[1] In April and May the Polish successful Kiev offensive reached Kyiv and pushed the Red forces south of the Pripet Marshes behind the Dnieper.

The other group was an ad hoc Reserve Army under Gen. Kazimierz Sosnkowski that was to drive through Pastavy and Duniłowicze, and reach Głębokie as well.

Despite heavy resistance, Sosnkowski's group broke through enemy right flank and forced Tukhachevsky to retreat behind the Avuta River.

Although bad timing and poor coordination between both Operational Groups prevented the Poles from encircling the Soviets holding ground between Głębokie and Mołodeczno, Tukhachevsky nevertheless suffered a defeat.

[1] The bulk of the 4th Army was then to turn south towards Hermanowicze and Szarkowszczyzna, while the cavalry was to push further west, to outflank the Poles and disrupt their rear.

[1] The attack, postponed until 8:00 hours due to the morning fog, was reinforced with 70 field guns and 8 pieces of heavy artillery.

Despite numerical inferiority, the 33rd Regiment counter-attacked several times and the Russian advance stalled until 16:00 hours, when the two Polish battalions withdrew with their heavy equipment.

[citation needed] The Soviet centre was formed by the 15th Army with four rifle divisions spread across a front of 50 kilometres (31 mi).

[1] During the first day of the offensive the Russian forces south of the railway successfully pushed the Poles back approximately 8 kilometres (5.0 mi), behind the Mniuta River near the town of Plisa.

However, because of those fights the 12th and 53rd Russian Rifle Divisions stopped their march westwards and faced south, giving the Polish units some badly-needed time to regroup and evade encirclement.

[1] Gen. Lucjan Żeligowski withdrew his 10th Infantry Division behind Mniuta River to shorten the line, but the Russian force did not follow.

[1] The 3rd Army also slowed down and by noon did not enter into contact with the Polish forces, limiting the battle to sporadic artillery duels.

[1] To regain the initiative, around noon the 1st Army ordered a tactical withdrawal to break off from the enemy and mount a renewed counter-offensive.

The central group under Gen. Jędrzejowski (including 17th Division and the VII Reserve Brigade) was already performing a withdrawal westwards, towards Duniłowicze, when the order reached his headquarters to change the direction and move south, to cover the flank of the Polish 4th Army.

The battered units under Jędrzejowski's command thus started a march along the front of the entire Russian army, under constant artillery barrage, deprived of supplies and even field kitchens.

[4] Unable to establish contact with his southern neighbours, in the evening Żeligowski also ordered a retreat towards Duniłowicze, where he expected to find the forces of Gen.

[5] Although tempted to attack the centre of what he considered the rear of enemy front, the town of Głębokie which had been abandoned by Polish forces the previous day, eventually he ordered further withdrawal westwards.

[1] Only a small Corps-sized Operational Group of Gen. Lucjan Żeligowski (8th and 10th Infantry Divisions) did not receive the orders to withdraw and offered some resistance before finally breaking off and retreating westwards.

However, Hayk Bzhishkyan's Cavalry Corps joined the fight against the battle-weary 1st Army and achieved what the forces of Tukhachevski couldn't.