Global InformationBattle of Antonov Airport information
| Battle of Antonov Airport | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Kyiv offensive and the Russian invasion of Ukraine | |||||||||
 Russian paratroopers advancing over the airport | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Russia |
 Ukraine | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Ivan Boldyrev[1] |
Oleksandr Vdovychenko[1] Valeriy Chybineyev Mamuka Mamulashvili[2] Vitaly Rudenko[1] | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
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| Strength | |||||||||
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First assault wave
Second assault wave
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
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Per Russia: None (second assault wave)[12] Per Ukraine: 300 paratroopers killed[14] Several helicopters shot down[15][13] |
Per Russia: 200 killed[12] Per Ukraine: Several Ukrainian National Guardsmen captured[1] Antonov An-225 Mriya destroyed [16] | ||||||||
The Battle of Antonov Airport, also known as the battle of Hostomel Airport, was a military engagement which occurred at the Antonov Airport in Hostomel, Kyiv Oblast, during the Kyiv offensive of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
On 24 February 2022, a few hours after the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin announced the beginning of a "special military operation" in Ukraine, Russian troops of the Russian Airborne Forces (VDV) made an air assault on Antonov Airport with the objective of capturing it. The airport held strategic value as it was located less than 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) outside of the capital Kyiv, which would allow Russian troops to airlift more troops and heavier equipment to directly threaten the city.[6] However, the Ukrainian military responded with a counter-attack which encircled the unsupported Russian forces and repelled the initial assault.[17] The attack resumed on the next day with another air assault by the VDV combined with a ground assault by armored reinforcements coming from the Belarusian border, breaking through the Ukrainian defenses. The airport was then captured by the Russian forces.[17] Despite this, the unexpected Ukrainian resistance foiled the plans of a quick capitulation of Kyiv,[8] and the airport was too damaged to be used as a functional airstrip.[18] The Antonov An-225 Mriya, the world's largest airplane, was destroyed in its hangar during the battle.
On 2 April, Ukraine restored control of the airport following the Russian withdrawal from Kyiv Oblast.[19]
- ^ a b c d e f Paul Sonne; Isabelle Khurshudyan; Serhiy Morgunov; Kostiantyn Khudov (24 August 2022). "Battle for Kyiv: Ukrainian valor, Russian blunders combined to save the capital". Washington Post. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
- ^ a b Andy Blatchford (24 March 2022). "Band of others: Ukraine's legions of foreign soldiers are on the frontline". Politico. Archived from the original on 30 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
- ^ "Ukrainian Troops Retake Key Airport From Russian Paratroopers". coffeeordie.com. 25 February 2022. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
- ^ Clark, Mason; Barros, George; Stepanenko, Kateryna (24 February 2022). "Russia-Ukraine Warning Update: Initial Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment". Critical Threats Project. American Enterprise Institute. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
Ukrainian forces are currently contesting the Hostomel military airport, 20 km northwest of Kyiv, against Russian VDV (airborne) troops likely from the 31st Guards Air Assault Brigade as of 9:30 pm local time after several unsuccessful counterattacks earlier in the day.
- ^ "Chechnya's losses in Ukraine may be leader Ramzan Kadyrov's undoing". TheGuardian.com. 22 March 2022. Archived from the original on 23 March 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
Roblin_20220227was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b David Axe (9 December 2022). "Five Brave Ukrainian MiG Pilots Blunted the Russian Attack on Kyiv on Day One of the War. Not All of Them Survived". Forbes. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ^ a b Marson, James (3 March 2022). "Putin Thought Ukraine Would Fall Quickly. An Airport Battle Proved Him Wrong". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company. eISSN 1042-9840. ISSN 0099-9660. OCLC 781541372. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
- ^ Wendell Steavenson (15 March 2022). ""I'll stay until Putin's dead or the war is over": the Americans fighting for Ukraine". Economist. Archived from the original on 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
- ^ Irina Krikunenko (16 March 2022). "Foreign volunteers explain decision to fight for Ukraine". The New Voice of Ukraine. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
- ^ a b c d Andrew McGregor (8 March 2022). "Russian Airborne Disaster at Hostomel Airport". Aberfoyle International Security. Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
- ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
eliminatedwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Cooper, Tom (25 February 2022). "Russian Heliborne Assault on Antonov / Hostomel Airport seems to have Failed". The Aviation Geek Club. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
- ^ Schwirtz, Michael; Troianovski, Anton; Al-Hlou, Yousur; Froliak, Masha; Entous, Adam; Gibbons-Neff, Thomas (16 December 2022). "Putin's War". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ^ Eydoux, Thomas (24 February 2022). "Images show Russian army 27 km from centre of Kyiv". France24. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
- ^ "Gravitas | Destroyed in the Ukraine war: The World's largest aeroplane | AN-225 Mriya".
- ^ a b "Эксперт объяснил значение киевского аэродрома Гостомель для спецоперации". MKRU. 25 February 2022. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ "Ukraine asks for fighters of all ages, reports city lost, but successes elsewhere". The Times of Israel. 25 February 2022. OCLC 969749342. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- ^ Julia Hollingsworth, Joshua Berlinger, Sana Noor Haq, John Sinnott, Adrienne Vogt, Veronica Rocha and Emma Tucker (2 April 2022). "Russian forces have withdrawn from Antonov Airport, outside of Kyiv, satellite images confirm". CNN.
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