Battle of Hostomel

During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a military engagment was fought for control over the town of Hostomel between the Russian and Ukrainian armed forces. As part of an offensive on Kyiv, the Russian forces sought control over Hostomel, Bucha and Irpin in order to encircle and besiege the Ukrainian capital city Kyiv from the west. The Kyiv Oblast State Administration would later name Hostomel, along with Irpin, Bucha, Highway M06, and the northern part of Vyshhorod Raion as the most dangerous places in Kyiv Oblast.

The Russian plans had been to quickly advance on and attack Kyiv, which would have disrupted Ukraine's command and control. Forces sent were insufficient to capture such a large city unless there was a political collapse. While the Russians were able to capture the airport, they were unable to use it to establish an airbridge. The fighting in and around Hostomel has been described as a decisive moment in the early stages of the invasion. It prevented the Russians from quickly taking control of Ukraine. Having failed to achieve their operational objective, in early April the Russian forces not only withdrew from Hostomel, but from all of Kyiv Oblast, as part of what they called a "goodwill gesture".