Paratrooper 6b27 Helmet

     In January of 2022, the regiment was one of the last units to join the gathering of Russian forces along the Belorussian border near Kiev, only arriving a few weeks before the invasion was slated to begin. On 24 February the regiment joined its parent organization, the 98th Airborne Division, and many other Russian airborne units to make a massive drive towards the Ukrainian capital, kicking off a full-scale invasion by attempting to capture key points of Ukrainian infrastructure and settlements leading to Kiev. One of the 331st’s primary objectives became the Hostomel Airport and Bucha, key points to maintaining Russian logistical capability to support advancing ground forces. Before long, however, the area turned into a back-and-forth onslaught between Russian airborne forces and the Ukrainian defenders. The 331st sustained heavy casualties in the first few weeks of combat as Ukrainian ambushes and street-fighting led to dozens killed, countless more wounded, and even the death of their regimental commanding officer. By April, as the drive on Kiev faded, the regiment was sent back to Belarus to recuperate. 

     Over the next several months the regiment, as a more well-trained and experienced force, made scattered appearances in places like Izyum, Donetsk, and Popasnaya as the unit moved with the 98th Division to fill gaps in the Russian lines and support various defensive operations across the Donbas. Despite their heavy casualties in the early fighting, the regiment was consistently put in some of the thickest combat positions, causing even more significant losses as the war dragged on. By the end of August, the unit had sustained the greatest losses of all Russian airborne forces, losing over 80 officers and hundreds more enlisted men. Although the Russian government has not released full casualty information to the public, western outlets report the 331st as suffering somewhere between 50-85% casualties of men and equipment. The latter part of the summer going into August found the regiment suffering from an extreme lack of men, leading the army to begin supplementing the unit with lesser-trained conscripts or reservists, notably much less prepared, equipped, or experienced than the once-elite professional soldiers that filled its ranks at the beginning of the war. Throughout the period, videos have also surfaced online from members of the regiment detailing the shocking losses they had taken during their various campaigns. For all intents and purposes, by early fall the 331st was a shell of its former self barely held together by an increasing number of replacement men, vehicles, and gear.

​     By the end of August, the regiment had taken up positions in a line stretching from Vysokopillia, Ol’hyne, and Davydiv Brid in the northern sector of Kherson Oblast. Vysokopillia, for most of the war, had acted as the de facto occupation headquarters for Kherson and as a critical part of the line, was defended by several of the “elite” VDV airborne units, including the 331st. On 29 August the Ukrainian military, long at a stalemate with their Russian opponents in the region, initiated a series of strategic counter-offensives in Kherson to push back segments of the Russian line. One of the main thrusts of this advance came towards Vysokopillia. Thus, once again, the 331st found itself in the thick of extremely heavy combat with an overwhelming amount of Ukrainian forces driving against their positions. The fighting quickly broke through the first Russian lines but for the next five days raged across the villages and towns pressing against the 331st. The regiment, now full of many less experienced and trained soldiers, could not perform as it had in its earlier campaigns, and within only a few days, the defenses failed. By 2 September several significant 331st headquarters positions had been taken and the regiment itself was beginning to teeter. Falling back so as to save themselves from complete collapse and destruction, the 331st abandoned many of its fighting positions leaving behind pieces of equipment, ammunition, and vehicles in hopes that they would not perish. By 4 September Vysokopillia was declared officially liberated by Ukrainian President Zelensky and within the next week, the Russian lines had solidified far from their former positions. While the offensive had brought great success to the Ukrainian attackers, the 331st once again found itself licking extremely heavy wounds as it maintained its reputation as the bloodiest airborne force of the entire Russian military.