Russian forces control a strategic airfield on the outskirts of Kiev (Russia and Ukraine)
The Russian Defense Ministry announced today (Friday) that its forces carried out a successful air landing operation in the Gostomel Airport area on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, and took control of this airport.
The Russian Defense said in a statement: More than 200 Russian helicopters participated in the operation, which led to its success, silencing all air defenses in the landing area, completely isolating the combat zone from the air, in addition to conducting effective electronic warfare, according to the Russia Today website.
The statement stated that during the operation to capture the airport, more than 200 ultra-nationalists in the ranks of the Ukrainian special units were killed, without the Russian forces incurring any losses.
Gostomel airport is part of the “Antonov” aviation complex, which developed and tested here both the An-124 Ruslan heavy military transport aircraft and the An-225 Mriya, which indicates that the airport runway of this plant is capable of receiving aircraft from what type.
Another feature of Gostomel Airport is that it is located on the western bank of the Dnieper River, eight kilometers from the ring road of the capital, Kiev. From a military point of view, it is better located than Boryspil International Airport in Kiev, especially if the task is to get to the city center.
The western bank of the Dnieper is where all the administrative buildings, government centers and ministries in Kiev are located, and to get to it from Gosumil airport, special forces do not need to seize bridges or cross the river.
