Khimki
| Khimki (English) Химки (Russian) |
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 Babakina Street in Khimki (February 2010) |
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.svg) Location of Moscow Oblast in Russia |
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 Khimki
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| Administrative status (as of January 2013) | |
| Country | Russia |
| Federal subject | Moscow Oblast |
| Administratively subordinated to | Khimki City Under Oblast Jurisdiction |
| Administrative center of | Khimki City Under Oblast Jurisdiction |
| Municipal status (as of January 2013) | |
| Urban okrug | Khimki Urban Okrug |
| Administrative center of | Khimki Urban Okrug |
| Mayor | Oleg Shakhov |
| Statistics | |
| Area (urban okrug) (January 2013) | 109.81 km2 (42.40 sq mi) |
| Population (2010 Census) | 207,425 inhabitants |
| - Rank in 2010 | 90th |
| Density | 1,889/km2 (4,890/sq mi) |
| Time zone | MSK (UTC+03:00) |
| Founded | 1939 |
| Postal code(s) | 141400-141446 |
| Dialing code(s) | +7 495, 498 |
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Khimki (Russian: Химки; IPA: [ˈxʲimkʲɪ]) is a city in Moscow Oblast, Russia, 19 kilometres northwest of central Moscow. Khimki is asserted by many as the nearest point German forces reached in their advance on Moscow in World War II.
Khimki was initially a railway station that existed since 1850 on the Moscow – Saint Petersburg Railway. The Moskva-Volga Canal was constructed between 1932 and 1937 on which Khimki lies on the west bank. Khimki was then officially founded in 1939.
The German attack starting the Battle of Moscow (code-named ‘Operation Typhoon’) began on 2 October 1941. The attack on a broad front brought German forces to occupy the village of Krasnaya Polyana (now in the town of Lobnya) to Moscow's North West. Krasnaya Polyana was taken on 30 November.
Many sources state that at least one German army patrol visited Khimki. Similarly many sources state this as the closest point the Germans reached to Moscow (Khimki at the time was five miles from the edge of Moscow). Among the sources stating the Germans visited Khimki the details of the date and unit involved are inconsistent and disputed. One story of events asserts a skirmish took place in Khimki on 16 October at the Leningradskoe Shosse bridge involving a German motorcycle unit. Another account is a patrol reached Khimki around 30 November or early December before returning to its main unit without combat. The dates mentioned for this second account vary. A myth surrounding this is that the Germans would have been able to see the Kremlin in the distance from Khimki.
The Soviet Army counter offensive for "removing the immediate threat to Moscow" started on 5 December on the North-Western Front (the area around Khimki North West of Moscow). The South-Western Front and Western Fronts began their offensives on 6 December. The German forces were driven back. Moscow was never under such close land threat again during the war.
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