The accounts of resistance within the small garrison city of Vasylkiv have already taken on the sheen of legend. There are stories of Russian transport planes shot down, paratroopers hunted within the woods and even an unknown Ukrainian pilot nicknamed the Ghost of Kyiv defending the skies.
Hyperboles apart, the folks of this quiet provincial city of tree-lined streets and low-rise buildings courting to the Russian empire managed to struggle off Russian troops within the vital opening days of the conflict, stopping Russian forces from capturing strategic bases that would have allowed the nation’s capital, Kyiv, to be encircled.
Vasylkiv, dwelling to an aviation college that has educated generations of pilots, a counterterrorism process power and an air protection command middle that protects the capital and central Ukraine, grew to become one of many first targets of a Russian assault within the first hours and days of the conflict. Cruise missiles slammed into the air base, after which Russian airborne forces attacked in a sequence of floor assaults.
They didn’t prevail. Accounts from residents, authorities officers, armed forces personnel and civilians who’ve enlisted territorial protection models described how Ukraine rebuffed the Russian assault and helped forestall Russia’s wider goals to grab management of the nation.
An air base was among the many first targets hit at 5 a.m. on the morning of Feb. 24, within the opening salvos of the conflict. The strikes broken buildings, gear and air protection programs.
Russian airborne troops had been dropped into close by villages and started an assault, native officers and officers mentioned. The Russian troopers attacked throughout an air raid, utilizing it to their benefit as Ukrainian troops took cowl in bomb shelters.
“After the airstrikes, they tried to check the perimeter,” mentioned one air power officer concerned in preventing, talking given that he solely be recognized by his rank — a serious — and his army code title, KR@M. “They tried to sneak inside and so they managed.”
For safety causes, the officer didn’t specify precisely the place the battles befell, besides to say the Kyiv area.
By the fourth evening of the conflict, the Russian attackers had regrouped and had been higher organized, mentioned the air power officer, KR@M, a member of the short response unit that was concerned within the battle.
He mentioned the Russians had been outfitted with assault rifles, silencers and evening imaginative and prescient goggles, enabling to them to assault at nighttime.
“At 4 a.m., when the preventing began our guard was shot silently, within the head, in full darkness,” he mentioned.
A fierce firefight broke out because the Russians entered the compound, he mentioned. The Ukrainians swiftly misplaced six males killed, with two wounded. However with correct hearth and hurling grenades, he mentioned they managed to kill 5 of the attackers and wound a sixth, forcing the remaining Russians to retreat.
“We’re fortunate they didn’t know how you can throw grenades correctly,” KR@M mentioned of the Russians. “If that they had managed to throw grenades, it might be very unhappy,” suggesting the Ukrainians may have been overrun.
The Russians appeared to have had again up, as a result of there have been indicators they dragged their lifeless and wounded with them. “We noticed the blood stains however discovered no our bodies,” KR@M mentioned. They even retrieved their shell casings, he mentioned.
He mentioned he was the one Ukrainians with a thermal imaging evening imaginative and prescient and was capable of shoot three of the attackers. He mourned his misplaced comrades, who he mentioned didn’t have the identical benefit. “The toughest factor, as at all times, is to lose your folks,” he mentioned.
After that battle on Feb. 26, the Ukrainians noticed scouts conducting reconnaissance across the perimeter of their bases, however the Russians didn’t mount any additional assaults. Then, a few week in the past, they disappeared altogether.
