Battle of Kyiv (2022)

For other battles that took place in Kyiv, see Battle of Kyiv.

The Battle of Kyiv is an ongoing military battle that began on 25 February 2022, as part of the Kyiv offensive in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine for control of Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine.

Battle

25 February

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Armed civilians in Kyiv, 25 February

On the morning of 25 February, three Russian saboteurs dressed as Ukrainian soldiers entered Obolon District. This northern district is about ten kilometres (6 mi) from the Verkhovna Rada building where the Parliament of Ukraine meets. The three saboteurs were killed by Ukrainian forces. Later in the morning, a Ukrainian Su-27s fighter was shot down over the city, crashing into an apartment building.

Throughout the day, gunfire was heard throughout several wards of the city; Ukrainian officials described the gunfire as arising from clashes with Russian troops.

The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, vowed to take up arms and fight. His brother, Wladimir Klitschko, expressed the same sentiments, having joined the reservists months earlier.

Russian armed forces have been entrenched at Antonov Airport, which is located in the Kyivan suburb of Hostomel. As part of the Battle of Antonov Airport, control of the airport has changed hands twice. The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, urged the people of Kyiv to respond to the Russian assault with molotov cocktails. 18,000 guns have been distributed amongst citizens. The Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces, normally kept in reserve, have also been activated.

There was heavy gunfire in Kyiv on the night of 25 February. The Ukrainian armed forces claim to have killed around 60 Russian saboteurs.

26 February

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A rocket strikes an apartment building in Kyiv, 26 February

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Aftermath of the apartment block in Kyiv struck by a missile on 26 February 2022

On the morning of 26 February, Russian artillery shelled the city for more than 30 minutes. Concurrently, Ukrainian forces repelled an attack on a power plant in the northeastern neighborhood of Troieshchyna; the BBC suggested that the attack could have been an "effort to deprive the city of electricity". Heavy fighting also occurred near the Kyiv Zoo in the central Shuliavka neighborhood, where Ukrainian forces defended an army base on Prospect Peremohy. Fighting also took place on other streets throughout Kyiv. Residents were warned to avoid windows and balconies.

According to Zelenskyy, Ukrainian forces managed to repel the Russian offensive and continue to hold the city and surrounding major cities. Curfew was extended from 5 pm to 8 am and violators were to be considered a part of "Russian saboteur or reconnaissance groups".

According to the British Ministry of Defence, the bulk of Russian forces was 31 kilometres (19 mi) from the center of Kyiv.

The Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces are responsible for mobilizing volunteers. Ukrainian Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky stated that volunteers in Kyiv had been given more than 25,000 assault rifles, about 10 million bullets, and rocket-propelled grenades and launchers.

27 February

Over the early morning of 27 February, there were some clashes with Russian saboteurs in Kyiv. Local officials claimed that Kyiv remained fully controlled by Ukrainian forces by the morning. In the evening of 27 February, the Associated Press reported that Klitschko had stated that the city was surrounded. However, Klitschko's spokesperson later told the The Kyiv Independent that the mayor had misspoken and that reports of Kyiv being encircled were false.

Later that morning, a rocket fell and exploded in the courtyard of a 16-story building located in Troieshchyna, causing 7 cars to catch fire. According to Ukrainian officials, the missile was fired by a Russian strategic bomber from Belarus.

On the night of 27 February, a Russian convoy attempted to set up base at the Syrets Metro, resulting in a deadly clash with Ukrainian soldiers. Russian troops also fired at a Ukrainian military bus, resulting in an unknown amount of casualties.

28 February

See also: Russian Kyiv Convoy

A new wave of Russian troops advanced towards the city, but little direct combat occurred, and only three missiles were fired at Kyiv that day. Satellite images recorded by Maxar Technologies recorded a long column of Russian vehicles heading to Kyiv south along a 64-kilometre-long (40 mi) highway approaching Kyiv from the north, and was approximately 39 km (24 mi) from the center of Kyiv.

On 28 February, Ukrainian soldiers killed an Israeli-Ukrainian citizen at a checkpoint, mistaking him for a Chechen member of the Russian army.

That night Russian missiles were fired at a military base in Brovary, causing a massive fire.

1 March

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A building in Kyiv destroyed by Russian shelling

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Rocket strike on Kyiv TV Tower, 1 March

On the morning of 1 March, the Russian Ministry of Defense issued a warning to civilians that they intended to target Ukrainian transmission facilities around Kyiv and that all nearby residents should leave the area. A few hours later, a Russian missile struck the Kyiv TV Tower, cutting off television broadcasts, killing five people, and injuring five others. The Babi Yar Holocaust Memorial Center confirmed that a second missile intended for the tower had accidentally hit a nearby memorial for the Babi Yar massacre. A Russian airstrike also hit a maternity clinic, damaging it but leaving it standing. Witnesses said that everybody inside the building (including babies) had to be evacuated to a nearby church, since the clinic did not have a bomb shelter.

Russian shelling hit the neighborhoods of Rusanivka and Kurenivka and the suburbs of Boyarka and Vyshneve, as well as the area around Kyiv International Airport.

2 March

In the early morning of 2 March, the Ukrainian Air Force claimed it had shot down two Russian Sukhoi Su-35 over Kyiv.

Later in the morning, Klitschko stated that the Russian army was beginning to surround the city in an attempt to enforce a blockade. Klitschko told Channel 24 that tanks were approaching towards Kyiv from Belarus and that Ukrainian authorities were inspecting Ukrainian checkpoints for preparedness. Estonian Defence Forces intelligence chief Margo Grosberg estimated that the advancing Russian convoy would arrive to Kyiv's outer suburbs in at least two days, after which they would try to lay siege to the city. Polish President Andrzej Duda said Zelenskyy had told him that Ukrainian forces would not withdraw from Kyiv.

Debris from an intercepted Russian rocket fell on the Kyiv-Pasazhyrskyi railway station, damaging a major heating pipeline. The resulting explosion caused minor damage to the station.

3 March

On 3 March, The New York Times estimated that over 15,000 people were hiding in the city's subway for shelter.

The United Kingdom Ministry of Defence issued a statement that over the past three days the advancing Russian convoy had made "little discernable progress" going forward.

4 March

A new wave of shelling hit downtown Kyiv, including the Borshchahivka neighbourhood. An investigation by CNN into social media videos depicting the aftermath of missile strikes found that airstrikes had hit a business center and many multi-story buildings in the western areas of the city.

5–8 March

On 7 March, Ukrainian authorities said they had destroyed two Russian aircraft. Volodymr Zelenskyy responded to allegations he had fled the city with a video of himself inside his Kyiv office.

9 March

In the morning Russian forces began shelling the city again, resulting in several explosions. Later that day, Russian and Ukrainian authorities agreed to make a temporary humanitarian corridor, which resulted in a mass evacuation of civilians from the suburbs.

10 March

Kyiv's mayor Vitali Klitschko stated that nearly two million people, or half of the population of the city, had left the city since the war began.