In the forest north of the village of Liutizh in Vyshhorod Raion, the ruins of pillbox No. 582 have survived. It is also called Lieutenant Novakivskyi's pillbox, named after the commander whose garrison fought here to the last in September 1941. This is one of the defensive points of the Kyiv Fortified Region on its northern flank, near the Dnipro.
Kyiv Fortified Region
The Kyiv Fortified Region was built starting in 1929 to protect the then western border of the USSR. The first line of defense stretched for approximately 85 km — from the Dnipro near Liutizh along the Irpin River to Bilohorodka and further south, back to the Dnipro. The depth of the defense zone ranged from one to six kilometers. The main construction was completed in 1932: over these years, dozens of long-term defense points were built — reinforced concrete pillboxes with embrasures for machine guns and cannons, as well as observation posts.
In the summer of 1941, the fortified region held back the German offensive on Kyiv for several weeks. Some of the surviving structures were used again in March 2022 by Ukrainian defenders when Russian troops tried to encircle the capital.
The Battle of September 18, 1941
Pillbox No. 582 is a typical single-story reinforced concrete structure of the "M2" type with three embrasures for heavy machine guns. It stood deep in the defense and was supposed to support the front-line pillboxes with fire, in particular the neighboring pillbox No. 580. The garrison consisted of fighters from the 161st Separate Machine Gun Battalion of the Kyiv Fortified Region under the command of Lieutenant Ivan Novakivskyi.
By the end of August 1941, the pillbox was in the rear: the front line had moved further west. The second assault on the fortified region began on September 16, and early in the morning on September 18, the 296th German Infantry Division reached this sector. The garrison accepted battle and held out until the attackers managed to blow up the structure. At noon, Ivan Novakivskyi and 14 soldiers were captured. On the same day, the troops of the 37th Army, by order, began to withdraw from the Kyiv Fortified Region and from Kyiv — the defense of the city was coming to an end.
What is at the site today
Massive blocks of concrete with reinforcing bars remain from the pillbox — the traces of the explosion are clearly visible even eighty years later. In 2006, a memorial plaque with the names of the fallen was installed here. A signpost pointing toward the pillbox stands by the roadside, and flowers usually lie near the ruins.
Liutizh is also known for the events of 1943: the offensive on Kyiv began from here and from neighboring Novi Petrivtsi. Therefore, the ruins of the pillbox can be conveniently combined with the museum-reserve of Ukrainian military glory located a few kilometers away. Other structures of the Kyiv Fortified Region have also survived nearby, including pillbox No. 580.
Tip
The pillbox stands in the forest, so wear comfortable, closed-toe shoes. Do not climb on the destroyed slabs or inside: the concrete is crumbling, and reinforcing bars stick out of the fragments. The forests of Kyiv region were checked by sappers after 2022, but stepping off the paths and picking up unfamiliar objects is still not recommended.
Read more about the region in the article about Kyiv Polissia.
