Security and defense commentator Michael Peck has published tips for countries that don't want to be overrun by Russian forces. He pointed to a pattern in Russian operations over the past 50 years: when the Kremlin wants to occupy another country, it goes to the airports first.
Why airports need to be secured
Russia's failed attempt to seize Gostomel International Airport in the Kiev region at the start of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was part of a well-oiled game, says Michael Peck.
He noted that Moscow sent special forces and paratroopers to seize airports in Prague in 1968, Kabul in 1979 and temporarily occupied Ukrainian Sevastopol in 2014 to facilitate the advance of Russian ground troops.
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— This strategy can work with incredible speed when elite paratroopers seize the airport and create an aerial bridgehead. Air transports can then deliver reinforcements to expand the air force while waiting to link up with armored columns heading across the border — noted by the reviewer.
Typical Russian sequence
Michael Peck argues that Russian military operations follow a typical sequence: stationing forces on the borders of a targeted country in order to increase political pressure and stage an invasion.
Russian special forces soon begin crossing the state border, seizing a strategic airport with the help of airborne units and landing additional assault troops.
The strategy doesn’t always work
However, Michael Peck noted that this strategy did not work during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to him, the air assault on the Kyiv region in 2022 was a fiasco.
In particular, the airstrikes failed to suppress Ukrainian air defenses, which shot down numerous Russian aircraft, there was no close air support, and Ukrainian troops quickly counterattacked with 300 paratroopers surrounded.
Other Russian operations were successful
However, other Russian operations to seize airports have been largely successful, Michael Peck noted. He gave the example of the attack on Prague, which helped the Warsaw Pact troops occupy Czechoslovakia with minimal fighting and losses.
Among these operations — attack in Kabul, which was aimed at overthrowing Afghan President Hafizullah Amin, although it was bloodier. Hundreds of Afghans and the command of the KGB special forces died during the storming of the presidential palace. This ended with the murder of Amin.
In Ukrainian Sevastopol, Russian special forces units also first captured two airfields. However, even if Russia can surpass a small state in military strength, this does not guarantee a successful capture of the airport, says Michael Peck.
When the Russian Federation can be vulnerable
— If the defense is ready, the Russians will become vulnerable. This vulnerability increases if they do not have air superiority over the airfield, — he noticed.
If Russian troops do manage to capture the airport, he believes that the best option for the country on the defensive is an immediate counterattack. This will make it possible to dislodge the enemy and block the runway to prevent reinforcements.
