KYIV (Azat TV) – Four years ago, on February 24, 2022, the battle for Hostomel Airport near Kyiv became a pivotal moment in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, decisively thwarting Moscow’s initial plan for a swift capture of the capital. What was intended as a rapid air assault to establish a critical bridgehead for Russian forces transformed into a fierce defense by a small contingent of Ukrainian National Guardsmen, effectively derailing the Kremlin’s ambition to take Kyiv in a matter of days.
The Antonov State Enterprise International Airport in Hostomel, situated just 40 minutes by road from central Kyiv, possessed a strategically vital three-and-a-half-kilometer runway capable of accommodating heavy military transport aircraft. For years, it was globally recognized as the home of the An-225 Mriya, the world’s largest cargo aircraft. Its proximity to the Belarusian border, a mere 100 kilometers away by air, made it an obvious and immediate target for Russian forces seeking to establish air superiority and land substantial airborne troops directly at Kyiv’s doorstep.
Hostomel’s Strategic Significance and Initial Assault
The night of February 23–24, 2022, was marked by tense anticipation, recalls Lieutenant Serhii Falatiuk, commander of a composite air defense missile platoon of the National Guard of Ukraine. Despite official claims of Russian-Belarusian exercises concluding, a significant buildup of Russian army aviation, including Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopters, near the borders fueled Ukrainian anxieties. Falatiuk, then with the National Guard’s Rapid Response Brigade “Rubizh,” was on duty protecting the Hostomel airfield. Most of the brigade’s combat-capable units had been redeployed east, leaving only a few dozen personnel, including conscripts, at the permanent base.
Around 4 a.m. on February 24, missile strikes began to hit Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. Shortly after 5 a.m., Russian aircraft, including a cruise missile, struck near the brigade’s barracks. Ukrainian National Guardsmen, including conscript Dmytro Usmanov, quickly moved to block the runway with vehicles, aiming to prevent large military transport aircraft from landing. Usmanov, serving as a gunner-operator on a BTR-3E armored personnel carrier, described the growing roar of approaching helicopters, initially mistaken for Ukrainian aircraft or media. However, the distinct silhouettes of Ka-52s quickly confirmed they were enemy forces.
Defending Hostomel Airport Against Overwhelming Odds
As the first wave of six Ka-52 ‘flying tanks’ emerged from beyond the tree line, circling the airfield for reconnaissance, Lieutenant Falatiuk gave the order to open fire. Using an aging Soviet-era Igla MANPADS, Falatiuk, after an initial misfire, successfully brought down a Russian Ka-52, which burst into flames and made an emergency landing. Almost immediately, he targeted and destroyed a second Ka-52, which detonated midair and crashed near a residential area. In total, Ukrainian Guardsmen, using MANPADS and ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft guns, reportedly destroyed six enemy helicopters during the initial assault, according to Serhii Falatiuk.
The downing of the first helicopter significantly boosted Ukrainian morale. ‘Morale soared instantly,’ Usmanov recounted to Ukrinform. ‘We realized this wasn’t going to be a one-sided fight.’ Following the attack helicopters, approximately twenty Mi-8 transport helicopters carrying airborne troops began to approach. These transports, bearing obscured ‘V’ markings, were met with small arms fire from defenders like Usmanov, who engaged the disembarking paratroopers in close combat. Usmanov himself emptied five or six magazines during the intense firefight.
The Unraveling of Russia’s Kyiv Plan
Despite heavy fighting and dwindling ammunition, the Ukrainian units were eventually ordered to withdraw to more advantageous defensive lines. However, their fierce resistance had already inflicted critical damage on Russia’s plan. Crucially, around fifteen Russian Il-76 military transport aircraft, carrying the main airborne force and armored vehicles from Tula, were forced to divert and land at Mazyr in Belarus. This diversion effectively nullified the central pillar of Russia’s strategy: to rapidly seize Hostomel, then thrust into Kyiv with powerful, mobile, and well-prepared forces.
The fighting for Hostomel continued for weeks, and the airport remained under Russian control for a period. Yet, the initial hours of the battle, marked by the unexpected resilience of a small Ukrainian force, proved decisive. The 3,502 meters of runway at Hostomel, intended as a springboard for an assault on the capital, instead became a line the Russians failed to breach. This early setback for Russia became a powerful symbol of Ukrainian resolve and a testament to the miscalculations of the Russian command.
Four years on, the battle of Hostomel Airport stands as a stark reminder of Russia’s strategic misjudgment at the outset of the full-scale invasion, where a small, determined defense fundamentally altered the course of a major military campaign, demonstrating that even overwhelming force can be thwarted by unexpected resistance. Lieutenant Dmytro Usmanov, after enduring over a year in Russian captivity, returned to service as an officer, continuing to fight with the 4th Rapid Response Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine “Rubizh,” while Captain Serhii Falatiuk, decorated for courage, has since downed two more enemy aircraft in eastern Ukraine.