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Vasylkiv (, , ) is a city on the Stuhna in Obukhiv Raion, Kyiv Oblast, central Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Vasylkiv urban hromada, one of the of Ukraine. First mentioned in the 10th century, Vasylkiv was incorporated as a city in 1796.
The city hosts Vasylkiv Air Base and is an industrial centre, producing electrical appliances and leather goods. Population: 39,084 (2024 estimate).
In the early 11th century, it was the birthplace of Saint Theodosius of Kiev. The Anthony and Theodosius Pechersky Church, built in the Ukrainian Baroque style in the 1750s, commemorates both Theodosius and Anthony of Kiev.
In 1240, the city was destroyed by the invading Mongol Empire. It slowly recovered, and was incorporated as a city in 1796.
In 1658, the Russian military commander Yuri Baryatinsky defeated the army of hetman Ivan Vyhovsky's brother Konstantin near Vasylkiv, after the Ukrainian hetman switched sides in favour of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.
The first medical quarantine house in Ukraine was established in Vasylkiv in 1740.
Through the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, Vasylkiv remained an obscure place, almost forgotten in spite of the glorious history and connection to many earlier historic events, it was put back on the map by an anecdotal story related to Catherine II of Russia. As per legend, while passing through it during the night, the carriage lost one wheel. Catherine II woke up from the sudden jerk, and asked the name of the town. When she fell asleep again, her servants repaired the wheel and the carriage moved again. She woke up again and upon learning that it is still Vasylkiv, she remarked : "A large town, indeed".
Russian troops in the city took part in the failed Decembrist revolt against the Russian Empire in 1825 (see Chernigov Regiment revolt).
In 1918–1919, the city was captured from Bolshevik control by the nationalist Ukrainian army several times. On February 28 the Battle of Vasylkiv took place. On April 5, the city was occupied by Danylo Terpylo's rebels. During the nationalist struggle, Marko Shlyakhovy, aka Ataman Karmelyuk, based a nationalist unit in the Kladova tract near the village of Dzvinkova, which conducted combat operations against the Bolsheviks together with Ataman Zeleny's units. On August 24, 1919, during the offensive on Kiev, Vasilkov was approached by units of the UNR Army. After a battle Vasylkiv was captured from Red Army troops by the Black Zaporizhzhia Cavalry Regiment. Bolshevik rule over the city was eventually established in 1920.
In February 1919, S. *Petlyura's armies conducted pogroms in Vasilkov, massacring 50 Jews and 60 Russians suspected of being Communists; the Jewish community was forced to pay a special contribution. When the Soviet regime was established, Jewish communal life was discontinued. In 1926 the Jews in Vasilkov numbered 3,061 (14.4% of the total population). In 1941 the Jews of Vasilkov were exterminated by the Nazis.
Until 18 July 2020, Vasylkiv was incorporated as a city of oblast significance and served as the administrative center of Vasylkiv Raion even though it did not belong to the raion. In July 2020, as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Kyiv Oblast to seven, the city of Vasylkiv was merged into Obukhiv Raion.
In the early morning of 26 February 2022, Russian invasion forces landed near the city in an attempt to capture the Vasylkiv Air Base, resulting in the Battle of Vasylkiv. According to the city's mayor , the fighting had died down by later that day, with Ukraine still in possession of the city.
Claims have been made that Ukrainian aircraft shot down two Russian Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft transporting assault troops. According to Ukrainian accounts, the first plane was reportedly shot down at Vasylkiv airbase, "killing upwards of 250 elite Russian paratroopers with a single missile." A second plane was also claimed to have been shot down over Bila Tserkva, which was allegedly carrying over 100 paratroopers. Decisive Battle of the Russo-Ukraine War So Far: Putin’s Disastrous Attempt to Capture Kyiv ⚡️Second Russian Il-76 transporter downed. Ukraine’s air defense near Bila Tserkva killed the second aircraft that could carry over 100 paratroopers for landing to the south of Kyiv. Source: Ukraine’s State Agency for Special Communications. As of 18 January 2024, claims that Ukraine had killed 350 paratroopers in the downed planes were still unconfirmed by independent sources. Double Shootdown of Russian Spy and Command Aircraft – Expensive Losses but Still Plenty of Questions
In the morning of 27 February 2022, Russian forces struck an oil depot in the city, leading to large explosions and fires.
| Ukrainian | 87.29% |
| Russian | 12.19% |
| other/undecided | 0.52% |
==Gallery==
[https://web.archive.org/web/20050125211111/http://www.kyiv-obl.gov.ua/viewradi.php3?m=61 kyiv-obl.gov.ua] – Site about Vasylkiv on Kyiv Oblast's Administration website
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