Battle of Sokolki

Battle of Sokolka
Part of the Swedish invasion of Russia
Date April 12, 1709 (O.S.) April 13, 1709 (Swedish calendar) April 23, 1709 (N.S.) Location Sokolka uk:Лівобережна Сокілка at the Vorskla River, Ukraine Result Inconclusive
Belligerents
Swedish Empire Cossack Hetmanate	Tsardom of Russia
Commanders and leaders
Carl Gustaf Kruse	Karl Evald von Rönne
Strength
2,730 Swedish regulars 3,500 Cossacks	3,000 dragoons 2,000 Cossacks
Casualties and losses
290 Swedes (Swedish report) 800 Swedes and Cossacks, 4 artillery pieces (Russian claim)	about 50 (according to von Rönne) up to 60 (according to a letter by Alexander Menshikov) 400 killed, 1,000 wounded (Swedish claim)

The Battle of Sokolka took place on April 23, 1709, near the town of Poltava, Ukraine, during the ninth year of the Great Northern War. The Swedish army of close to 3,000 cavalry under the command of Carl Gustaf Kruse and 3,500 Cossacks of Kost Gordiyenko and Ivan Mazepa launched a surprise attack on a Russian camp of about 3,000 cavalrymen and 2,000 Cossacks under Karl Evald von Rönne. Although encamped and taken by surprise, the Russians were immediately alerted and successfully counterattacked, cutting their way through the enemy forces, and eventually escaped, having captured 4 guns left behind by the fleeing Zaporozhian Cossacks and a number of prisoners. The battle was fought in fog, both sides claimed victory. It was one of the encounters shortly before the decisive battle of Poltava which would seriously cripple the Swedish chances of victory in the war.

Literature

• Peter From, Katastrofen vid Poltava (2007), Lund, Historiska media.