The Russian military claims it has taken control of a key strategic airport just outside Kyiv.
Taking possession of the Antonov airport in Hostomel, which has a long runway allowing the landing of heavy-lift transport planes, would mean Russia can airlift troops directly to Kyiv’s outskirts.
Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said on Friday that the Russian airborne forces used 200 helicopters to land in Hostomel and killed over 200 troops belonging to Ukraine’s special forces.
The claim it had taken the airport could not be independently verified and the Ukraine military are yet to comment.
The airport had been the scene of heavy fighting on Thursday and Ukraine said it had seized it back from Russian control on Thursday evening.
An advisor to the Ukrainian president said on Facebook on Thursday evening: “Hostomel Airport is ours,” and, “Russian paratroopers have been destroyed.”
The battle was cited by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace on Friday morning when he said the Russian army had failed in its aims on the first day of the full invasion yesterday.
“One of the significant airports they were trying to capture with their elite spetsnaz [special forces] has failed to be taken and, in fact, the Ukrainians have taken it back.”
The Russian Defence Ministry said on Friday: “The success of the landing force was ensured by suppressing all air defence systems near the landing site, full isolation of the area of military action from the air and active radio electronic warfare.”
It comes as Ukraine authorities said Russia had reached the northern parts of the capital on Friday.
“The city has gone into a defensive phase. Shots and explosions are ringing out in some neighbourhoods. Saboteurs have already entered Kyiv,” said Kyiv’s mayor, former world heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitchko. “The enemy wants to put the capital on its knees and destroy us.”
