25km northeast of Kharkiv City) on the international border.
3. "Russian attacks on Kharkiv Oblast kill 2, injure 7". The Kyiv Independent. 16 September 2023. Retrieved 18 September 2023. Additionally, Russian forces opened fired on a car on the road near the village of Strilecha, which is located on the Ukrainian-Russian border. According to the Interior Ministry, a man and a woman were killed, and an elderly man was injured.
4. Рашевська, Олена; Юхта, Тетяна (9 March 2024). "У Сумах подружжя переселенців з Харківщини розповіло про життя в окупації". Suspilne (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 10 June 2024.
5. Рязанцева, Альона (13 September 2022). "У Липцях, Глибокому та Стрілечій на Харківщині бійці встановили український прапор". Suspilne (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 9 January 2025.
6. Цьомик, Ганна (26 September 2022). "У деокупованих Липцях на Харківщині знайшли ще одну катівню окупантів". Suspilne (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 9 January 2025. Липці перебували під окупацією з початку повномасштабного вторгнення РФ 24 лютого 2022 року. Збройні сили України звільнили село під час контрнаступу. 13 вересня військові харківської тероборони встановили українські прапори у селах Липці, Глибоке та Стрілеча.
7. "Russians have captured four villages in Kharkiv Oblast and are attempting to advance on Vovchansk, source says". Ukrainska Pravda. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
8. Riley Bailey; Angelica Evans; Christina Harward; Grace Mappes; Frederick W. Kagan (10 May 2024). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, May 10, 2024". understandingwar.org. ISW. Retrieved 13 May 2024. Ukrainian journalist Yuriy Butusov and Ukrainian outlet Ukrainska Pravda reported that Russian forces seized Strilecha, Krasne, Pylna, and Borisivka (all north to northeast of Lyptsi), and Butusov reported that Russian forces have established a foothold in the area five kilometers deep and 10 kilometers wide.
9. "Russia takes five villages in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, defence ministry says". reuters.com. Reuters. 11 May 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2024. In its briefing on Saturday, the Defence Ministry said that Russian forces had taken the villages of Pletenivka, Ohirtseve, Borysivka, Pylna and Strilechna, all of which are directly on the Russian border.