On February 24, the first day of the Russo-Ukrainian war, the Russian army dispatched dozens of Ka-52 armed helicopters and Mi-8 transport helicopters, carrying more than 200 paratroopers across the Ukrainian army’s forward positions and directly raided the city only 25 kilometer

February 24, the first day of the Russo-Ukrainian war, the Russian army dispatched dozens of Ka-52 armed helicopters and Mi-8 transport helicopters , carrying more than 200 paratroopers across the Ukrainian army's forward positions, directly They raided Gostomeli Airport, which is only 25 kilometers away from Kiev , and quickly occupied the airport.

The Ukrainian army responded immediately, sending the 45th Rapid Reaction Brigade to surround the airport, using heavy weapons to blow up the airport runway, suppressing the Russian army's firepower and preventing the Russian army's subsequent paratrooper troop reinforcements. After a night of fierce fighting, the Ukrainian army regained control of the airport and trapped 200 Russian paratroopers in a corner of the airport.

In order to break the siege of the Russian army at the airport and regain control of the airport, the Russian military ordered the ground armored troops to rush to the rescue of the paratroopers who were still holding on to the airport. The Ukrainian army also discovered the activity track of this ground force, and judged that it must be in the direction of reinforcements at the airport. They placed a large number of explosives on the only way to prevent the ground troops from moving forward.

Captain Kirill Balagansky, the engineer platoon leader of a certain Russian army unit, received a report from the reconnaissance unit that the Ukrainian army had buried explosives on the bridge that the Russian ground troops must pass through to assist Gostomeli Airport. , Kirill immediately led the demining team to dismantle the explosives. When they came to the bridge, they found that each pier of the bridge had been tied with explosives by the Ukrainian army. The total amount of TNT exceeded 700 kilograms, which was enough to blow up the entire bridge several times. Kirill led the team to risk being attacked by snipers and risk their lives to organize the dismantling of explosives. Every mistake they made would result in their bodies being shattered. Through the excellent professionalism of Kirill's team, all the explosives were finally safely removed, ensuring the safety of the bridge.

html At noon on February 25, the scouts again reported to Captain Kirill Balagansky that they had detected the whereabouts of the Ukrainian army near the bridge. They also discovered reinstalled mines and unusually arranged mines on the bridge. Complex explosives. At this time, the Russian ground troops were very close to the bridge. Kirill acted decisively again and organized the engineers to start dismantling the explosives. Suddenly, the machine gunners and snipers who ambush opened fire on them, and several Russian soldiers fell down. Kirill quickly assessed the situation, determined the enemy's shooting position and number, personally used rifle grenades to attract enemy firepower, and cooperated with reconnaissance force to attack the Ukrainian army, eventually wiping out all the enemies. Kirill knows very well that time is life. More than 200 of his comrades have been fighting alone for 24 hours. They are in urgent need of reinforcements. They are now racing against time. But Kirill calmed down quickly. He needed to calm down and face this complex explosive seriously. Time passed by, and when he cut the last thread, the stone in everyone's heart finally fell.

On the afternoon of February 25, the Russian ground vanguard troops quickly passed the bridge and quickly arrived at the airport. They successfully merged with the advance team and reoccupied the airport. With his decisive, brave and professional actions, Captain Kirill Balagansky ensured the rapid advancement of reinforcements to the combat mission area and saved the lives of many paratroopers who were besieged at Gostomelli Airport.

html On March 21, the Russian Ministry of Defense commended Captain Kirill Balagansky and other airborne combat heroes who performed bravely in this special operation.