Russia began its attack on Ukraine with missile strikes, which have continued on the second day of the war. More traditional equipment, helicopters and armor have been used in the ground attack.
The Russian invasion began Thursday morning with the attack of dozens of missiles on virtually everywhere in Ukraine.
Chief teacher of the Department of Military Science at the National Defense College Jarmo Mattila says the attacks used Iskander ballistic missiles fired from the shore and Kalibr cruise missiles fired from ships and submarines.
– According to our information, at least several dozen calibers were shot, says Mattila.
Judging by the number of attacks on Ukrainian territory, dozens of Iskanders were also fired. According to some reports, they were also shot from the territory of Belarus.
Missile strikes continued after Thursday at noon and on Friday. They targeted Ukraine’s air defense, such as anti-aircraft radars and airports, as well as military command and communications and, for example, warehouses. On Friday, the attacks were also said to have hit civilian targets.
Below is an instant video on Twitter of a video of a cruise missile attack on Ivano-Frankivsk airport on Thursday.
The ground attack, which began on Thursday, was backed by rocket launchers and track artillery with a range of tens of kilometers. Initially, Russia also fired on Ukrainians at the border.
Traditional towed artillery has also been used on both sides of the war. The following video shows how such an artillery column has been destroyed on the road. They can be assumed to be Russian from the z-markings on the vehicles.
From the direction of Crimea, the northern Dnieper River was attacked by Russian air strike forces previously brought to Crimea. The BDM-4 and BDM-2 combat vehicles they use are shown in these images. The wagons are armed with cannons and anti-tank missiles.
In its ground attack, Russia has used the basic equipment of its ground forces: T-72M3 and T-80 tanks, as well as various other combat and crew transport vehicles.
This video shows a Russian column heading south from the Crimea. The T-72 car that passes it has a Soviet red flag on its antenna.
The following video tells of a Russian battleground destroyed by the Ukrainian Javelin missile. Ukraine also has similar equipment, so it is not entirely certain which wagon has been destroyed.
Russia has used mil Mi-24 and Kamov Ka-52 combat helicopters to support the ground attack.
Antonov Airport near Kiev was attacked on Thursday by an airstrike, with troops carried by Mil Mi-8 helicopters and supported by Ka-52 combat helicopters. There were fierce battles on the field. Here’s a video of the Russian attack.
Russia also brought six landing craft to the Black Sea, but at least they have apparently not yet been used.
On Thursday, it was said that Russian troops had landed in Odessa, but the information was most likely incorrect.
Ukraine has defended itself with, among other things, the Javelin anti-tank missiles it has received from the United States. After launching, Javelin locks into the target and tries to hit the roof of the wagon, where the armor is thinnest.
Ukraine says it has dropped several Russian planes with anti-aircraft missiles and fighter jets. The number of drops could not be confirmed. This video is said to show the Russian Suhoi Su-35 and the Ukrainian MiG-29 (low flying), although no air struggle seems to be taking place. The video was filmed on Friday near Kiev.
Ukraine’s air defense is mostly based on Soviet-era missile equipment, which it has tried to modernize. This video says a Ukrainian BUK anti-aircraft missile unit destroyed near Kiev in a Russian airstrike on Friday.
Ukraine itself has lost aircraft, including a destroyed transport plane near Kiev.