VDV air-assault forces seize the airport outside Kyiv to open an air bridge for a rapid decapitation of the capital; the landing is contained and the airfield rendered unusable.
Why it mattersThe day the short war died — with no air bridge there was no coup de main, and Russia's elite airborne arm began its long attrition as line infantry.
Confidence: HighSources: Established historical record · Established international media reportingMethodologyCorrections