Videos hint at Russia's military might in Ukraine

Chantal Da Silva and Caroline Radnofsky and Matthew Mulligan
Updated ·2 min read
Videos hint at Russia's military might in Ukraine
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Within hours of President Vladimir Putin’s authorization of military action in Ukraine, dramatic video hinted at the force of Russia's military hardware.

As Russian forces launched what Ukrainian officials described as a “full-scale attack” on their homeland Thursday, video captured on the ground showed helicopters swooping over cities. Meanwhile, tanks and other military vehicles rolled out onto streets.

In one video verified by NBC News, helicopters could be seen flying toward Antonov Airport in Hostomel, near Kyiv, as heavy smoke swirled on the horizon.

Helicopters fly toward Antonov Airport in Hostomel near the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on Thursday.
Helicopters fly toward Antonov Airport in Hostomel near the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on Thursday.

“Around 20 already flew, can’t see Ukrainian coat of arms, definitely Russian,” the person making the recording can be heard saying in Ukrainian.

“They are flying above the houses, they are flying towards the airport, they are bombing the airport ⁠— can hear there is a fight,” the person says.

In another video, shot from nearby Vyshhorod, helicopters appear to drop flares as they travel over water and then inland.

The Ukrainian interior Ministry’s spokesman said a number of Russian helicopters were shot down in Hostomel.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said more than 40 of the country's soldiers had been killed.

NBC News was not immediately able to confirm the government reports of casualties, battles and troop movements.

For weeks, Russia had been massing tens of thousands of troops along Ukraine's border. And on Thursday Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the country was under attack “from the south, north, east and from the air."

Missiles and shelling struck a slew of targets Thursday, including airports and military sites, Ukrainian officials said.

In Vuhledar in the Donetsk region, a Russian shell hit a hospital, killing four people and injuring 10 others, the interior ministry said in a Telegram chat. At least six doctors were hurt.

Image: Explosion in Kyiv (ROPI via ZUMA Press)
Image: Explosion in Kyiv (ROPI via ZUMA Press)

Video was also alleged to show tanks crossing the Belarus-Ukraine border Thursday.

Earlier in the day, explosions could be heard before dawn in eastern Ukraine, with video appearing to capture explosions near Dnipro, less than 300 miles southeast of Kyiv.

“No, this is not a Russian invasion only in the east of Ukraine, but a full-scale attack from multiple directions,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a tweet Thursday.