The Battle of Hostomel Airport was the first major clash between invading Russian forces and Ukrainian defenses. Putin’s plan was to capture this airport, strategically located just 25 km from central Kyiv, and use it to land cargo planes loaded with armored vehicles and troops to reinforce the assault on the Ukrainian capital, which was his primary objective at the start of the war.
The first Russian attack wave failed, with many of the paratroopers involved being killed or wounded. However, in the second wave, Russian forces managed to seize the airport. Despite this, intense Ukrainian pressure and the presence of air defenses in the region prevented the Russians from operating aircraft through Hostomel.