Thread by @bazaarofwar

I still don't think anyone appreciates the significance of Russian operations at Hostomel airport.

It's ~75 km from the river crossing at Chernobyl to the airport. Compare that to the doctrinal template of Soviet deep operations, which calls for airborne operations 80 km deep...

One purpose of airborne troops in the operational depth is to exploit any fleeting opportunities. But the main reason is to disrupt the rear of forward echelons and render their position untenable.

The breakthrough around Chernobyl was crucial, the Russians' only available mobility corridor on the right bank of the Dnieper. The crossing at Chernobyl is one of the few through the Pripyat Marshes, an otherwise impassable obstacle.

Attacks in the operational depth—or even the threat of them—can cause forward positions to collapse.

It's not at all clear what forces the Ukrainians had at Chernobyl, but it's very likely that this, rather than a madcap dash for Kiev, was the Russians' real motive.

If reports of heavy Ukrainian vehicle losses near Hostomel are true (impossible to confirm right now), then the landing accomplished this and more by forcing a counterattack in the open, either from Kiev or from elsewhere.