Siege of Khoytka
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| Siege of Khoytka | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Red War | |||||||
 Red Army artillery gathered after the end of the siege. | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Red Faction |
 Ruvelkan Imperium | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Flórián Márton Renáta Egyed |
Pyotr Dorman | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
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Peoples’ Army of Urzivata Peoples’ Army of Hatrog | Imperial Army of the Kurillas | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 115,000 | 57,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| ~37,800 | ~23,000 | ||||||
The Siege of Khoytka was a series of battles centered around the old fortress and town of Khoytka, Duchy of Trenszín fought between 27 July 1864 and 5 March 1865. It was one of the longest campaigns of the Red War and consisted of seven months of trench warfare in which Communist forces under the command of General Flórián Márton attempted to dislodge and force the surrender of the final cohesive military formation of the Ruvelkan Imperium commanded by Lieutenant General Pyotr Dorman. The trenches constructed by both sides eventually extended over 100 kilometers combined and, as a result, forced both sides to resort to the extensive use of siege artillery and sappers.
Fort Khoytka, having been a major hub for supplying Imperial forces up to that point, was well stocked with ammunition and provisions which facilitated the lengthy and staunch defense conducted by the Imperial Forces. General Dorman refused to yield the advantageous position of the fortress after General Márton assaulted Khoytka unsuccessfully. Both generals settled into a siege, with Dorman hoping that the Imperial Army of the Matras would successfully break through the south to come to their relief.
Ultimately, the Imperial Army of the Matras was defeated at the Battle of Berhida in late December 1864 leaving Dorman and his army the only remaining formation loyal to the Imperium. The arrival of Communist reinforcements in the Peoples’ Army of Hatrog under General Renáta Egyed in February forced Dorman to accept that his position was no longer tenable and he agreed to surrender on 5 March 1865 thereby bringing an end to the Red War. The siege of Khoytka is viewed by military historians as one of the 19th century engagements that foreshadowed the type of warfare that would eventually be seen in both the Divide War and later second Ruvelkan Civil War.