During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, on 1 March, 600 Russian soldiers in a column of about 250-300 military vehicles with the letter Z launched an offensive on Bashtanka after passing through Yavkyne [uk]. The Ukrainian Territorial Defense and local residents fired on the convoy, which retreated in disarray after entering the center of the city. Over the next few days, 28 Russian soldiers were found in and around Bashtanka hiding in basements and nearby villages.[4]
Bashtanka was shelled with Grad missiles after the Russian retreat. One of the most serious bombardments, which involved cluster munitions, took place on the morning of 13 March.[4]
As of April 2022, 176 houses in the Bashtanka urban hromada had been destroyed, and only about 30% of the pre-war population remained in the city.[4]
On 20 April, a hospital was reportedly hit by a Russian missile.[5]
