[15] Before the invasion, Ukraine's 1st Tank Brigade, numbering 2,000 men, was headquartered at a base in Honcharivske, which was struck by Russian missiles early in the morning of 24 February 2022.

Hours into the war, an estimated 30,000 Russian troops began moving towards the city of Chernihiv, crossing the Ukrainian border from three directions.

[16] In the afternoon of 24 February, Ukrainian commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi announced that a reconnaissance platoon of the Russian 74th Motorized Rifle Brigade had surrendered near Chernihiv, with the unit's commander claiming "nobody thought that we were going to kill".

[23] The Ukrainian government also said that Russian BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launchers (MRL) hit hospitals and kindergartens in Chernihiv, though this claim was not independently verified.

[25][26] On 27 February, Ukrainian officials said that Russian forces damaged most of Chernihiv's city center with missiles, and destroyed the historic Shchors cinema.

[31][32] On 1 March, Ukrainian officials stated that Belarus joined the Russian invasion and was sending a column of military vehicles towards Chernihiv from the Belarusian city of Grodno.

[40] On 2 March, according to historian Oleksandr Yasenchuk, Russian forces were pushed back along the Chernihiv-Sosnytsia highway up until the intersection with the road to Horodnia.

[41] Between 3-4 March, Russian forces of the 55th Mountain Motor Rifle Brigade managed to cross the Desna River from Shestovytsia [uk] to Yahidne, using a pontoon bridge that withstood Ukrainian bombardment.

Additional roadblocks and fortifications were established on the section of the M01 highway south of Chernihiv, to prevent the Russians from encroaching on the city from their bridgehead.

[42] After destroying the checkpoint, Russian troops stormed Ivanivka, Chernihiv Oblast [uk], between 5-8 March, where five BMPs and up to 50 personnel of Ukraine's 58th Motorized Brigade were stationed.

[42] On 5 March, on the outskirts of Chernihiv, in Masany [uk], the Ukrainian military shot down a Russian attack aircraft; both pilots were captured.

[65] On 31 March, the Ukrainian Army recaptured a main road connecting Kyiv and Chernihiv, ending the siege, according to David Axe, citing Twitter users.

[71][32] On 3 April, the Ukrainian Army recaptured the villages of Kolychivka, Yahidne and Ivanivka,[71] as Governor Chaus stated that the Russian military left Chernihiv Oblast, but that it had planted mines in many areas.

Russian soldiers hiding out in villages in the region were periodically discovered by the National Guard of Ukraine in the aftermath of the hostilities.

[73] On 16 March, Ukrainian and American officials claimed that Russian forces attacked a group of civilians who were waiting in a breadline, killing 10.

Chernihiv's governor, Vyacheslav Chaus, said that secure evacuation corridors were being hastily established before an anticipated return of Russian forces to the city.

[78] In August 2022, a Russian sergeant who was captured by Ukrainian forces was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment for committing war crimes during the siege.

[79] According to a Washington Post piece on the battle for Kyiv, the Ukrainian resistance in Chernihiv played a "critical role" in preventing the Russian military from succeeding its assault on the capital.

[16] Col. Leonid Khoda, commander of the 1st Tank Brigade, said after the siege that control over a hilltop northeast of Chernihiv was crucial to the defense of the city.

[5] Khoda said that by mid-March, the Russians were suffering from logistical issues, had accumulated significant losses of personnel and equipment, and no longer had sufficient forces to enter Chernihiv.