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How many Soviet troops were trapped in the encirclement around Kyiv?
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Operation Barbarossa
German soldiers fighting in the Soviet Union as part of Operation Barbarossa, 1941.
During the German invasion of the Soviet Union, known as Operation Barbarossa, a pincer movement executed by German forces around Kyiv resulted in the encirclement of 520,000 Soviet troops by the end of September 1941.1
This massive encirclement was largely attributed to the decisions of Soviet leadership, as Joseph Stalin insisted that his armies stand and fight rather than retreat and regroup.1