Middle Ages Vasylkiv was founded in 988 CE by prince
Volodymyr the Great. According to legends, it was the location of Volodymyr's
baptism and a place where he was saved from an attack by
Pechenegs. The Church of Annunciation was constructed in the city under Volodymyr's rule. The town was fortified in the 11th century. According to the
Primary Chronicle, it was the place where Volodymyr's
numerous wives lived. After the
Christianization of Kyiv, Volodymyr built there a fortress and named it
Vasilev, after his
patron saint,
Saint Basil (Vasily). In the early 11th century, it was the birthplace of
Saint Theodosius of Kiev. The Anthony and Theodosius Pechersky Church, built in the
Ukrainian Baroque style in the
1750s, commemorates both Theodosius and
Anthony of Kiev. In 1240, the city was destroyed by the invading
Mongol Empire.
Early Modern era In 1658, the Russian military commander
Yuri Baryatinsky defeated the army of hetman
Ivan Vyhovsky's brother Konstantin near Vasylkiv, after the Ukrainian
hetman switched sides in favour of the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The first medical quarantine house in Ukraine was established in Vasylkiv in 1740. On April 5, the city was occupied by
Ataman Zeleny's rebels. During the
Ukrainian War of Independence, Marko Shlyakhovy, aka Ataman Karmelyuk, based a nationalist unit in the Kladova tract near the village of Dzvinkova, which conducted combat operations against the Bolsheviks together with Ataman Zeleny's units. On August 24, 1919, during the offensive on Kiev, Vasilkov was approached by units of the
UNR Army. After a battle Vasylkiv was captured from Red Army troops by the Black Zaporizhzhia Cavalry Regiment. Bolshevik rule over the city was eventually established in 1920.
Modern period When the Soviet regime was established, Jewish communal life was discontinued. In 1926 the Jews in Vasylkiv numbered 3,061 (14.4% of the total population). The total population of the town in 1933 reached 21,000 inhabitants.
Russian invasion of Ukraine In the early morning of 26 February 2022,
Russian invasion forces landed near the city in an attempt to capture the
Vasylkiv Air Base, resulting in the
Battle of Vasylkiv. According to the city's mayor , the fighting had died down by later that day, with Ukraine still in possession of the city. Claims have been made that Ukrainian aircraft shot down two Russian
Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft transporting assault troops. According to Ukrainian accounts, the first plane was reportedly shot down at Vasylkiv airbase, "killing upwards of 250 elite Russian paratroopers with a single missile." A second plane was also claimed to have been shot down over
Bila Tserkva, which was allegedly carrying over 100 paratroopers. As of 18 January 2024, claims that Ukraine had killed 350 paratroopers in the downed planes were still unconfirmed by independent sources. In the morning of 27 February 2022, Russian forces struck an oil depot in the city, leading to large explosions and fires. ==Economy==