"Not a single Russian plane could not land": the warrior-intelligence revealed unknown details of the battles for the airport in Gostomel. Video

In the first hours of the full-scale Russian aggression, the Antonov airport in Gostomel was held by about 30 scouts and National Guard troops. During this time, the airfield was shelled by dozens of Russian helicopters, and Russian paratroopers, who outnumbered the airport defenders tenfold, landed there.

However, the Russians failed to land at least one plane in Gostomel during these few hours, they suffered heavy losses, and the defenders of the airfield bought time for the army, which was able to pull up to the outskirts of the capital to give the enemy a fight. How 30 Ukrainian scouts held off 300 Russian paratroopers was described by a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry who participated in those events.

The warrior's story was published in the Telegram channel of the Main Directorate of Intelligence. It noted that the fighting for the airport in Gostomel began from the first hours of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation and lasted for a little over a month. If the invaders had managed to implement their plan and seize the airfield 25 km from Kyiv in the first days of the big war - they would have been able to transfer personnel and armored vehicles there, as well as to deploy a bridgehead for an attack on the capital from several sides at once. And it is not excluded that in the end they would have succeeded in occupying Kyiv, or at least its right-bank part.

However, with a small force, Ukrainian scouts and National Guardsmen fought a fierce battle with a much larger and better-armed enemy for several hours and prevented the Russians from capturing the airfield. Meanwhile, the 72nd separate mechanized brigade, which subsequently confronted the Russian occupiers, managed to pull up to the capital.

A Main Directorate of Intelligence intelligence officer said that the intelligence had guessed in advance, though not in detail, about the Russians' intentions to seize Gostomel for a further attack on Kyiv. The Main Directorate of Intelligence set up observation posts on the outskirts of the capital.

"Gostomel airport was closer to them and it was better to land there to go to Kyiv. You can deploy the offensive in several directions to attack Kyiv, both Obolon and Svyatoshino," he says.

The Russians most likely first planned to send tactical aviation to Antonov airport and to land a paratrooper to defend the airport so that Russian transport aviation with personnel and armored vehicles could arrive there - to build up forces and means and create a bridgehead for an offensive against the Ukrainian capital.

On February 24, 2022, at about 5 a.m., the National Guard had already arrived at the airport. They were followed by Main Directorate of Intelligence officers on the alert. They gathered for a meeting, but did not have time to finish it, because the enemy began to strike the airport.

"We started being shelled. About 35-38 helicopters were coming at us and two airplanes. They started suppressing us, with unguided air missiles, most likely, plus some aerial bombs. It was decided that there was no point in putting these conscripts here, who were still in the barracks, they hadn't even gotten their weapons yet.... It was decided that those people who are on the airfield and sitting at observation posts on the prepared positions, that there was no way to remove them from there. The command was given that the commanders of conscripts of their companies, platoons to take out, take out just a span of fences. Cars simply "lay down" the fences and go out in the direction of Kyiv," recalls a participant in those events.

The airport defenders aimed to inflict maximum losses on the enemy and try to buy time for army units already on their way to the capital.

"Our advance group on an APC and several vehicles drove to the airfield and took the fight. The main task was to inflict maximum losses on the enemy and delay them. As far as it would be probable and logical not to put ourselves here, but so that the enemy would not have too much time to take advantageous positions and fully control the airfield. Our task was to contain them there as much as possible, to inflict maximum losses. And in the process there was an additional task: to buy time and cover the conscripts. So that they could go out normally. And to delay the enemy as much as possible, so that the army men could arrive in time to hit the airfield," said an officer of the Main Directorate of Intelligence.

The task seemed unrealistic, because the enemy had a total advantage in both personnel and weapons. However, then, on adrenaline, the defenders of the airfield acted on the principle of "do what you have to do - and be what happens".

"There were about 30 of us. And they, as you already know from history, - more than 300. We had weapons: Kalashnikov assault rifles, several grenade launchers. Our main strength was our APC. Grenades. Unfortunately, there was nothing that would have given us an advantage. The main thing was just to fight, just to survive. Let the people survive and hold back as much as possible. Nobody panicked. Nobody was scared. A very big and strong adrenaline rush. It's kind of automatic. You don't really know what's going on. Because it's all very, very confusing, very fast. And of course it's scary when such an armada of helicopters starts hitting you. And there are two airplanes working on us. It's not very good," the scout recalled.

The Russians attacked the Ukrainian soldiers at the airfield mainly with Mi-24 attack helicopters; at the very beginning of the battle, the occupants also launched strikes with Mi-8s, but they did not approach the Ukrainian positions. Next, Russian paratroopers landed at the airfield.

"They landed the paratroopers, there were shooting fights. When it was already clear that further we have not very favorable positions, they can already bypass us, superior forces, however, plus support ... It was decided that there was no point in staying there. We should withdraw carefully, with fights, and leave Gostomel ... We held on for two or three hours, they couldn't do anything further.... One helicopter, Mi-8, which was landing the troops, some of them managed to land, some of them did not - we hit them on landing," the warrior said.

Now, many months after that battle, he believes that the numerous defenders of the airport managed to inflict significant losses on the enemy.

"The National Guard shot down several helicopters, at least they had some air defense equipment, they were Iglas. They shot down two or three helicopters. Before that, our observation groups over the Kyiv Sea shot down one or two. Here we had one, on the landing, on the landing of the paratroopers was hit, destroyed, just at the airfield. In general, I believe that somewhere under a hundred people were laid there," - listed the scout.

He recalls: the fierce resistance of the Ukrainians came as a complete surprise to the invaders. And it helped to win invaluable time.

"In general, the very first actions are the most basic. The first of their advanced paratroopers, which they landed by helicopter, he was not ready for such resistance. They thought it would be like an exercise, no one is shooting anywhere, everything will be fine, everyone is waiting for them..... Well, we were waiting for them, but not the way they wanted us to. So I think they were disoriented. They suffered significant losses. The task was to inflict maximum losses on them here, to gain time for the 72nd Brigade to get into position and be ready to destroy the airfield", - emphasized the participant of the battle.

"I think we would have lost half of Kyiv, the right bank. Most likely, it would have been a big loss. I think it made a very big contribution to Kyiv being free after all... As you can see, not a single airplane was able to land at the airfield. Apparently, the task set was accomplished," he added.

We will remind, earlier in the Main Directorate of Intelligence told why Russia needs nuclear weapons in Belarus and assessed the threat to Ukraine.

Ukraine's military intelligence service believes that the deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus is a repetition of the Cuban Missile Crisis. It does not change anything fundamentally for Ukraine.

Russian nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus are an additional tool for blackmail, pressure, as well as possible negotiations and raising the stakes. At the same time, the Russians can take back the weapons they have deployed, if someone wants to talk to Putin and goes to some negotiations.

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