The offensive operation of the troops of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army’s Southern Front under the command of Mikhail Frunze to complete the defeat of Pyotr Wrangel’s Russian Army and capture the Crimea.

In early November, the Russian Army troops, defeated in the Red Army’s Northern Taurida operation, retreated to the Crimean peninsula, where they took refuge behind powerful fortifications. Pyotr Wrangel hoped to be able to hold the Crimea as a foothold for fighting the Reds, using natural obstacles and fortified Perekop and Yishun positions. Mikhail Frunze initially planned to deliver the main blow in the Chongar direction. However, the Azov Sea was covered in ice, which made the use of the Azov military flotilla impossible. So, the main blow was redirected to Perekop. The Red Army was to cross the Sivash bay and overcome the Whites’ powerful defense at Perekop, which consisted of two defense zones – Perekop and Yishun. The former was based on the Turetsky Val (up to 11 kilometres long, 10 metres high and 10 metres deep), covered with 3 lines of wire barriers. The latter had 6 lines of trenches, covered with barbed wire.

On November 7, in the evening, the Red Army’s 52nd and 15th divisions began crossing the Sivash. Between 1 and 2 a.m., the vanguard parties reached the Litovsky Peninsula and attacked the enemy on the move. The Wrangel’s Army put up persistent resistance. Nevertheless, the Red Army units broke through the fortified zone and captured the positions of the Whites. On November 8, the first attacks of the Turetsky Val began, which failed. On November 9, the Reds launched another assault on the Turetsky Val, captured the Perekop fortified area, and reached the first line of the Yishun fortified positions.

On November 10, the Red Army’s 15th and 52nd divisions broke through the first strip of the Yishun fortifications but were counterattacked. On November 11, the Reds resumed their attacks and broke through all the Yishun fortifications. On the same day, the Chongar fortifications were broken through as well. White troops stopped resistance and set on a hasty retreat in the southern and southeastern directions. The units of the Red Army broke into the Crimea. They entered Simferopol (November 13), Simferopol and Feodosia, (November 15), Kerch (November 16), Yalta (November 17). Thus, the last major centre of the Whites resistance in the European part of Russia was liquidated as a result of Perekop-Chongar operation.