Hostomel Airport, Antonov An-225’s destruction site, is abandoned by Russian forces

After weeks of intense fight, Russian troops were ordered to abandon Hostomel Airport on March 31 and they are believed to head to Belarus for regrouping.

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Hostomel -also known as Antonov Airport- was deemed as key in the first hours of the invasion in late February, and the fight to control -and for Ukrainian forces, to recover- the airfield had a significant cost, both in personnel and equipment.

One of the most significant assets destroyed in the campaign was the An-225 «Mriya», damaged beyond repair by -according to Russian claims- Ukrainian artillery.

The decision of abandoning the airfield could be triggered by two distinct factors: on one hand Russian strategy seems to be shifting to a «de-escalation», although many analysts prefer to call it a simple regrouping after a month of operations with a debatable cost/success ratio.

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The second factor might take into consideration the bitter reality that the swift, fast-paced invasion that was perfect on paper derived into a full-scale ground occupation move that renders Hostomel control as unnecessary.

Russian forces were deployed by helicopters in Hostomel during the first hours of the invasion, where they met severe resistance. The control of the facilities was disputed for at least two weeks, and Russia was able to consolidate its position just a few days ago.

US officials, based in intelligence reports and imagery, confirmed today that troops were heading Belarus. Citing «heavy losses» and logistical issues, withdraw from the airfield could imply that controlling Kyiv is no longer part of Putin’s plan for Ukraine.

While it is not the first military operation in world history that bears a significant toll in lives and materiel for an objective that it is discarded, a pointless destruction of the An-225 would darken even more the sacrifice made by both forces.