Second Battle of Donetsk Airport

2014–2015 battle during the Donbas war

This article is about the battle fought from 28 September 2014 to 21 January 2015 during the Donbas war. For the battle fought in May 2014, see First Battle of Donetsk Airport.

Second Battle of Donetsk Airport

Part of the Russo-Ukrainian War and War in Donbas

A map of the Donetsk Airport area
| Date| 28 September 2014[1] – 21 January 2015
(3 months, 3 weeks and 2 days)

|

Location|

Donetsk International Airport area
Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine

Result|  DPR-Russian victory[2]
Territorial
changes|

* Ukrainian forces withdraw from Donetsk airport to Pisky
* Successful DPR capture of the Donetsk airport

Belligerents
Ukraine|  Donetsk People's Republic
Per Ukraine:
Russia (commanded by Brig. Gen B. Varner)
Commanders and leaders
Viktor Muzhenko[3]
Yevhen Moisiuk[3]
Oleh Kuzminykh [uk] (POW)[4][5]
Valerii Rud[6]
Ruslan Prusov [uk][3]
Dmytro Yarosh (WIA)|  Mikhail Tolstykh[7]
Arsen Pavlov[8]
Vladimir Zhoga
Alexander Khodakovsky
Units involved

* Armed Forces of Ukraine
* Airmobile Forces
* 79th Brigade[9]
* 80th Brigade[10]
* 81st Brigade
* 90th Airmobile Battalion[10]
* 95th Brigade[9]
* Ground Forces
* 93rd Mechanized Brigade[11]
* Air Force
* "Wild Duck" Detachment[12]
* 3rd Spetsnaz Regiment
* Internal Affairs Ministry
* Dnipro Battalion[13]
* Right Sector
* Ukrainian Volunteer Corps
[9][14]

* Novorossiya Armed Forces
* Somalia Battalion
* Sparta Battalion
* Vostok Brigade

Per Ukraine:[15][16][17]

* Spetsnaz GRU
* Russian Naval Infantry

Casualties and losses

Per Ukraine:[18]

* 185 killed[19]
* Hundreds wounded[3]
* 24 captured[20]

Per DPR:[21]

* 200 killed
* 500 wounded
* 27 tanks destroyed
* 20 armoured vehicles destroyed

Per DPR:

* 43 killed[21]
* 62 wounded[22]

Per Ukraine:[23]

* 800 killed
* 1,500–2,000 wounded
* Heavy vehicles losses

* v
* t
* e

Russo-Ukrainian War (outline)

* Background

* Dissolution of the Soviet Union
* Russia–Ukraine relations
* Budapest Memorandum
* 2003 Tuzla Island conflict
* Orange Revolution
* 2007 Munich speech of Vladimir Putin
* Russia–Ukraine gas disputes
* Euromaidan
* Revolution of Dignity
* 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine (Odesa clashes)

* * *

* Major topics

* 2018 Moscow–Constantinople schism
* Information war
* cyberwarfare
* ransomware
* cyberattacks
* Belarusian involvement
* International sanctions
* Media portrayal
* Foreign aid (military
* humanitarian)

* * *

* Crimean crisis
(Timeline)

* Little green men
* Krymnash

* Crimean Parliament
* Belbek Airport
* Southern Naval Base
* 2014 Simferopol
* 2014 Russian protests

* * *

* War in Donbas
(Timeline)

* Capture of Donetsk
* Sloviansk
* Kramatorsk
* Artemivsk
* Mariupol
* Sievierodonetsk
* Il-76 shootdown
* Zelenopillia rocket attack
* Karlivka
* 1st Donetsk Airport
* Luhansk Border Base
* Krasnyi Lyman
* Sector D clashes
* Raid of the 95th Brigade
* Shakhtarsk Raion
* Horlivka
* Yasynuvata
* Ilovaisk
* Novoazovsk
* 2nd Mariupol
* 2nd Donetsk Airport
* Debaltseve
* International recognition

Post-Minsk II conflict

* 2015
* Shyrokyne (2015)
* Marinka (2015)
* 2016
* Svitlodarsk (2016)
* 2017
* Avdiivka (2017)
* 2018
* Kerch Strait incident (2018)
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022

Attacks on civilians

* Sloviansk
* Malaysia Airlines Flight 17
* Novosvitlivka
* Volnovakha
* Donetsk
* Mariupol
* Kramatorsk
* Stanytsia Luhanska

* * *

* Russian invasion of Ukraine (2022–present) (Timeline)

* Prelude to invasion (Reactions)

Military engagements

* Northern Ukraine campaign
* Antonov Airport
* Kyiv
* Chernihiv
* Sumy
* Eastern Ukraine campaign
* Mariupol
* 1st Kharkiv
* Izium
* 2nd Kharkiv
* Donbas
* Sievierodonetsk
* Lysychansk
* Soledar
* Bakhmut
* Luhansk Oblast
* Marinka
* Avdiivka
* Pokrovsk
* Southern Ukraine campaign
* 1st Kherson
* Melitopol
* Mykolaiv
* Kherson counteroffensive
* 2nd Kherson

* 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive
* 2024 Kursk offensive

* Effects and aftermath

* Economic impact
* Peace negotiations
* Protests in occupied Ukraine
* War crimes
* Government and intergovernmental reactions
* Non-government reactions
* Protests
* Russian protests
* ICJ case
* Arrest warrants

Related

* Ukrainian resistance
* Belarusian and Russian partisan movement
* Zagreb Tu-141 crash
* Russian mystery fires
* Nord Stream pipeline sabotage
* Soloti training ground shooting
* Brovary helicopter crash
* Black Sea drone incident
* Belgorod accidental bombing
* Bryansk Oblast military aircraft crashes
* Wagner Group rebellion
* Wagner Group plane crash
* Ukrainian coup attempt

The Second Battle of Donetsk Airport was an engagement between the Ukrainian military and Russian military and its proxy forces of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) during the War in Donbas.[24] An earlier battle in May 2014 had left Donetsk International Airport in Ukrainian control. Despite a ceasefire agreement, the Minsk Protocol, in place since 5 September 2014, fighting broke out between the warring parties on 28 September 2014.

At the start of the battle, the airport lay between the separatist and Ukrainian lines of control, and was the last part of Donetsk city held by Ukrainian government forces. Heavy fighting over the airport continued into the new year, with some of the worst fighting taking place in January 2015. On 21 January, DPR forces overran the Ukrainian positions at the airport.[2] The remaining Ukrainian forces were either killed, forced to retreat, or captured by DPR forces.[25] The battle has been called the "Little Stalingrad".[26]

## Events

[edit]

Sporadic skirmishes between DPR and Ukrainian forces continued at Donetsk International Airport following the signing of the Minsk Protocol on 5 September 2014. In late September, these minor incidents became more frequent. Shelling and machine gun fire in the vicinity of the airport were reported on 23 September.[27] According to one anonymous DPR intelligence officer who was interviewed on 25 September, "When they shoot, we reply to show them we're here. They are very well armed inside. They have T-64 tanks and multiple rocket launchers. We don't have what we need to get them out". He also said that Donetsk airport was a "terrible headache" for the DPR.[27] The airport lies to the north of insurgent-controlled Donetsk city proper, and provides a "convenient vantage point" for Ukrainian forces, allowing them to target DPR positions in Donetsk with artillery fire.[28] "Tit-for-tat" exchanges between the parties to the conflict grew more serious in the days following 25 September.[citation needed]

The placement of main buildings on the airport made its defense by Ukrainian forces more difficult from the start, because the airport structures are located on the south section, while the runway which served to resupply Ukrainian forces was in the open, thus allowing DPR fighters to easily target them.[citation needed]

### Battle begins (September–October 2014)

[edit]

Sparta Battalion attacking the Old Terminal on 6 October 2014

DPR forces began a "concerted effort" to retake Donetsk International Airport in the last days of September.[29] The worst incident since the start of ceasefire took place on 28 September, when nine Ukrainian soldiers were killed and twenty-seven wounded in a clash with DPR forces.[1][30] Seven of these died when a tank shell struck a Ukrainian armoured personnel carrier. Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) monitors reported heavy shelling around the airport.[1] Around this time, DPR forces began to establish positions in tower blocks overlooking the airport, including a medical station, staging area, and an artillery observation post.[29] At 06:15 local time on the following day, DPR forces began to barrage the airport with Grad rocket fire. According to DPR leader Alexander Zakharchenko, the insurgent barrage was launched in response to government mortar fire that had been falling on Donetsk city proper.[31] DPR forces used their positions in neighbouring residential buildings to direct artillery fire at the airport.[29]

Ukrainian and separatist forces continued to exchange artillery fire. Amidst the continuing fire, a school and bus stop in the Kyivskiy district of Donetsk city, which neighbours the airport, were struck by shells on 1 October.[32][33] Ten civilians were killed, though no schoolchildren were harmed. According to Joanne Mariner of Amnesty International, it was "impossible to tell" who was responsible for the incident. She also said, however, that "residential areas have been hit by Ukrainian forces firing from the airport", and that DPR forces "also bear responsibility as they have been stationing artillery in residential areas and firing from there, in clear contradiction of the laws of war".[32] Concurrently, DPR forces supported by tanks began to advance into the airport, and seized several hangars, a fuel storage area, and outbuildings. They used these buildings as artillery emplacements, and began to bombard Ukrainian positions from them. DPR forces continued to move forward, and captured the control centre, police station, and hotel, but could not advance further.[29] Mutual shelling continued on 2 October.[34][35] The situation, according to the Ukrainian government, was "difficult".[36]

Amidst heavy artillery fire, DPR forces pressed further into the airport on 3 October.[37] The militants broke into the airport's old terminal building by using smoke bombs for cover. According to a spokesman for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the militant advance had been supported by "Russian drones". Their tanks turned their guns on the new terminal building, the main stronghold for Ukrainian soldiers at the airport.[28] Despite this, Ukrainian forces later managed to push the insurgents out of half of the old terminal building, and halted their advance.[37] Government forces said that they destroyed two DPR tanks[38] and killed 12 militants in the fighting. According to a Ukrainian military official, it was "the biggest single loss among rebels" since the start of the 5 September ceasefire agreement.[39] Four Ukrainian soldiers died in the fighting, including two from the far-right group Right Sector.[30]

DPR forces made another attempt to seize control of Donetsk airport on 9 October.[40] They said that they managed to capture most of the airport, but this did not occur. Government forces repelled the attack. During this skirmish, heavy shelling in districts close to the airport resulted in the deaths of at least five civilians.[41]

Fighting between Ukrainian and DPR forces intensified in mid-October.[42] Six people were wounded by shelling on 19 October. A large explosion caused by shelling at a chemical works near the airport on 20 October damaged the Donbas Arena, and caused damage to buildings across Donetsk. DPR authorities said that Ukrainian forces had caused the explosion with a Tochka-U missile system, which the Ukrainian government denied.[42] Ukrainian soldiers at the airport, facing constant siege, were forced to hide behind concrete walls. According to a Ukrainian soldier at the airport, DPR forces infiltrated the tunnel network beneath the airport buildings.[42] Ukrainian forces maintained their hold on the control tower and the old terminal building.[42]

By 28 October, all but the first three floors of the new terminal building had collapsed. It had become a "blackened skeleton".[43] Ukrainian forces maintained control of the ground and first floors of the airport, whilst DPR forces controlled the second floor and the basement tunnel network. The building had become littered with booby traps and debris, with Ukrainian and DPR forces fighting in a "claustrophobic game of cat and mouse".[43] According to a report that appeared in the Los Angeles Times, DPR forces constantly shelled the airport, and separatist ground forces attacked Ukrainian troops in the new terminal building at least once a day. The runway had become unusable, covered in destroyed armoured vehicles. The report said that in the new terminal building, "every pane of glass has shattered; every door, wall and ceiling has been pierced with bullets and shrapnel".[43]

### Continued stalemate (November–December 2014)

[edit]

A representative of the Ukrainian government military operation in Donbas said on 11 November that Ukrainian forces had removed all separatists from the new terminal building at Donetsk airport, and that three Ukrainian flags had been hoisted over it.[44] A volunteer pro-Ukrainian paramilitary Right Sector battalion that had been fighting DPR forces at the airport said that it was leaving, as the airport was firmly under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.[45] A brief ceasefire was agreed to by both parties to the conflict on the night of 16–17 November.[46] According to a Ukrainian military spokesman, this agreement was made only to allow DPR forces to recover their dead and wounded from the airport grounds. By the morning of 17 November, heavy artillery fire once again rocked the airport.[46]

The spokesman for the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine (NSDC), Andriy Lysenko, said on 1 December that Russian special forces were assisting DPR forces at the airport.[47] In an attempt to deescalate the situation in the area, Ukrainian Lt. General Vladimir Askarov and Russian Lt. General Aleksandr Lentsov agreed to hold a meeting to discuss a ceasefire.[48] Following the meeting on 2 December, a general ceasefire was announced. Lt. General Lentsov said that, at the meeting, he and his Ukrainian counterpart discussed the creation of a military joint control centre to co-ordinate implementation of the Minsk Protocol in the Donetsk area.[49] The centre would include Russian, Ukrainian, and OSCE representatives.

Damaged control tower at Donetsk airport in late December 2014. It has since been totally destroyed.

Ukrainian forces left the old terminal building on 5 December due to heavy shelling by DPR forces that broke the brief ceasefire, but continued to maintain their positions at the new terminal building.[50] At this time, it was reported that the old terminal building had become the main battleground at the airport.[51] The strategic air traffic control tower, which Ukrainian forces used to observe insurgent ground movements, remained under Ukrainian control. It was under constant bombardment by DPR artillery.[51] The nearby village of Pisky, which was under Ukrainian control, had become a completely destroyed "Stalingrad". According to Right Sector volunteer paramilitaries, the ruins of Pisky were used to guard the "Road of Life", the only supply line into Donetsk airport that was controlled by government forces.[51]

Over the course of December, there were several rotations of the Ukrainian troops stationed at the airport. These rotations were overseen by the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine.[52][53] In addition, DPR forces assisted with the rotations under OSCE observation, and helped carry Ukrainian personnel and supplies.[54] Despite occasional reports of gunfire, the OSCE said the rotations "had gone smoothly, since the commanders of both parties had reached an agreement on the cessation of artillery and small arms fire during the rotation".[55]

Heavy fighting resumed on 29 December, when DPR forces again attacked government-controlled positions at the airport.[56] Three Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the fighting, along with fourteen insurgents.[57][58] By 31 December, the insurgents had retreated back to the positions they held prior to the attack.[59] Heavy fighting resumed, however, when DPR forces launched a three-pronged offensive on the strategic village of Pisky.[60][61] Ukrainian forces said that they were "holding their ground". OSCE monitors reported that Pisky remained under government control, but that DPR forces had taken control of the "Volvo Centre" at its southern entrance.[62]

### Final confrontation and Ukrainian withdrawal (January 2015)

[edit]

New Terminal ruins

Government forces attacked the DPR-controlled old terminal building on 12 January, but this attack was repelled by DPR forces.[citation needed] On the following day, the leader of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine in Ukraine said that the situation at the airport had "significantly deteriorated".[63] According to a Ukrainian government official, Ukrainian forces defending the airport were issued an ultimatum by DPR authorities that said that if they did not withdraw from the airport by 17:00 local time, they would "face destruction". Ukrainian forces did not withdraw, leading to heavy shelling by DPR forces. This shelling caused the strategic air traffic control tower to collapse.[63] At the time of the collapse of the tower, DPR forces were within 400 metres (440 yd) of the new terminal building. One Ukrainian soldier said that the DPR shelling was "sweeping through the terminal", and that DPR forces would "simply destroy" the remaining government troops without support. Ukrainian forces were later able to slow the DPR attack with artillery fire of their own.[64]

After four days of heavy shelling of the airport, DPR forces pushed back Ukrainian troops on 14 January, and captured one-third of the new terminal building.[65] On the next day, DPR authorities said that they were under full control of the airport, and an Associated Press reporter confirmed that a DPR flag was flying over the new terminal building. Despite this, fighting continued, and Ukrainian government officials denied that the terminal had been lost.[66][67] A Ukrainian soldier at the airport said that Ukrainian forces had been forced to hole up in a single hall, and that they were under constant tank fire.[68] DPR leader Alexander Zakharchenko stated that the capture of the airport was the first step toward regaining territory lost to Ukrainian forces during the summer of 2014. He said "Let our countrymen hear this: We will not just give up our land. We will either take it back peacefully, or like that", referring to the capture of the airport.[69] Ukrainian forces said that there had been "no order to retreat" from the airport, and DPR parliament chairman Andrei Purgin said that while DPR forces had gained control of the terminal buildings, fighting was ongoing because "the Ukrainians have lots of places to hide".[70] In the evening, Ukrainian troops launched a counter-attack, and forced the insurgents to retreat from the first floor of the building. Despite this, DPR forces remained in control of the second floor and the basement.[68]

Somalia Battalion fighters in the new terminal building on 16 January

A government military operation over the weekend of 17–18 January resulted in Ukrainian forces recapturing most of airport.[71][72][73] According to a spokesman for the NSDC, the operation restored the lines of control established by the Minsk Protocol, and therefore did not constitute a violation of it. The operation caused fighting to move toward Donetsk proper, resulting in heavy shelling of residential areas of the city that border the airport.[71] DPR authorities said that they halted government forces at Putylivskiy bridge, which connects the airport and the city proper.[74] The bridge, which was strategically important, was destroyed during the fighting. OSCE monitors reported that shelling had caused heavy damage in the Donetsk residential districts of Kyivsky, Kirovsky, Petrovsky, and Voroshilovsky.[75] Both sides claimed control of the airport on 19 January. DPR authorities acknowledged that the government counter-offensive had resulted in the deaths of 16 of their men, and that 62 had been injured.[21] During the day, insurgents blew up part of the ceiling of the first floor of the new terminal building, causing it to collapse onto holed up Ukrainian soldiers.[68][76][77][78] Many soldiers were wounded by the collapse. According to Airmobile brigade commander Colonel Yevgeny Moysyuk, the collapse was orchestrated by professional Russian soldiers, who had been responsible for forcing Ukrainian forces to hole up on the first floor. Having intercepted their communications, he said that "the language they spoke, the accents, the jargon, the vocabulary – all was Russian Russian, not even Ukrainian Russian".[3] In the evening, a group of Ukrainian troops that had been encircled by insurgents near the airport managed to break out towards the airport, though one soldier was killed.[68] On the following day, a Polish journalist reported from government-controlled Pisky that the airport was mostly under DPR control, but refuted a separatist claim that Pisky had also been captured.[79] In the evening, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry said that DPR forces had blown up the airport's runway.[80] By this point, more than 100 soldiers that were wounded during that airport battle had been evacuated.[68]

Ukrainian forces attempted to surround the airport in an attempt to push back the insurgents on 20 January.[25] As Ukrainian and DPR forces fought away from the airport, a group of insurgents stormed the ground and second floors of the new terminal building. Ukrainian troops continued to hold out on the first floor of the building until the separatists exploded the second floor at 15:30 EET, causing it to collapse onto them.[25][68][81][82] This killed several soldiers, and proved to be the battle's turning point.[25][81] By the next day, the remaining Ukrainian forces were either captured, killed, or were forced to withdraw from the building, allowing DPR forces to overrun it. According to one volunteer, 37 Ukrainian troops died.[25] During the fighting, Right Sector leader Dmytro Yarosh was wounded by an exploding Grad rocket in Pisky.[83] He was evacuated from the conflict zone. A spokesman for the DPR Defence Ministry said that sixteen Ukrainian soldiers who had been buried under rubble in the main terminal building for days had been taken captive, and given medical care.[84] Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko said on 21 January that Russia had deployed more than 9,000 soldiers and 500 tanks, artillery units, and armoured personnel carriers in Donbas.[85] An article that appeared in The Daily Telegraph said that the deployment appeared to be "a response to Kiev's [prior] success" in retaining control of Donetsk airport, and that the influx of weaponry and manpower had made Ukrainian positions at the airport untenable.[86] Following the battle, separatist fighters paraded captured Ukrainian soldiers from the airport at the scene of a bus shelling in Donetsk city proper.[81][87][88][89] Onlookers verbally abused the prisoners, and pelted them with debris from the exploded bus. The loss of the airport was described as a "devastating victory over Ukrainian forces", and a "major blow".[87][90]

## Symbolism

[edit]

A 2020 stamp of Ukraine dedicated to the fifth anniversary of the battle. It reads: They withstood [the attacks]!! Concrete didn't!!

During the battle, the word Cyborg (Ukrainian: кіборг, romanized: kiborh) was used to refer to the Ukrainian defenders of the airport.[91][92] The term was taken from intercepted radio communications of DPR forces referring to Ukrainians as "some kind of cyborgs sitting in there," published on YouTube. Ukrainians picked up the name and started to refer to Ukrainian soldiers inside the airport as cyborgs. It refers to the way that the airport defenders were able to fend off constant attacks by DPR forces in close quarters with little sleep or support, just as science-fiction cyborgs are "indestructible half-men, half-machines", or "superhuman".[91][93] The cyborgs have become part of Ukrainian national mythos, and are cast in a "near-legendary light" amongst many Ukrainians.[94] The term "cyborg" is usually applied to the following units: 3rd Spetsnaz Regiment, 93rd Mechanised Brigade, 79th Airmobile Brigade, 17th Tank Brigade,[95] and the Right Sector Ukrainian Volunteer Corps.[96]

To commemorate those who fell in battle, Ukraine celebrates the Day of Remembrance of the Cyborgs annually on 16 January.[97]

## Strategic importance

[edit]

The question as to whether control over Donetsk Airport was a strategic necessity for Ukrainian forces was called into question. As early as September 2014, Ukrainian parliament member Dmytro Tymchuk suggested that the airport should be destroyed, and that Ukrainian forces should retreat to a more easily defended position. Tymchuk stated the airport had been rendered unusable by the fighting, and that fears of Russia using it to support the Donetsk People's Republic were overblown. It was also said that the area north of the airport, which is forested, would have been easier to defend than a building surrounded by open space.[98]

Likewise, the airport's value to the separatists was also questioned. DPR forces had no access to aeroplanes or other aerial weaponry, and the airport's runway had been rendered useless by shelling. Moreover, following the end of the battle, Ukrainian troops retreated to the village of Pisky, just south-west of the airport's runway. They continued to control this village, meaning that the airport remained within the Ukrainian line-of-fire. It is likely that, because the DPR committed a large force to assaulting the airport, this provided an opening for the Azov Battalion to push the insurgents away from Mariupol.[99][100]

However, the airport served a tactical advantage for Ukrainians. While DPR was focused on airport events closely followed by the media, the Ukrainians managed to expel the DPR from nearby suburbs of the Donetsk agglomeration.

## In popular culture

[edit]

A film about the Ukrainian 'Cyborgs' called Cyborgs: Heroes Never Die was released on 7 December 2017.[101] The movie secured the top spot at the box office earning US$302,000 on its opening week.[102]

## Gallery

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Second Battle of Donetsk Airport.

* New Terminal ruins (October 2014)

* DPR Sparta Battalion troops during a break (October 2014)

* DPR Somalia Battalion fighter near a heavily damaged area (October 2014)

* Rubble in one of the heavily damaged buildings near the Old Terminal (October 2014)

* Heavily damaged hangar near the Old Terminal (October 2014)

* DPR Sparta Battalion fighter near the Old Terminal (November 2014)

* DPR Somalia Battalion fighter near the Old Terminal (November 2014)

* Ruins of the Donetsk Airport with hotels that were damaged from artillery (November 2014)

* Destroyed Ukrainian BMP-2K IFV (December 2014)

* Destroyed DPR T-72B1 tank (December 2014)

* View of runway from the Old Terminal (December 2014)

* Outside ruins of Donetsk airport (December 2014)

* Inside of the ruined Donetsk airport (December 2014)

## See also

[edit]

* Outline of the Russo-Ukrainian War
* First Battle of Donetsk Airport
* Capture of Donetsk by separatists

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "'Seven Ukraine troops die' in deadliest post-truce attack". BBC. 29 September 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
2. ^ a b "Ukraine forces admit loss of Donetsk airport to rebels". The Guardian. 21 January 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
3. ^ a b c d e Sergei Loiko (28 January 2015). "How Ukraine's outgunned 'cyborgs' lost Donetsk airport". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
4. ^ "КАК ПОПАЛ В ПЛЕН В АЭРОПОРТУ КОМБАТ 90-ГО БАТАЛЬОНА 95-Й БРИГАДЫ ОЛЕГ КУЗЬМИНЫХ". Retrieved 27 January 2014.
5. ^ В числе восьми освобожденных из плена "киборгов" нет комбата Олега Кузьминых: боевики отказались его отпустить [Battalion commander Oleg Kuzmin was not among the eight "cyborgs" released from captivity: the militants have refused to let him go]. fakty.ua (in Russian). 6 February 2015.
6. ^ "Ukraine fighters, surrounded at wrecked airport, refuse to give up". Los Angeles Times. 28 October 2014.
7. ^ "Rebel commander wages fight to the death for east Ukraine airport". Yahoo News. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
8. ^ "Ukraine Live Day 335: The Battle for Donetsk". The Interpreter. 18 January 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
9. ^ a b c "'Cyborgs' pledge to defend ruined Donetsk airport". Kyiv Post. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
10. ^ a b Carroll, Oliver (2 March 2015). "Inside the Bloody Battle for Ukraine's Donetsk Airport". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
11. ^ "Военные отбили у боевиков стратегическую высоту вблизи Донецкого аэропорта". Newsru.
12. ^ "«Нищив рашистів у складі „Дикої качки", тепер навчаю цього підлеглих» — воїн «Фантом»". armyinform.com.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 30 November 2023.
13. ^ "Dnipro Battalion Will Not Leave Donetsk Airport Without Order - Battalion Commander Bereza". Censor.NET. 14 September 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
14. ^ Tom Balmforth (16 October 2014). "Insult Evolves into Homage As Donetsk Airport Defenders Dubbed 'Cyborgs'". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
15. ^ "Ukraine crisis: New battle rages at Donetsk airport". BBC. 1 December 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
16. ^ Shemetov, Maxim (1 December 2014). "Ukraine says Russian special forces involved in attacks on airport in east". Reuters. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
17. ^ "Militants with "Russian Naval Infantry" marks in Donetsk airport, 15.01.15". Retrieved 2 February 2015.
18. ^ "Memorial Service Held In Kyiv In Honor Of Donetsk Airport Defenders". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty.
19. ^ 23 killed (28 September – 14 October),[1] 12 killed (15–28 October),[2] 125 killed (29 October – 21 January), 25 killed (22–29 January),[3] total of 185 reported killed
20. ^ "At least 1,373 soldiers killed in Russia's war against Ukraine". KyivPost. 22 January 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
21. ^ a b c "TASS: World - Ukrainian military conduct massive attacks on Donetsk airport — Donetsk republic spokesman". TASS. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
22. ^ "Clashes outside Ukraine parliament". The Belfast Telegraph. 14 October 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
23. ^ Aleksandr Fedchenko (29 January 2015). "Украинский Сталинград: 242 дня обороны донецкого аэропорта" [Ukrainian Stalingrad: 242 days of defending Donetsk airport] (in Russian). KP (in Ukraine). Retrieved 2 February 2015.
24. ^ "Cyborgs at Little Stalingrad: A Brief History of the Battles of the Donetsk Airport, 26 May 2014 to 21 January 2015". AUSA. 30 April 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
25. ^ a b c d e "Donetsk Airport overrun by rebels, say army volunteers". Kyiv Post. 22 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
26. ^ Fox, Amos C. (2019). ""Cyborgs at Little Stalingrad": A Brief History of the Battles of the Donetsk Airport, 26 May 2014 to 21 January 2015". Land Warfare Paper. Institute of Land Warfare - via AUSA.
27. ^ a b "Donetsk Airport standoff continues". Sky News Australia. 25 September 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
28. ^ a b "Pro-Russia rebels attempt to seize Donetsk airport in Ukraine". The Guardian. 4 October 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
29. ^ a b c d "The cease-fire war in Donetsk". The Washington Post. 28 October 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
30. ^ a b "'Cyborgs' pledge to defend ruined Donetsk airport". Kyiv Post. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
31. ^ "Donetsk airport shelling violates east Ukraine truce". BBC. 30 September 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
32. ^ a b "Ukrainian forces and pro-Russia rebels clash over Donetsk airport". The Guardian. 2 October 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
33. ^ "Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine based on information received as of 18:00 (Kyiv time), 1 October 2014" (Press release). Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. 2 October 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
34. ^ "Fighting over Donetsk airport intensifies". Al Jazeera. 2 October 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
35. ^ "Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine based on information received as of 18:00 (Kyiv time), 2 October 2014" (Press release). Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. 3 October 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
36. ^ D. Krasnolutska; V. Verbyany; K. Choursina (2 October 2014). "Ukraine truce frays as rebels step up attack on Donetsk airport". livemint. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
37. ^ a b "Ukraine conflict: Heavy fighting for Donetsk airport". BBC. 3 October 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
38. ^ "Ukrainian troops kill ten militants, destroy two tanks in past 24 hours". Kyiv Post. 3 October 2014.
39. ^ P. Polityuk; S. Powell (4 October 2014). "Ukraine says its forces killed 12 rebels at Donetsk airport". Reuters. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
40. ^ K. Choursina (11 October 2014). "Ukraine Repels Rebel Attack on Airport as Truce Wobbles". Bloomberg. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
41. ^ "Five civilians killed in Ukraine's Donetsk". Yahoo News. Agence France-Presse. 9 October 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
42. ^ a b c d "Clashes intensify in Donetsk, airport defenders are holding their ground". Kyiv Post. 20 October 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
43. ^ a b c S. L. Loiko (28 October 2014). "Ukraine fighters, surrounded at wrecked airport, refuse to give up". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
44. ^ "Donetsk airport terminal 'free of militants'". Ukrainian Independent Information Agency.
45. ^ "We Did Everything We Could. Armed Forces Will Now Be Engaged – Right Sector Leaves Donetsk Airport". censor.net.
46. ^ a b "Artillery explosions shake Donetsk airport in east Ukraine". Reuters. 17 November 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
47. ^ Baczynska, Gabriela (1 December 2014). "Russia says NATO destabilizes Baltics, plans war games". Reuters. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
48. ^ "Для прекращения огня в Донецкий аэропорт выехали украинский и российский генералы" (in Ukrainian). Ukrainian Independent Information Agency.
49. ^ "Боевики пообещали оставить "киборгов" в покое" (in Ukrainian). Ukrinform.
50. ^ "Shelling makes Donetsk airport defenders to leave old terminal". Зеркало недели - Дзеркало тижня - Mirror Weekly (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 21 January 2015.
51. ^ a b c "Battle for Donetsk International Airport: Ukraine Today reports from the front lines". uatoday.tv.
52. ^ "Latest from the Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) based on information received as of 12 December, 18:00 (Kyiv time)". osce.org.
53. ^ "OSCE mission observes rotation of Ukrainian forces at Donetsk Airport". uatoday.tv.
54. ^ "Spot report by the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), 16 December 2014: OSCE SMM Patrol caught up in small arms crossfire" (Press release). Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. 16 December 2014.
55. ^ "Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine based on information received as of 18:00 (Kyiv time), 30 December". www.osce.org.
56. ^ "Ukraine military claim militants attacking Donetsk airport". Kyiv Post. 30 December 2014.
57. ^ "Poroshenko speaks about new battle at Donetsk airport". Kyiv Post. 29 December 2014.
58. ^ "In Ukraine's Donetsk, the 'death clutch' of a forgotten war". 5 January 2015.
59. ^ "Militants retreat from Donetsk airport". Ukrinform. 31 December 2014.
60. ^ ""Separatists coming in from three sides": fierce battle under way in Pisky". Censor.net. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
61. ^ "Fierce fighting near Donetsk airport. Russians use tanks and artillery". ZIK. 31 December 2014.
62. ^ "Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine based on information received as of 1 January 2014, 18:00 (Kyiv time)" (Press release). Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. 2 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
63. ^ a b Balmforth, Richard (13 January 2015). "Ukraine bus attack kills 11 as airport battle worsens". Reuters. Archived from the original on 19 December 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
64. ^ "Pro-Russian Forces About To Take Donetsk Airport As Ukraine Peace Talks Called Off". International Business Times. 13 January 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
65. ^ "Pro-Russian Forces Enter Donetsk Airport As Ukrainian Military Loses Ground". International Business Times. 14 January 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
66. ^ "Pro-Russian separatists claim Donetsk airport". Stuff. 15 January 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
67. ^ "Fierce battle for Donetsk airport dims Ukraine peace hopes". The Irish Times. 16 January 2014.
68. ^ a b c d e f "Battle for Donetsk Airport: Live Blog". uatoday.tv. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
69. ^ "Russia-backed separatists seize Donetsk airport in Ukraine". The Guardian. 15 January 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
70. ^ "Residents flee savagery of the battle for Donetsk's airport". The Independent. 15 January 2015. Archived from the original on 16 January 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
71. ^ a b "Ukrainian troops retake most of Donetsk airport from rebels". Reuters. 18 January 2015. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
72. ^ "Ukraine Forces Retake Most of Donetsk Airport, Official Says". Bloomberg News. 18 January 2015. Archived from the original on 18 January 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
73. ^ "Kyiv claims victory in new battle for control of Donetsk airport". Euronews. 18 January 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
74. ^ "Ukraine conflict: Battles rage in Donetsk and Luhansk". BBC News. 19 January 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
75. ^ "Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine based on information received as of 18:00 (Kyiv time), 19 January 2015" (Press release). Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. 20 January 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
76. ^ "Rebels blow up part of Donetsk airport, many wounded: Ukraine". The Economic Times. Agence France-Presse. 20 January 2015. Archived from the original on 22 January 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
77. ^ "Rebels blow up part of Donetsk airport, many wounded: Ukraine - World - Dunya News". dunyanews.tv. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
78. ^ "Floors collapse in new terminal of Donetsk airport, many Ukrainian troops hurt". KyivPost. 19 January 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
79. ^ "The Deadly Legend of the Donetsk Airport". BloombergView.com. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
80. ^ "Defense Ministry: Militants blow up Donetsk airport runway". KyivPost. 20 January 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
81. ^ a b c "Chaotic Retreat Follows Ukrainians' Withdrawal From Donetsk Airport". The New York Times. 22 January 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
82. ^ Oliver Carroll (10 February 2015). "A Ukrainian Father's Desperate Search for His Son, Trapped in Donetsk Airport". Newsweek. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
83. ^ "Right Sector's leader Yarosh wounded near Donetsk". Kyiv Post. 21 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
84. ^ "DPR militias take 16 Ukrainian servicemen captive – DPR Defense Ministry". Tass Russian News Agency. 21 January 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
85. ^ "Ukraine conflict: US accuses rebels of 'land grab'". BBC News. 21 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
86. ^ "Russia sends 9,000 troops into Ukraine, says Petro Poroshenko". The Daily Telegraph. 21 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
87. ^ a b "Ukraine crisis: Army retreats at Donetsk airport". BBC News. 22 January 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
88. ^ "Donetsk bus hit by mortar". Wiki News Russian.
89. ^ Shaun Walker (22 January 2015). "Donetsk bus hit by mortar as Ukrainian forces lose control of airport". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
90. ^ "Pro-Russia separatists vow further advances into Ukraine after taking Donetsk airport". The Daily Telegraph. 22 January 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
91. ^ a b Vitaly Shevchenko (30 October 2014). "The 'cyborg' defenders of Donetsk airport". BBC News. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
92. ^ "Donetsk airport: Strategic rubble of high symbolic value". Deutsche Welle. 20 January 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
93. ^ Oksana Grytsenko (10 October 2014). "'Cyborgs' pledge to defend ruined Donetsk airport". Kyiv Post. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
94. ^ "The Death of Ukraine's Cyborg Army". Foreign Policy. 22 January 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
95. ^ "Cyborgs vs Kremlin". cyborgs.uatoday.tv. Archived from the original on 16 October 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
96. ^ "Cyborgs v Kremlin". Ukraine Today. Archived from the original on 16 October 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
97. ^ (in Ukrainian) Zelensky: In the indubitability of the Ukrainian army there is a name - "cyborgs", Ukrayinska Pravda (16 January 2020)
98. ^ "Аэропорт Донецка и район Дебальцево нужно оставить - Тымчук". Ukrinform.
99. ^ "Almost no residents in Pisky near Donetsk airport, all houses destroyed – Right Sector". Unian.
100. ^ "Azov Battalion spearheads Ukrainian counter-offensive". Kyiv Post. 10 February 2015.
101. ^ Art Of War: Ukraine Explores Donbas Conflict On Screen, In Books, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (7 December 2017)
102. ^ Ukraine's Cyborgs about defenders of Donetsk airport wins the box office in 1st weekend (Trailer), UNIAN (12 December 2017)

* v
* t
* e

War in Donbas (2014–2022)

* Part of the Russo-Ukrainian War
* Followed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine

General
topics|

* Aircraft losses
* Humanitarian situation
* International reactions
* Sanctions
* Sanctioned people
* OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine
* Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine
* Civil volunteer movement
* Little green men
* Anti-terrorist Operation Zone
* Civil–military administrations

Timeline|

* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022

Battles|

* Battle of Artemivsk
* Siege of Sloviansk
* Battle of Kramatorsk
* Battle of Mariupol
* Battles of Sievierodonetsk
* Battle of Karlivka
* 1st Battle of Donetsk Airport
* Siege of the Luhansk border base
* Battle of Krasnyi Lyman
* Zelenopillia rocket attack
* Battle in Shakhtarsk Raion
* Battle of Horlivka
* Battle of Ilovaisk
* Novosvitlivka refugee convoy attack
* Battle of Novoazovsk
* Mariupol offensive
* 2nd Battle of Donetsk Airport
* Battle of Debaltseve
* Shyrokyne standoff
* Battle of Marinka
* Battle of Svitlodarsk
* Battle of Avdiivka (2017)

Other
events|

* Donbas status referendums
* Ukrainian Air Force Il-76 shootdown
* Shelling of Donetsk, Rostov Oblast
* 2014 Russian cross-border shelling of Ukraine
* MH17 shoot-down
* reactions
* UNSC Resolution 2166
* NATO summit in Wales
* Minsk Protocol
* Donbas general elections
* 2014 G20 Brisbane summit
* Volnovakha bus attack
* Mariupol rocket attack
* Kramatorsk rocket attack
* Minsk II ceasefire agreement
* Kharkiv bombing
* Assassination of Alexander Zakharchenko
* Donbas general elections
* No to capitulation!
* Stanytsia Luhanska kindergarten bombing

Self-proclaimed
states|

* Donetsk People's Republic (April 2014 – September 2022)
* Luhansk People's Republic (April 2014 – September 2022)
* Novorossiya (May 2014 – May 2015)
* International recognition of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic

(Pro-)
Russian|

| Organizations|

* Russian Armed Forces
* Wagner Group
* Separatist forces
* List of equipment
* Army of the South-East
* Russian Orthodox Army
* Vostok Battalion
* Kalmius Brigade
* Sparta Battalion
* Somalia Battalion
* Prizrak Brigade
* Political parties and movements
* Donetsk Republic
* New Russia Party
* Communist Party of DPR
* Peace to Luhanshchina
* Borotba
* Antifascist Committee of Ukraine
* Ukrainian Choice
* The Other Russia of E. V. Limonov
* Eurasian Youth Union
* Night Wolves
* Don Cossacks
* Internet Research Agency
* Russian Imperial Movement

|

Lead figures|

* Russian
* Vladimir Putin
* Dmitry Medvedev
* Vladislav Surkov
* Sergei Shoigu
* Crimean
* Sergey Aksyonov
* Vladimir Konstantinov
* Natalia Poklonskaya
* Donetsk
* Vladimir Antyufeyev
* Eduard Basurin
* Fyodor Berezin
* Igor Bezler
* Alexander Borodai
* Mikhail Chumachenko
* Igor Girkin
* Pavel Gubarev
* Ekaterina Gubareva
* Igor Khakimzyanov
* Alexander Khodakovsky
* Vladimir Kononov
* Arsen Pavlov†
* Vyacheslav Ponomarev
* Andrei Purgin
* Denis Pushilin
* Mikhail Tolstykh†
* Alexander Zakharchenko†
* Sergei Zhurikov
* Luhansk
* Alexander Bednov†
* Valery Bolotov†
* Aleksey Karyakin
* Aleksandr Kharitonov
* Arsen Klinchaev
* Sergey Kozlov
* Aleksey Mozgovoy†
* Leonid Pasechnik
* Igor Plotnitsky
* Gennadiy Tsypkalov†
* Kharkiv
* Yevhen Zhylin†
* Others
* Aleksandr Dugin
* Nelya Shtepa
* Oleg Tsaryov

Ukrainian|

| Organizations|

* Government of Ukraine
* 1st Yatsenyuk
* 2nd Yatsenyuk
* Groysman
* Ministry of Internal Affairs
* National Guard
* Azov
* Donbas
* Patrol Police
* Dnipro-1
* Armed Forces of Ukraine
* Ukrainian Ground Forces
* Territorial defense battalions
* Aidar
* Dnipro-2
* Kryvbas
* Rukh Oporu
* Ukrainian Air Force
* Ukrainian Air Assault Forces
* Security Service of Ukraine
* Alpha Group
* Euromaidan Press
* State Border Guard Service of Ukraine
* Volunteer battalions
* Right Sector

|

Lead figures|

* Petro Poroshenko
* Oleksandr Turchynov
* Arseniy Yatsenyuk
* Volodymyr Groysman
* Andriy Parubiy
* Arsen Avakov
* Vitali Klitschko
* Oleh Tyahnybok
* Yuriy Lutsenko
* Valentyn Nalyvaichenko
* Valeriy Heletey
* Stepan Poltorak
* Mykhailo Koval
* Mykhailo Kutsyn
* Oleh Makhnitskyi
* Viktor Muzhenko
* Vitaly Yarema
* Oleh Liashko
* Dmytro Yarosh
* Rinat Akhmetov
* Ihor Kolomoyskyi
* Serhiy Taruta
* Ihor Baluta
* Semen Semenchenko
* Hennadiy Moskal
* Nadiya Savchenko
* George Tuka
* Pavlo Zhebrivskyi

Authority control databases: National |

* United States
* Israel

|

48°04′25″N 37°44′23″E﻿ / ﻿48.0736°N 37.7397°E﻿ / 48.0736; 37.7397
*[POW]: Prisoner of war
*[WIA]: Wounded in action
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template