Battle of Kletsk (1706)

Battle of Kletsk
Part of the Great Northern War

Kletsk and the bridge going over the marshes – Tamaš Makoǔski
Date19 April 1706 (O.S.)
20 April 1706 (Swedish calendar)
30 April 1706 (N.S.)
Location
Kletsk, present-day Belarus
Result Swedish victory
Belligerents
Swedish Empire Tsardom of Russia
Commanders and leaders
Carl Gustaf Creutz Semjon Nepljujev
Danylo Apostol
Strength
1,500 cavalry 4,700 infantry and cavalry
4 artillery pieces
Casualties and losses
15 dead
20 wounded
500 dead (Russian claim)
2,025 dead (Swedish claim)
72 captured

The Battle of Kletsk took place on 30 April 1706 (Gregorian calendar), in- and outside the city of Kletsk, Belarus during Charles XII's Polish campaign of 1701–1706, in the Great Northern War. The Swedish forces were led by Carl Gustaf Creutz who defeated a larger RussianCossack force under the command of Semjon Nepljujev and Danylo Apostol. Many of the Russian and Cossack regiments participating in the battle were wiped out and ceased to exist as fighting units. Some historians consider the main reason for the defeat to be the actions of the Ukrainian Cossacks, who immediately turned into a blameless flight at the sight of the Swedish attacks, disrupting the formation of the Russian units behind them.