Kyiv Offensive (2022)

The northern Ukraine campaign was a theater of operation in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It involved attacks by Russia across the Russo-Ukrainian and Belarusian–Ukrainian borders, beginning on 24 February 2022, for control of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, and the surrounding areas of Kyiv Oblast and northern regions Zhytomyr Oblast, Sumy Oblast, and Chernihiv Oblast. Kyiv is the seat of the Ukrainian government and the headquarters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Russian forces initially captured several towns and cities, but logistical and supply failures, stiff Ukrainian resistance, and subsequent poor morale caused the advance to stall. With heavy losses and the inability to make further progress, Russia withdrew its forces from Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Chernihiv and Sumy Oblasts in April 2022, and Ukrainian forces retook control.

Campaign

Russian advance on Kyiv

On the morning of 24 February 2022, Russia initiated attacks on Kyiv Oblast with artillery and missile strikes on several primary targets, including Boryspil International Airport, Kyiv's primary airport. Russia apparently intended to rapidly seize Kyiv, with Spetsnaz infiltrating the city, supported by airborne operations and a rapid mechanised advance from the north. Russian Airborne Forces attempted to seize two key airfields near Kyiv, launching an airborne assault on Antonov Airport, followed by a similar landing at Vasylkiv, near Vasylkiv Air Base south of Kyiv, on 26 February.

The attacks were unsuccessful due to several factors, including the disparity in morale and performance between Ukrainian and Russian forces, the Ukrainian use of sophisticated man-portable weapons provided by Western allies, poor Russian logistics and equipment performance, the failure of the Russian Air Force to achieve air superiority, and Russian military attrition during their siege of major cities. As Russian forces advanced towards Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that " subversive groups" were approaching the city.
The Ukrainians also claimed that at the beginning of the invasion, just 30 SOF soldiers managed to halt the Russian attack. The Ukrainians ambushed the Russian convoy, guarded by some 2,000 troops, and destroyed three lead vehicles, attacked the rest of the convoy, destroying the bridges in the process. This engagement ended up temporarily stalling the entire Russian advance from Belarus, which consisted of 70,000 soldiers and 7,000 vehicles.

Wagner Group mercenaries and Chechen forces reportedly made several attempts to assassinate Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian government said these efforts were thwarted by anti-war officials in Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), who shared intelligence of the plans.

Russian forces trying to capture Kyiv sent a probative spearhead on 24 February south from Belarus along the west bank of the Dnieper River, apparently to encircle the city from the west, but it pulled back by 7 April to resupply and redeploy to the southeastern front. It was supported by two separate axes of attack from Russia along the east bank of the Dnieper: the western at Chernihiv, and the eastern at Sumy. These were likely intended to encircle Kyiv from the northeast and east.

The attack force reached the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and captured the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and the ghost city of Pripyat. Russian vehicles had also broke through the border checkpoint at Vilcha by noon. Following their breakthrough at Chernobyl, Russian forces were held at Ivankiv, a key town between the border and Kyiv. United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin revealed that some Russian mechanized infantry units had advanced to within of Kyiv on the first day of the offensive.
In the morning of 25 February, Ukraine's military said its airborne forces were fighting in the settlements of Dymer and Ivankiv, where a large amount of Russian armored vehicles had advanced. The Ukrainian forces destroyed Ivankiv's bridge over the Teteriv River, stopping the advance of the Russian columns. Meanwhile, 80 Russian vehicles were reportedly moving through Dymer and the neighboring village of .

On the morning of 27 February, a large convoy of Russian vehicles more than long was seen on satellite images on a road near Ivankiv heading towards Kyiv. By 28 February, the convoy had grown to around long.

The Russian advance was greatly hindered by logistical difficulties, partially caused by the Belarusian opposition, as dissident railway workers, hackers and security forces disrupted railway lines in Belarus. This operation, known as the 2022 rail war in Belarus, was mainly organized by individuals and three larger networks known as "Bypol", the "Community of Railway Workers", and the "Cyber Partisans".

Antonov Airport occupied

At 8:00 a.m. local time on 24 February 2022, 20 to 34 Russian military helicopters (Mil Mi-8 transport helicopters escorted by Ka-52 "Alligator" attack helicopters) flew south from the Belarus–Ukraine border and approached the town of Hostomel. The helicopter group reportedly carried around 300 VDV airborne troops, purportedly from the 11th Guards Air Assault Brigade or 31st Guards Air Assault Brigade for an assault on Antonov Airport nearby.

The assault was an attempt to secure the site as an airbridge for Russian transport troops and heavy equipment (such as artillery and tanks) for an invasion on Kyiv proper. The helicopter group was met by attacks from Ukrainian small arms and MANPADS. The attack eventually downed one to three helicopters, with their pilots ejecting. Despite the attacks, the airport was ultimately captured on 25 February as the significantly outnumbered and outgunned members of the Ukrainian National Guard withdrew.

After the capture of the airport, Russian troops began to prepare for the arrival of 18 Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft with reinforcements for the assault. However, local militias and troops from the 3rd Special Purpose Regiment attacked the airport, hampering Russian efforts. The Ukrainian 4th Rapid Reaction Brigade, in a decisive counterattack, prevented the transport aircraft from landing at the airport, forcing it to return to Russia, and preventing further reinforcements. With air support from the Ukrainian Air Force, Ukrainian units managed to repel the airborne assault. Russian forces also attempted landings at the Kyiv Cistern.

A renewed airborne assault was launched a day after the initial attack. With Russian mechanized units achieving breakthroughs at nearby Ivankiv, they were able to advance and capture the airport after a combined ground-based assault. Despite their success, the airport was deemed inoperable, ending chances for a swift Ukrainian capitulation via the capture of Kyiv. During the clash at Antonov Airport, the only existing Antonov An-225 Mriya (the world's largest operational aircraft) was destroyed in its storage hangar. The Russian government claimed nearly 200 Ukrainian deaths in the assault with no losses of its own. However, according to both Western and Ukrainian sources, an estimated 300 Russian paratroopers were killed during the battle.

Hostomel attacked

After securing a breakthrough at Ivankiv on 25 February, troops from the 41st Combined Arms Army, 31st Guards Air Assault Brigade, and the Chechen 141st Motorized Regiment advanced to the nearby town of Hostomel on the same day. Hostomel was defended by elements of the 79th Air Assault Brigade and the 3rd Special Purpose (Spetsnaz) Regiment, along with civilian militias. Members of the Chechen 141st Regiment approached the town and began preparations for the assassination of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

After Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles discovered Russian positions near Hostomel, Ukrainian forces regrouped and launched a counterattack which destroyed a Russian armored column. After the counterattack, Hostomel was subjected to airstrikes and shelling, depriving residents of basic utilities. Russian forces persisted in urban combat with Ukrainian soldiers, and were eventually repulsed from the town's vicinity on 3 March. They invaded Hostomel once more on 4 March, suffering a retreat on the same day, before mounting another assault and recapturing the town on 5 March.

Both sides suffered heavy losses during the battle: Russian forces lost over 21 light infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) in two days; Ukrainian intelligence claimed the 31st Guards recorded over 50 deaths. Russian commanders were also killed in action, including Major general Andrei Sukhovetsky (deputy commander of the Russian 41st Army) killed by a Ukrainian sniper on 28 February.

Major Valeriy Chybineyev (sniper commander of the Ukrainian 79th Brigade) was killed near Antonov Airport on 3 March. After Hostomel's occupation, Ukrainian officials accused Russian units of preventing the evacuation of local civilians. Russian soldiers were reported spreading misinformation to residents about the state of war. On 7 March, Yuriy Prylypko, the mayor of Hostomel, was killed by Russian troops.

Vasylkiv

It has been reported that, on 26 February 2022, Russian paratroopers began an assault on Vasylkiv, south of Kyiv, to capture a military airbase nearby. A large group of Russian paratrooper units were alleged to have landed near Vasylkiv, despite anti-aircraft fire. The units then advanced to the city and were involved in heavy fighting with the Ukrainian 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade, and were repulsed. The city's mayor, , claimed over 200 Ukrainians were injured during the fight. The New York Times cited reports by unnamed Ukrainian officials, that at least part of the attackers were sleeper agents who had bought apartments in the city the month before the invasion.

Claims have been made that Ukrainian aircraft shot down two Russian Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft transporting assault troops. However, The Guardian reports "no convincing public evidence has surfaced about the two downed planes, or about a drop of paratroopers in Vasylkiv". Ukrainian territorial defense units have not found any evidence of wrecked planes in the surrounding area.

In the early morning of 27 February, a Russian missile struck an oil depot in Vasylkiv, setting it ablaze. On 12 March, a Russian rocket attack destroyed the air base.

Battle of Kyiv

On 25 February, Russian fighter aircraft began bombarding central Kyiv. A Ukrainian Su-27 was then shot down. Russian saboteurs dressed as Ukrainian soldiers attempted to infiltrate Obolon, a suburb north of central Kyiv, just from the Verkhovna Rada building (the seat of the Ukrainian parliament), but were all captured or killed by Ukrainian troops. Army reserves were then activated to defend Kyiv. Gunfire, described by Ukrainian officials as clashes between Ukrainian and Russian troops, was heard in several wards of the city. Zelenskyy urged residents to engage in urban guerrilla warfare with Molotov cocktails against Russian forces. Guns were distributed to civilian militias. The Ukrainian government imposed a curfew on the city the next morning. Ukrainian forces claimed to have killed around 60 Russian saboteurs in a single day.

Simultaneously with the failed assault on Vasylkiv, Russian units began bombarding Kyiv on 26 February with artillery and organized attacks to capture the Kyiv Hydroelectric Power Plant with muddled outcome. Ukrainian forces regrouped and struck a counter-offensive on the power plant the next day, repulsing Russian forces from the site. A separate attack on an army base in the city ended in failure. Russian forces were reported to be from central-Kyiv.

Russian airstrikes were made on Vasylkiv and Kyiv on 27 February, including one on a radioactive waste disposal site near Kyiv, albeit the site was unharmed. Another Russian attack group began approaching Kyiv from the northeast after bypassing the city of Chernihiv. Vitali Klitschko, told the Associated Press that Kyiv had been "completely encircled". However, his remarks were retracted shortly after. Missile attacks were reported at Brovary on 28 February, but Kyiv was relatively free from direct combat.

Ukrainian forces claimed the destruction of a Russian column in Makariv, where fighting had erupted one day earlier. Russian strikes continued in early March. The Kyiv TV Tower was hit on 1 March. Strikes were later reported at Rusanivka, Kurenivka, Boiarka, Vyshneve, Vorzel and Markhalivka. while Borodianka was extensively bombed, killing hundreds. The Ukrainian Air Force claimed it had downed two Russian Sukhoi Su-35 over Kyiv on 2 March. Makariv was recaptured on 3 March. Ukrainian reports from Kyiv believed the Russian army had begun to surround the city with tanks from Belarus, in an attempt to enforce a blockade.
In early March 2022, the Ukrainians claimed the destruction of 120 tanks in one day, reportedly "when Russian tank columns stalled on roads to Kyiv, got hit with massed artillery barrages and modern anti-tank missiles dropped by plane-sized drones or fired by infantry teams."

Estonian intelligence estimated that the advancing Russian convoy would arrive at Kyiv in at least two days. On 4 March, an armored Russian column from the Sumy Oblast reportedly reached near Brovary. Clashes remained throughout the Kyiv Oblast by 8 March. Russian forces advanced on the highway between Zhytomyr and Kyiv, threatening Fastiv. Russian tanks reached within a few kilometres from Kyiv on 9 March, but were attacked by Ukrainian forces during the night.

On 10 March, Ukrainian forces claimed that the Azov Special Operations Detachment and the 72nd Mechanized Brigade ambushed the 6th Tank Regiment and 239th Tank Regiments of the 90th Guards Tank Division in Brovary, inflicting heavy losses, including killing the 6th Tank Regiment's commander, Colonel Andrei Zakharo, forcing them to retreat.

Fighting at Bucha and Irpin

On 25 February, due a lack of communications with the main invasion command, a convoy of special police units OMON and SOBR from the Kemerovo Oblast accidentally separated from the invasion forces and ended up charging and spearheading the attack at Kyiv by themselves. The convoy was spotted by local transit CCTV cameras and were ambushed by local Ukrainian forces using anti-tank missiles and mortars at a bridge over the Irpin River

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