| Conflict: | Battle of Shepeleviche |
| Partof: | the Muscovite–Polish War (1654–1667) |
| Date: | 24 August 1654 |
| Place: | Shepeleviche, Vitebsk Voivodeship, Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth |
| Result: | Muscovite victory |
| Combatant1: | Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth |
| Combatant2: | Tsardom of Muscovy |
| Commander1: | Janusz Radziwiłł |
| Commander2: | Aleksey Trubetskoy |
| Strength1: | 6,000–8,000[1] |
| Strength2: | 15,000 |
| Casualties1: | 1,000 killed[2] 270 captured |
| Casualties2: | 9–100 killed[3] 97 wounded |
The Battle of Shepeleviche (Szepielewicze) or Battle of Ciecierzyn on 24 August 1654 was one of the first battles of the Russo-Polish War (1654–67). It ended with a Russian victory.
A small Polish–Lithuanian force of about 5,000 under Great Lithuanian Hetman Janusz Radziwiłł stopped the Russian force under knyaz Yakov Cherkassky at Shklow and camped at Hołowczyn. He learned that a Russian force under knyaz Aleksey Trubetskoy crossed Drut River near Ciecierzyn on 23 August.[4] Radziwiłl was joined by the Field Lithuanian Hetman Wincenty Korwin Gosiewski with 3,000 strong forces, increasing the Polish–Lithuanian army to about 6,000[1] –8,000.
Radziwiłł and Gosiewski then tried to stop a numerically superior Russian force of 15,000[1] near Shepelevichy (Szepielewicze). Trubetskoy forces also included Cherkassky's.[2] He took positions near Bialynichy (Białynicze).[4] This time the even larger Russian army managed to outflank him, with Russian infantry holding Shepelevichy and cavalry attacking from the rear. Radziwiłł ordered a retreat, on the 24 (or 25) August the retreating Polish army was defeated and its artillery was captured by the Russians.[5]
Radziwiłł with a remainder of his forces retreated to Minsk.[6] 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.[2] Russian forces were able to advance and take Smolensk (see Siege of Smolensk (1654))[6] [7] as well as Orsha which they held till 1661.[8]