The 18th century Oleksiivska Fortress, located in the village of Oleksiivka, near the town of Pervomaiskyi, is just another historic site in the Kharkiv region which has not been spared by Russian shells. It is a part of earthen fortifications built in 1731 by order of Empress Anna Ivanovna to protect the southern borderlands of the Russian Empire against Tartar and Turkish invasions. The fortification belt consists of fortresses and redoubts connected by a high earth rampart and a deep moat. As a result of the Russian shelling, the Oleksiivska Fortress was severely damaged.
Oleksiivska Fortress was also a place of cultural events, i.e. ethnographic festival. During the festival there were reconstructions of historical battles and a sword fighting tournament of Ukrainian Cossacks.
