A rifle battalion consisting of 18-year-old cadets, led by a general, covered the bridge from Gostomel to Kyiv, which was perhaps the only likely place for a Russian breakthrough. On February 25, 2022, the students fought their first battle with enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups, unaware of the actual number of enemy forces and equipment. For almost a month, the cadets resisted Russian attempts to find weak spots in their defenses.