Battle of Antonov Airport
 | This article documents a current military offensive. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (February 2022) |
| Battle of Antonov Airport | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine | |||||||
 Antonov Airport in 2007 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Ukraine |
 Russia | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown |
First assault 30–34 helicopters Undisclosed number of Russian airborne troops Second assault 200 helicopters (per Russia)[3] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
Per Russia: 200 killed[3] |
Per Russia: None[3] Per Ukraine: 3 helicopters shot down[4] | ||||||
The Battle of Antonov Airport, also known as the Battle of Hostomel Airport, was two engagements that took place on 24 and 25 February 2022, during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
First assault
Over 30 Russian helicopters landed Russian airborne troops to secure Antonov Airport in Hostomel, a suburb of Kyiv, in an attempt to create an airbridge in which troops and equipment could arrive less than 10 kilometers from Kyiv. Russian forces initially captured the airport after three hours of fighting, but a Ukrainian counteroffensive by the 4th Rapid Reaction Brigade of the National Guard ensued, in which the defending Russian airborne troops were encircled at the airport and destroyed.[5][6][7][8]
As of 24 February 2022[update], the Antonov An-225 Mriya, the world's largest airplane, which was at the airport at the time of the invasion, was confirmed to be intact.[9]
Second assault
On 25 February 2022, Russian ground forces advancing from Belarus took control of the airport after breaking through Ukrainian defenses at the Battle of Ivankiv.[10] According to the Russian Ministry of Defence,[11] the capture came following an operation that involved some 200 helicopters and that 200 Ukrainian soldiers were killed during the fighting, while the Russian military suffered no casualties.[3]
References
- ^ "Facebook". facebook.com. Retrieved 25 February 2022.[self-published]
- ^ "Ukrainian Troops Retake Key Airport From Russian Paratroopers". coffeeordie.com. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
- ^ a b c d Russia says 200 Ukrainians 'eliminated' in airbase siege
- ^ Eydoux, Thomas (24 February 2022). "Images show Russian army 24 km from centre of Kyiv". France24.
- ^ "Airport in Gostomel taken under control – Arestovich". Perild. Perild. 24 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
- ^ Shull, Abbie (24 February 2022). "Ukrainian and Russian forces have been fighting for hours over a critical airfield just outside Kyiv". Business Insider. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
- ^ Willis, Haley; Tiefenthäler, Ainara; Froliak, Masha (24 February 2022). "Russian helicopters attack an airport near Kyiv". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
- ^ "Bloody Day in Ukraine Ends With Russian Advances, Setbacks | Aviation Week Network". aviationweek.com. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
- ^ Key, Aero (24 February 2022). "Antonov An-225 Mriya is safe". KEY.Aero. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
- ^ BBC News - What's the latest?
- ^ Ukraine conflict: Kyiv braces for Russian assault
