Battles & Wars › Modern conflicts › Russia–Ukraine war
Battle of Kyiv (2022)
February 24 – April 2, 2022· Battle· Europe
Well documentedSolid records, physical evidence or scientific consensus.
Russia's opening drive on Ukraine's capital in 2022, which failed within about five weeks against unexpectedly strong Ukrainian resistance.
See it on the Battles & Wars map →What happened
On February 24, 2022, Russian columns crossed from Belarus toward Kyiv while airborne troops attacked Hostomel airport on the city's edge. A convoy about 40 miles (64 km) long stalled on the roads north of the city. Ukrainian troops and volunteers used artillery, ambushes, portable anti-tank missiles such as Javelins, and drones to wear the columns down. Russia pulled back in late March, calling it a gesture to help peace talks. Ukraine declared the Kyiv region retaken on April 2.
Why it matters
It ended Russia's hope of a quick victory and regime change, kept Zelensky's government in Kyiv, and persuaded Western states to send heavier weapons.
How we know
Satellite images of the convoy, captured Russian orders and equipment, journalists on the ground, and UN and International Criminal Court investigations of civilians found killed in Bucha and nearby towns.
Still debated
Russia says the Kyiv push was meant to pressure talks, not take the city, and denies the Bucha killings. Most analysts think Moscow expected Kyiv to fall within days.
Connections (3)
▸Battle of Kyiv (2022) ended Russia's bid for a quick win in Russia–Ukraine warMostly agreed
The connection
Russia appears to have planned a lightning war: take Kyiv within days and replace President Volodymyr Zelensky's government. When the assault failed, Moscow refocused on eastern and southern Ukraine, and the war became a long contest of artillery, manpower and industrial output, with Western aid sustaining Ukraine.
When and how
Kyiv's northern and western outskirts, including Hostomel, Bucha and Irpin, February–April 2022; Russia announced its refocus on the Donbas on March 25.
How sure are we?
Captured Russian plans, analyzed by Britain's Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), pointed to a roughly ten-day operation; Russia's own war aims then visibly narrowed.
Debates and open questions
Whether better planning could have taken Kyiv, and why Russian intelligence so misjudged Ukraine's will to fight, are still studied.
▸Battle of Kyiv (2022) featured Ukraine's early use of Drones and precision strikeMostly agreed
The connection
Ukraine's Turkish-built Bayraktar TB2 drones struck Russian vehicles and supply lines, while volunteer units such as Aerorozvidka flew small commercial drones at night to spot and bomb the stalled columns. Drones also guided artillery onto road-bound convoys. These improvised tactics previewed the drone-saturated front that followed.
When and how
North and west of Kyiv, late February–March 2022; Aerorozvidka, a volunteer drone unit founded in 2014, and Ukrainian TB2 crews.
How sure are we?
Ukrainian combat video, interviews with drone operators by Western journalists, and later analyses, though many early claims were propaganda and hard to verify.
Debates and open questions
How much drones mattered compared with artillery and anti-tank missiles is debated; many analysts credit artillery with most of the damage, and TB2s grew vulnerable as Russian air defenses recovered.
▸Russian annexation of Crimea was followed eight years later by Battle of Kyiv (2022)Well documented
The connection
Crimea's swift, almost bloodless seizure in 2014 seemed to show that Ukraine would not fight and the West would respond weakly. Many analysts think this led Moscow to expect another fast win in 2022. Instead Ukraine's army, rebuilt and battle-tested in the Donbas after 2014, held. Crimea also served as a launch pad for Russia's southern advance.
When and how
From Crimea in 2014 to Kyiv's outskirts in February 2022; Ukraine's forces were reformed with Western training in the years between.
How we know
Analyses of Russian planning by RUSI and others, and Western training records, link the two; the claim about Kremlin expectations is an inference.
Debates and open questions
Whether Putin's 2022 decision rested mainly on lessons from 2014 or on other factors, such as his July 2021 essay calling Russians and Ukrainians 'one people', is debated.