The Soviet advance finally began on 26 May 1920, with the Red 12th Army and Komdiv Iona Yakir's Corps crossing the Dnieper River and attacking the weakest part of the Polish defenses.

The Soviets planned to outflank the Poles and Ukrainians by forming two giant pincers advancing separately toward Bila Tserkva and Khvastiv.

From there, it easily broke the thin line of Polish defenses and began a fast advance toward the strategically important railway node of Koziatyn.

The Polish defenders formed strong pockets of resistance in the villages — a tactic that had shown itself to be superior to an attempted defense of an entire frontline.

In addition, poor command procedures caused the Soviet cavalry regiments to begin their attacks on the Polish positions in piecemeal fashion.

Due to the Polish forces' strong resistance and high mobility, the 1st Cavalry Army's assault was repelled.