Russian forces have withdrawn from Antonov Airport, outside of Kyiv, satellite images confirm

New satellite tv for pc photos present Russian forces have withdrawn from the Antonov Airport in Hostomel, 18 miles (about 29 kilometers) northwest of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.

The pictures, taken Thursday by Maxar Applied sciences, verify earlier data from an official with the US Division of Protection, who advised CNN they believed the Russian navy had doubtless left the airport.

Earlier satellite tv for pc photos confirmed the Russians had constructed protecting earthen berms round navy automobiles and artillery positions after weeks of digging in on the airport. Now, simply the berms stay. 

First Russian victory: The seize of the Antonov airfield was the primary main victory notched by the Russians on the primary day of the battle — Feb. 24. Quite a few transport and assault helicopters ambushed the bottom, and the Ukrainian troopers stationed there; CNN witnessed a few of the intense firefight on the base.

Since then, Ukrainian forces held robust in opposition to the Russian advance; they by no means made it nearer to western Kyiv. Intense firefights passed off alongside the Irpin River and the cities of Irpin and Bucha, simply south of the air base and Hostomel. 

Russia’s Protection Ministry launched various movies praising the convenience at which they claimed to have taken the air base. Russian state media echoed these claims, even touring with troops across the airport as proof of how protected the world was.

Now, the abandonment is one other instance of Russia’s waning navy success across the Ukrainian capital.

Russian repositioning: At the moment, it is unclear the place the navy and artillery automobiles went. Russia has beforehand claimed it will lower its navy exercise round Kyiv. All the navy forces and automobiles that had been positioned west of Kyiv got here from Belarus.

The Russians aren’t saying in the event that they returned to Belarus, and thick cloud cowl is presently stopping any satellite tv for pc imagery from monitoring Russian troop actions within the space.