During the Sino-Soviet border conflict, on March 2, 1969, Soviet forces attacked the positions of a Chinese battalion on Damansky Island. The Chinese positions collapsed, and the bodies of Chinese soldiers were scattered across the snow.

    During the Sino-Soviet border conflict, on March 2, 1969, Soviet forces attacked the positions of a Chinese battalion on Damansky Island. The Chinese positions collapsed, and the bodies of Chinese soldiers were scattered across the snow. In the March 2 battle, the Chinese side reported 29 casualties, while the Soviet side reported 58 casualties. The Soviet side reported that 248 Chinese soldiers died on the island and the frozen river. Soviet border guards suffered 32 dead and 14 wounded. The conflict lasted from March 2, 1969, to September 11, 1969.

   The Sino-Soviet border conflict of March 1969 primarily involved severe armed clashes on the Ussuri River at Damansky Island. Cold War tensions between the two communist superpowers reached their peak. The situation escalated to the brink of nuclear war. On March 2, 1969, Chinese forces ambushed and attacked Soviet border guards on Zhenbao Island (Russian: Damansky Island), killing dozens of Soviet soldiers. The conflict stemmed from differing interpretations of the 1960 Beijing Treaty. On March 15, large-scale bloody combat erupted. Heavy artillery fire was employed, involving thousands of soldiers and resulting in heavy casualties on both sides (approximately 70 per army). The Soviet Union hinted at nuclear retaliation, while China placed its emerging nuclear forces on high alert. During the fighting, Chinese forces captured a Soviet-made T-62 tank, later reverse-engineering it to develop China's Type 69 tank.

  The crisis of the Sino-Soviet border conflict was resolved diplomatically by September 1969. The conflict convinced Chinese leaders Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, that the threat was real. This significantly accelerated China's strategic pivot, leading to secret contacts with the United States and ultimately culminating in President Nixon's historic visit to China in 1972. For the first time, China fully mobilized its nuclear forces, anticipating a surprise attack.