Ukraine marks liberation of Kyiv region anniversary

Four years ago, on April 2, 2022, the Ukrainian Defense Forces completely drove Russian troops out of the Kyiv region.

The de-occupation became a strategic victory that ultimately shattered the enemy's plans to capture Kyiv within "three to five days" and force Ukraine into capitulation, CE Report quotes Ukrinform.

Fighting for the Kyiv region began in the first hours of the full-scale invasion. Russian command initially focused on seizing military airfields in Hostomel and Vasylkiv to land airborne troops. However, the resilience of Ukraine's National Guard and Armed Forces, who damaged runways and engaged in fierce battles, forced the aggressor to change plans. The main invading forces advanced by land from Belarus, capturing 15 communities in the Vyshhorod, Bucha, and Brovary districts.

Intense fighting lasted for more than a month in Hostomel, Irpin, Bucha, Borodianka, Makariv, Moshchun, and Dmytrivka. Ukrainian defenders stopped elite Russian units there, including airborne divisions and naval infantry.

One of the decisive factors in the defense was the destruction of a dam near the village of Kozarovychi. This caused flooding of the Irpin River, making it impossible for Russian forces to cross and blocking their advance toward Kyiv from the north. On the eastern axis, near the village of Skybyn, Ukrainian defenders destroyed a column of Russia's 6th Tank Regiment, effectively halting the offensive on the capital.

The occupation was marked by mass terror against civilians. According to law enforcement, more than 1,600 civilians were killed in the region during the occupation, most of them in the Bucha district. Images from Yablunska Street in Bucha and the ruins of Borodianka, systematically destroyed by Russian airstrikes, spread around the world.

A counteroffensive by the Ukrainian Defense Forces in late March forced the remaining Russian units to retreat. Irpin was liberated on March 28, and within days – after clearing Bucha, Brovary, and Hostomel – the Kyiv region was officially declared free.

Despite massive destruction – nearly 27,000 damaged sites – the liberation of the region became Ukraine's first major success in the war. The heroic resistance in the Kyiv region saved the capital, stopped the "blitzkrieg," and gave the country time to mobilize and regroup.

On the evening of April 2, 2022, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry officially confirmed the liberation of the Kyiv region from Russian forces.