The Russo-Polish war began after the announcement of Ukraine’s accession to Russia. King of Poland Jan Casimir could not allow such a strengthening of Russia at his own expense. But in the summer of 1654, the Russian army entered the territory of Poland and reached eastern Belarus. The stronghold of the Polish defense - Smolensk - was taken by assault on September 23.
The Poles attempted a counterattack in the Ukrainian direction, but it failed. The Russo-Polish war of 1654 began as a whole successfully for Russia. During the year, Russian troops captured Minsk, Vilno, almost completely occupied the territory of the Principality of Lithuania. Also, the situation in Poland was greatly shaken by the outbreak of war with Sweden. The troops of Charles X Gustav quickly occupied almost the entire European part
of the Commonwealth. In response to the actions of the Swedish king, Russia declared war on Sweden. The failed campaign to seize Riga actually forced the Russian government into a truce, the Polish-Russian war temporarily stopped.
The death of Hetman Bogdan Khmelnitsky brought to power his closest supporter, Ivan Vygovsky. He, in turn, concluded an agreement with the Commonwealth, according to which Ukraine passed under the protectorate of Poland. Ian Casimir made very significant concessions. He equated the Cossack foreman with the Polish nobility, allowed to preserve the identity of the Cossack culture. The need for Ukrainian sabers under their banners forced the Polish king to agree to Vygovsky’s demands. The Russian-Polish war flared up with renewed vigor.
In an effort to improve the situation in Ukraine, Russia sends an army there under the command of Alexei Trubetskoy, as well as Semyon Pozharsky. Until the end of May, Russian troops took Borzna fortress and besieged Konotop, whose garrison was commanded by Colonel Gulyanitsky. During the siege, the superiority of Polish arms over obsolete Russian squeaks was revealed. The musketeers of the Ukrainian shooters beat further and more precisely. On the last day of May, a battle took place between the army of Prince Romodanovsky and the detachment of the hetman Skorobogatenko, who combined his forces with the
Crimean Tatars. But all the same, the allies were defeated, and the hetman himself was captured.
1.06.1659 The Gadyachsky Treaty was approved by the Polish Sejm. Vygovsky by that time had already assembled a huge army, consisting of mercenaries, Cossacks and Crimean Tatars. The total number of troops was about 50 thousand people. The combined army marched on Konotop. Unlike Trubetskoy, Vygovsky was well aware of the size and composition of the Russian army. He decided to lure the Russian troops into the marshy area, and then crush them with a sudden cavalry strike.
07/07/1659 the army was attacked by Trubetskoy, the surprise of the attack allowed to capture a large number of horses. The next morning, the entire Russian cavalry hit a small detachment of Cossacks. The riders, having crossed through Sosnovka, chased after the Cossacks. The remaining foot soldiers were also trapped with a mock retreat. Meanwhile, an unattended camp was captured by the Cossacks of a brother besieged in Konotop, Colonel Gulyanitsky. Russian troops were competently surrounded and almost completely exterminated or captured.
Victories on Ukrainian soil could not cure the state as a whole. Poland was already one of the most lagging countries in Europe. The royal power could not ensure the safety of its vassals, and the Ukrainian-Polish union fell apart as quickly as the Russian-Ukrainian one.
As a result, Ukraine was divided into two camps. The one on the left side of the Dnieper almost swore allegiance to the Russian Tsar. The Russian army also returned; the son of Bogdan Khmelnitsky, Yuri, was chosen hetman.
Until 1667, the Russo-Polish War continued. The two great powers were so exhausted that they were forced to stop, only fully aware of the growing threat from Turkey. On January 30, a truce was concluded, which signified the end of the Russo-Polish war. According to the agreement, Russia received the Chernihiv and Smolensk territories, as well as the left-bank part of Ukraine. Zaporozhye fell under the protectorate of both countries, and Kiev became a temporary territory of Russia, which, after the conclusion of the Eternal Peace, completely came under Russian control. The Russo-Polish war led to the complete weakening of Poland. The country was ruined, and in 1815 was annexed to the Russian Empire.