soldiers stationed at the airport. these are russian paratroopers? exactly, they re elite troops. we had up to 200 men. essentially a handful of people who had never pulled a trigger in their lives. reporter: he explained as sophisticated russian attack helicopters came in to land, his soldiers opened fire with their automatic weapons. one of the surprises that morning was that you can actually shoot down russian ka-52, that famous flying tank. reporter: some managed to land. when ferocious gun battles broke out that lasted for two hours, ukrainian artillery pounded the runway, denying an air bridge for russian forces and firepower. a small group of conscripts, financial officers, and national guard reservis held off the best of russian troops. there was no way for us to lose. because first of all, if we lose