Northern front of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

• 1. Three-Day Expectation

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  On the 24th of February 2022, Russian military forces crossed the border into northern Ukraine. They entered the oblasts of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, and Zhytomyr. The initial goal was to capture Kyiv within three days. This timeline appeared in statements from Vladimir Putin and Aleksandr Lukashenko before the invasion began. Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of RT, claimed Russia could defeat Ukraine in two days. Documents found inside captured tanks suggested the operation would end in ten days. A video released by the Security Service of Ukraine showed a soldier claiming his unit carried only three days of food supplies. RIA Novosti published an article titled "Russia's Coming and the New World" on the 27th of February, announcing a victory that had not yet occurred. Zelenskyy received an ultimatum to be replaced by Viktor Medvedchuk.

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• 2. Hostomel Airfield Battle

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  At 8:00 a.m. local time on the 24th of February 2022, twenty to thirty-four Russian helicopters approached Hostomel. These Mil Mi-8 transport helicopters were escorted by Ka-52 attack helicopters. They carried around 300 VDV airborne troops for an assault on Antonov Airport. Ukrainian small arms and MANPADS fire downed one to three helicopters during the approach. Despite heavy resistance, the airport fell to Russian forces on the 25th of February after Ukrainian National Guard members withdrew. Local militias and the 3rd Special Purpose Regiment attacked the site immediately. The Ukrainian 4th Rapid Reaction Brigade launched a decisive counterattack that prevented Ilyushin Il-76 transport aircraft from landing. During the fighting, the world's largest operational aircraft, the An-225 Mriya, was destroyed in its storage hangar. Western sources estimated 300 Russian paratroopers died in the battle.

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• 3. Logistical Collapse And Stalled Columns

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  A large convoy of Russian vehicles stretched more than 100 kilometers near Ivankiv on the 27th of February. By the 28th of February, this column had grown even longer. Dissident railway workers and hackers disrupted lines in Belarus through operations known as the 2022 rail war. Networks called Bypol, the Community of Railway Workers, and Cyber Partisans organized these disruptions. Poor equipment performance caused massive standstalls along roads leading to Kyiv. Ukrainian forces destroyed bridges over the Teteriv River at Ivankiv to halt the advance. A convoy of special police units OMON and SOBR from Kemerovo Oblast separated from main forces and charged toward Kyiv alone. This unarmored group was ambushed by local Ukrainian forces using anti-tank missiles. Only three soldiers survived out of eighty in that specific convoy. The logistical failures allowed Ukraine to stall the entire Russian advance from Belarus, which consisted of 70,000 soldiers and 7,000 vehicles.

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• 4. Siege Of Chernihiv And Sumy

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  On the 16th of March, the Ukrainian government announced that its forces had begun a counter-offensive to repel Russian troops approaching Kyiv. Fighting took place in Bucha, Hostomel, and Irpin. By the 25th of March, Ukrainian counterattacks had retaken several towns including Makariv. Under pressure from the Ukrainian military, Russian troops in the Bucha area began to retreat north at the end of March. Ukrainian forces entered Bucha on the 1st of April. A British Ministry of Defence assessment reported Ukraine recaptured defensive positions up to 35 kilometers east of Kyiv. On the 28th of March, Ukrainian forces retook Irpin. The city's mayor said it would serve as a staging ground for the recapture of Bucha and Hostomel. Between 30 and the 31st of March, Ukrainian forces reportedly recaptured settlements like Dmytrivka and Buzova near Kyiv. Ukrainian border guards returned to border regions by the 11th of April. Governor Chaus confirmed the Russian military pulled back from Chernihiv on the 4th of April.

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• 5. Ukrainian Counteroffensive

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  authorities stated that more than 300 civilian inhabitants of Bucha were summarily executed after Russian withdrawal. Bodies were discovered following the departure of Russian forces. In total, 458 civilian deaths were recorded in Bucha alone. An additional 1,300 deaths occurred in other Russian-occupied areas of Kyiv Oblast. A Russian airstrike on the local power plant on the 3rd of March cut off electricity and heating in Okhtyrka. Three civilians were killed due to bombing in Velyka Pysarivka on the 9th of March. Russian shelling destroyed a gas pipeline in Okhtyrka after 01:30 on the 10th of March. Shelling at the former Elektrobutprilad plant in Trostianets killed three civilians. Two civilians were reportedly killed overnight in Sumy Oblast on the 11th of March. The prosecution launched an investigation into the destruction of the Lebedyn bakery by strikes from Russian military planes.

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