[1][4] 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.

[5] Towards the end of the 17th century Russia, Denmark–Norway and Saxony formed a coalition against the Swedish Empire in order to regain territory lost in earlier wars.

[6] In January 1706 a large force of Russians were cut off and trapped during the battle of Grodno by Charles XII and his similarly sized army.

He also ordered the Cossack Hetman, Ivan Mazepa – who at the time was an ally to Russia – to gather an army of 14,000 men to harass and disrupt the Swedish troops blockading Grodno.

After several days march they arrived at the city of Kletsk, some 25 kilometres (16 mi) east of Lyakhavichy, where they set up camp.

[1][4] Immediately on their arrival the Swedes charged a group of Cossacks guarding the 500-meter-long (1,600 ft) bridge crossing the marshes to Kletsk under the command of Danylo Apostol.

The official Swedish record claims the fleeing soldiers had: "thrown away most of their clothing and equipment and in barely a shirt tried to save themselves".

He later sent a message to the Czar Peter I, in which he claimed the Swedish forces had outnumbered his own, and blamed Ivan Mazepa for having incorrectly calculated the numbers of the Swedes at Lyakhavichy, which he had said did not exceed 800 men.

[1] The battle also had a morale effect on the 1,300 soldiers still besieged in Lyakhavichy, who surrendered just days after the return of Creutz and his men with prisoners and captured equipment.