I've been away due to work (being so tired from one day that I went straight to sleep and slept through the opening of the war; and then being at work for two straight days due to an ice storm for the first two days of the war).
Looks like the Russians/Belarusians used the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone to pass through for their western pincer on Kiev.
So far with this war we have:
- Battle of Chernobyl in the Exclusion Zone
- Failed VDV air assault at Hostomel Airport -- VDV landed in helicopters and were wiped out after 8 hours.
- Failed VDV airborne landings at Vasylkiv Airport, two IL-76s were shot down (claimed by US officials).
Russian casualties claimed by the Ukrainians for the first 36 hours (I think) are:
100+ tanks
500+ "Armoured Combat Vehicles"
17+ aircraft (helos and jets)
3000~ troops.
I would have downgraded the Ukrainian estimates to 1000~ killed; since after all, you can count burned out wrecks on the battlefield and be sure of vehicle losses; but human losses are hard.
But after the Vasylkiv assault with two IL-76s shot down, I'm inclined now to increase it to 2000~ killed.