The Battle of Shepeleviche (Szepielewicze) or Battle of Ciecierzyn on 24 August 1654 was one of the first battles of the Russo-Polish War (1654âÂÂ67). It ended with a Russian victory.
A small PolishâÂÂLithuanian force of about 5,000 under Great Lithuanian Hetman Janusz Radziwià Âà  stopped the Russian force under knyaz Yakov Cherkassky at Shklow and camped at Hoà Âowczyn. He learned that a Russian force under knyaz Aleksey Trubetskoy crossed Drut River near Ciecierzyn on 23 August. Radziwià Âl was joined by the Field Lithuanian Hetman Wincenty Korwin Gosiewski with 3,000 strong forces, increasing the PolishâÂÂLithuanian army to about 6,000âÂÂ8,000.
Radziwià Âà  and Gosiewski then tried to stop a numerically superior Russian force of 15,000 near Shepeleviche (Szepielewicze). Trubetskoy forces also included Cherkassky's. He took positions near Bialynichy (Biaà Âynicze). This time the even larger Russian army managed to outflank him, with Russian infantry holding Shepeleviche and cavalry attacking from the rear. Radziwià Âà  ordered a retreat, on the 24 (or 25) August the retreating Lithuanian army was defeated and its artillery was captured by the Russians.
Radziwià Âà  with a remainder of his forces retreated to Minsk. His defeat meant that Russians faced no opposition in Lithuania, and they were able to take Polotsk, Vitebsk and Mogilev, advancing to the Berezina River. Russian forces were able to advance and take Smolensk (see Siege of Smolensk (1654)) as well as Orsha which they held till 1661.