By now, you should already know what happened: On February 24th, Russian military forces invaded the sovereign nation of Ukraine. Moscow expected a swift victory, one in which Ukrainian citizens would welcome their troops and Ukraine would collapse in as little as three days. Western intelligence suggested they’d fall within a week. The Kremlin’s plan hinged on quickly capturing the capital city of Kyiv, eliminating the Ukrainian president, and installing a puppet government. But Ukraine did not fall. Instead, it mounted an extraordinary defense, proving that with strategic planning, Russian missteps could overturn seemingly impossible odds. Ukraine’s survival in those crucial early days rested on five key goals. If any had failed, the country’s fate might have been sealed. Here is how Ukraine pulled it off.
Keeping President Zelensky Alive and In The Country
From the start, Russia’s primary objective was to eliminate or capture Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Russian special forces and saboteurs infiltrated Kyiv, aiming to assassinate him and other high-ranking officials. They failed for several reasons:
When offered an escape to set up a government in exile by the West, Zelensky responded with the now famous, “I need ammunition, not a ride.”
The Ukrainian government had secure locations to relocate key officials.
Ukraine’s defense forces quickly set up two defense perimeters around the city of Kyiv.
Key officials could reside in Kyiv’s vast tunnel system, which is described as ‘sprawling and maze-like’.
Zelensky’s presence in Kyiv was crucial — not just tactically but psychologically. His defiance inspired Ukraine’s armed forces, territorial defense units, and civilians, proving that the country was still in the fight.
Deny A Russian Air Bridge Into Ukraine
One of the most influential but lesser-known battles of the early days was the battle of Hostomel Airport. Its long runway, which it used to support the world’s largest aircraft, the AN-225, was perfect for landing large cargo planes. The Russian blitzkrieg-like plan depended on establishing an airbridge at Hostomel airport just outside of Kyiv.
Ukrainian National Guard troops parked snow removal and other equipment down the length of the airport’s runway, preventing landings without first capturing the airport and moving the equipment. Russia's special forces, such as the VDV, were parachuted into Hostomel, and after intense fighting, they were able to overcome the Ukrainian National Guard. Once the professional military had been mobilized and arrived, they could reclaim the airport. The dozens of IL-76 transport aircraft, carrying reinforcements and equipment, never landed.
With Hostomel denied, Russia lost its quickest path to Kyiv, forcing them into a slow, grinding ground advance that gave Ukraine time to organize.
Cancel Out The Russian Air Force
Despite Russia’s overwhelming air power on paper, they are still unable to claim air superiority over Ukraine to this day, over three years into their three-day mission. In the opening days, Ukraine managed to neutralize the threat; initial bombardments of Russian missiles did not yield nearly any losses for the Ukrainian military, instead hitting random locations that Russia assumed defenses would be as well as hitting Civilian infrastructure. In one instance, a cruise missile destined for a Ukrainian airbase impacted an apartment block just over a mile away from its target. The large technological and manpower gap was turned into a victory by:
Keeping Ukraine’s defense systems moving: Russia’s initial missile strikes failed to destroy Ukraine’s S-300s and Buk air defense systems because Russia was operating on outdated or flat-out wrong intelligence.
Listening to Russian plans ahead of time: Russia neglected to secure its radio communication, which remains unencrypted to this day, giving Ukraine ample time to relocate defensive positions before a strike.
Preventing air superiority: Ukrainian pilots in MiG-29s and SU-27s found out very quickly that if they flew low, they avoided both anti-air systems, and got the opportunity to pop up and surprise Russian bombers and fighters.
Stinger missiles and MANPADS: These portable anti-air weapons took out Russian helicopters and ground-attack planes. Working these in conjunction with longer-range air defense, neither flying high nor flying low was safe.
By the time Russian military planners had realized the gravity of their mistake, it was too late. Ukraine’s air force was fully mobilized and on the move, making missile strikes or air combat extremely unreliable and risky. More concealed air defense systems relegated the Russian air force to glide bombs and cruise missiles, lobbed from outside of Ukraine’s borders. These glide bombs and cruise missiles were of course, unreliable.
Repelling the Initial Ground Assault
This goal was one of the most daunting and costly, as it would be for any nation, but regardless, success came far easier than expected for the Ukrainian defense forces, with most of the initial invasion being halted or repelled entirely by the Ukrainian National Guard before the professional army had even arrived. Russian troops expected a quick drive into Kyiv but instead were met with organized ambushes, anti-tank fire, hostile civilian population, and the National Guard fighting retreat-style.
Disastrous Russian Logistics: Many Russian units stalled due to food or fuel shortages – some because their soldiers had looted and sold parts of their equipment on the black market, a common occurrence in the Russian military.
Blocking Roads: As soon as the invasion started, every welder dropped what they were doing to weld metal I-beams into Czech hedgehogs, which blocked roads. Russian forces could not leave paved roads due to the Ukrainian mud, famous for stopping the German advance into the USSR in the Second World War.
According to William Spaniel’s book How Ukraine Survived: Inside the Strategy to Stop Russia's Invasion, Russian soldiers weren’t even told they were invading. They were sent to the border under the guise of training, as such, the pillaging and corruption that ran rampant had no reason to stop. Most soldiers were only told of the true plan between 14 and 6 hours before, with some being told less than an hour before. Senior military officials weren’t told much longer than a day beforehand as well. This crippled Russia’s mobility and supply chains, leading to abandoned convoys and easy Ukrainian victories.
Embarrass the Russian Convoy
One of Russia’s most infamous failures in the opening days was the 40-mile-long convoy advancing south from Belarus towards Kyiv. The supposed ‘convoy of doom’ was meant to signify the end of Ukraine, yet now it is an infamous symbol of Russian incompetence and Ukrainian resilience.
Ukraine systematically dismantled the convoy using:
Sabotaging bridges during the Ukrainian National Guard’s retreat halted Russian advances, forcing them to find new, unplanned routes.
Drone strikes and artillery were used to take out key vehicles and pummel the column of enemies, creating ideal conditions for any defender.
The targeting of fuel trucks left entire battalions without fuel and supplies.
Ukraine also utilized basic ambush tactics. As the convoy wasn’t uniform, they could insert themselves between groups of vehicles. This allowed them to take out the first car in a group, forcing the rest to halt. They could then take out the last vehicle, locking the vehicles in, forcing the attackers to fight their way out, or most commonly, flee. This is how Ukraine ended up with so much Russian equipment in good condition during the initial invasion.By the time the Kremlin realized the convoy was in trouble, it was too exposed to reposition. Ultimately, the stalled convoy became an easy target, and Russia failed to use it effectively in its attempt to take Kyiv.
Russia’s Fatal Mistakes
Beyond Ukraine’s strategic success, Russia doomed itself with arrogance and poor planning:
Telling soldiers last minute: Many had no idea they were invading, leading to confusion, desertions, and poorly maintained equipment.
Underestimating Ukrainian resistance: Russia expected to be welcomed into the country and instead were met with an entire country ready to fight for their independence.
Logistical collapse: Russian supply lines were too long, too exposed, and too fragile to support a rapid invasion.
Unsecured communications: The usage of unencrypted radios, text messaging, phone calls, and in some cases handwritten orders delivered by motorbike, gave Ukraine easy access to Russian plans and gave them time to react accordingly.
Long-Term Impact of Ukraine’s Survival
By surviving past the first weeks of the invasion, Ukraine turned the impossible odds into manageable ones. Russia lost its chance at a quick victory and was forced into a prolonged, grinding conflict. It gave time for Western alliances such as NATO time to organize aid. To date, Europe has contributed $138 Billion in aid to Ukraine, making up 53.7% of all aid, at a cost of ~ $180 per person out of their taxes. The United States has contributed $119 Billion in aid, making up the other 46.3%, at ~$30 out of the average American’s taxes, far less than their European counterparts."The United States has put up far more aid for Ukraine than any other nation, hundreds of billions of dollars," President Trump said, "We've spent more than $300 billion, and Europe has spent about $100 billion. That's a big difference." Later on, in response to a question on whether the U.S. would help with reconstruction in Ukraine after the war, Trump said: "We're in there for about $350 billion. I think that's a pretty big contribution." Considering these numbers are not true in any regard it’s hard to say what the current state of affairs is in the White House, but one thing is clear: We cannot allow our president to bully our friends and allies, nor can we allow the spreading of mistruths, such as calling the president of a nation fighting for its survival a dictator.
Conclusions
Ukraine’s survival beyond the days or weeks originally estimated by other intelligence agencies is a result of Ukraine’s careful planning. Ukraine successfully kept its government alive and in the country, denied access via air, countered Russian airpower, repelled the initial ground assault, and bloodied Russia’s nose on a global scale with the destruction of its convoys. Ukraine’s resistance in those early days did more than just protect Kyiv – it shaped the future of the war. What was supposed to be a swift Russian victory turned into a military and geopolitical disaster for Moscow, thanks to Ukraine’s will to fight and Russia’s catastrophic blunders.
Now, years later, Ukraine’s fight continues – but its survival of the first three days will forever be remembered as one of modern history’s most remarkable military upsets – one sure to be studied in the future.
