This publication presents a brief history of the creation of the Kyiv Special Military District, the combat path of the formations that were part of it before the start of World War II. The author has made an attempt, based on the available archival materials, previously classified as “secret”, and the memories of direct participants in military operations on the territory of Ukraine in the summer and autumn of 1941, to analyze the state and level of training of the district’s troops, their combat readiness to repel a possible attack by the Germans. fascist troops. It is argued that the German attack on the Soviet Union was not a surprise for the Soviet government and the top leadership of the Red Army, but, nevertheless, the troops of the western border districts were not put on alert by June 22, 1941. Consistently, day after day, they describe the first border battles and the entire subsequent course of military operations of the troops of the Southwestern Front, the reasons for the unsuccessful actions of its formations are analyzed. The book presents a large number of documents, maps, diagrams, tables, and the names of participants in the hostilities are given. The monograph is of exceptional interest to readers interested in military history, teaching staff and cadets of military institutions.