The Russian military’s struggles in Ukraine have severely damaged its reputation. Despite having qualitative and quantitative advantages, the Russians failed to achieve their primary goals, forcing the Kremlin to retreat and change its strategic goals in the war. The Russian military’s elite air force, the VDV, was at the center of the invasion that began on February 24 and its paratroopers suffered heavy casualties in several high-profile failures during the campaign. One unit within the VDV, the 331st Parachute Regiment, is considered elite by itself and has suffered heavy casualties in Ukraine, including its commander, Colonel Sergei Suharev, who was killed in mid-March.
An airport far away
Russian paratroopers at Hostomel Airport in Ukraine, March 12, 2022. Russian Ministry of Defense / Mil.ru
The Russian plan focused on activation with speed, surprise and violence. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his advisers envisioned a 48- to 72-hour war, seizing key Ukrainian urban centers, including Kiev, and overthrowing the Ukrainian government. Airborne forces are ideal for such surprises, as they are trained and equipped to fight with speed, surprise and aggression. The Russian military commanders, of course, turned to their VDV air force to play a key role in the invasion of Ukraine. One of the main Russian targets in the first hours of the invasion was Antonov Airport near the Ukrainian city of Hostomel, about 20 miles from Kyiv. VDV paratroopers carried out an air strike at the airport using about 30 helicopters. At first, they managed to understand it, but it was a short-lived victory, as a Ukrainian counterattack by special operations forces and conventional troops occupied the airport. Damaged buildings and fuel tanks burned at Antonov Airport in Hostomel, Ukraine, March 11, 2022 Maxar Technologies via Getty Images The goal of the attacking force on airborne operations, such as airport occupations, is to extend the perimeter or “airhead” so that the defending force cannot hit the airport with artillery, rockets and other indirect firearms. The former Green Beret officer who served in the 82nd Airborne Division told Insider. “In this way, you allow operations at airports to continue and aid to infiltrate,” said the former officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was still working with the US government. “Failure to extend the aircraft head in the first hours of an airport occupation welcomes disaster. You could use it as a pretext to distract the enemy and divert his attention from another part of the battlefield, but it would also mean that “You are sacrificing the airborne force, which, incidentally, is one of your most competent units,” said the former Green Beret. “Is the risk and the loss worth it?” It depends on the commander and the operational situation. “ During the attack on Hostomel, it appears that Russian VDV forces were unable to extend the airhead. They got stuck at the airport and could not push back and prevent the Ukrainian forces from approaching the airstrip. Russian paratroopers in armored vehicle at a checkpoint in the Kiev region, March 2022. Russian Ministry of Defense / Mil.ru In addition, the Ukrainian defenders were waiting for a Russian attempt to occupy the airport and had placed obstacles, such as buses and tractors, on the runways to prevent Russian transport aircraft from amplifying the initial wave of VDV forces. The Russian commanders also failed to reinforce the paratroopers on the ground with additional helicopter forces – a complete failure of the doctrine. VDV forces, distinguished by the “V” marks on their vehicles, have been involved in several other failures, with heavy losses throughout the invasion. In one case in early March, an entire VDV motorized patrol was ambushed and destroyed by Ukrainian special forces in the Kiev suburb of Irpin. The 331st Parachute Regiment took part in battles around Kyiv, and estimates of its casualties ranged from 39 soldiers, as estimated by the BBC, to about 100, according to residents of the community where the unit is based.
Russian vs. US Air Force
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Airborne Troops Commander Vladimir Samanov, third from right, meet airborne troops in Novorossiysk, Russia, July 14, 2009. VLADIMIR RODIONOV / AFP via Getty Images
Distinguished by the white and blue striped shirts of its troops, called telnyashkas, and their blue berets, the VDV is an elite organization within the Russian armed forces. It is a separate branch of the Russian army and is considered the strategic reserve of Moscow. When a contingency arises, VDV is there. During the recent unrest in Kazakhstan, the VDV was one of the first Russian forces to be deployed, acting as what Moscow called a peacekeeping force. The size and dogmatic role of the VDV differentiates it from airborne units in the US and other Western armies. In 2015, the commander of Russia’s airborne troops, Colonel-Gen. Vladimir Shamanov said the force would increase to 60,000 paratroopers in the coming years. These forces are divided into different divisions and brigades. By comparison, the 82nd Airborne Division of the U.S. Army has less than 20,000 paratroopers. The 82nd Airborne is the only U.S. Army parachute unit, although other units, such as the 75th Army Ranger Regiment, conduct airborne operations. A U.S. Army Special Forces soldier assists a Russian parachutist with a parachute before a joint exercise in Bosnia and Herzegovina, September 28, 1998. U.S. Army / Spc. Michelle Labriel The dogmatic role of the Russian airborne forces is also different from that of their US counterparts. Both formations are rapid reaction forces designed to strike quickly and capture key targets, but VDV forces are far more mechanized than U.S. airborne units. Russian VDVs use and often use tanks, infantry and armored personnel carriers. During the fighting in Ukraine, the VDV lost T-72B tanks and BMD-2 infantry fighting vehicles, among others. American paratroopers have some mechanized capabilities – such as the LAV-25, a wheeled all-terrain infantry armored vehicle – but nowhere near what their Russian counterparts have. VDVs are also designed to be more independent of their Western counterparts. For example, in a conventional near-peer conflict, after capturing a target, the 82nd Airborne Division would rely on mechanized ground reinforcements to relieve them. As VDV has an organic mechanized capacity, it would not rely on other units to relieve them after occupying their object. Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a veteran of the Greek Army (national service in the 575th Marine Battalion and Army Headquarters) and a graduate of Johns Hopkins University.
