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94-623: In Ukraine Oblast Council members are elected for five year terms. In order to gain representation in the council, a party must gain more than 5 percent of the total vote. Following the 2014 start of the War in Donbass elections for the Luhansk Oblast Council have not been held and their functions are currently being performed by a civil–military administration . The Oblast Council was unilaterally proclaimed to have been disbanded by

188-562: A political association and free trade agreement with the European Union (EU), instead choosing closer ties to Russia. Earlier that year, Ukraine's parliament had overwhelmingly approved finalizing the agreement with the EU. Russia had put pressure on Ukraine to reject it. The scope of the protests widened, with calls for Yanukovych's resignation. Protesters opposed what they saw as widespread government corruption and abuse of power ,

282-578: A "claustrophobic game of cat and mouse". 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". A representative of

376-504: A "concerted effort" to retake Donetsk International Airport in the last days of September. 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. 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

470-646: A "near-legendary light" amongst many Ukrainians. The term "cyborg" is usually applied to the following units: 3rd Spetsnaz Regiment , 93rd Mechanised Brigade , 79th Airmobile Brigade , 17th Tank Brigade , and the Right Sector Ukrainian Volunteer Corps . To commemorate those who fell in battle, Ukraine celebrates the Day of Remembrance of the Cyborgs annually on 16 January. The question as to whether control over Donetsk Airport

564-508: A clash with pro-Russian demonstrators there. Despite this, a report by the BBC said that whilst it appeared that Ukrainian troops and the mayor of Mariupol did enter the building in the early morning, Ukrainian troops had abandoned it by the afternoon. Local pro-Russian activists blamed Ukrainian nationalists for the attack upon the building but said that the DPR had regained control. A representative of

658-463: A closer relationship. This approach has been acceptable to eastern Ukrainian oligarchs , who do not harbour anti-Russian feelings". In 2011 Taras Kuzio stated The traditional Soviet policy of dividing eastern against western Ukrainians, then "bourgeois nationalists" and now "crazy Galicians," remains in place. This tactic was deliberately employed by the Yanukovych administration is promoting

752-507: 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. Mutual shelling continued on 2 October. The situation, according to the Ukrainian government, was "difficult". Amidst heavy artillery fire, DPR forces pressed further into

846-489: A political dialogue and the heavy-handed approach. We are ready for both." Acting president Oleksandr Turchynov had already signed a decree which called for the Donetsk regional state administration building, occupied by separatists, to be taken "under state protection". He offered amnesty to any separatists who laid down their arms and surrendered. By 11 April Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said that he had been against

940-689: A referendum on greater autonomy or joining Russia, similar to the one held in Crimea in March. Hundreds of masked men also seized weapons from the SBU building in the city. A large crowd then stormed and occupied the Donetsk RSA building , raising the Russian flag. They demanded the regional council meet by noon the next day and vote for a referendum on joining Russia. Otherwise, they vowed to take control of

1034-647: A regional administration building in Khartsyzk on 13 April, followed by a local administration building in Zhdanivka on 14 April. On 12 April, unmarked pro-Russian militants seized the Donetsk headquarters of the Interior Ministry and two police stations without resistance, while an assault on the general prosecutor's office was repelled. Following negotiations between the militants and those in

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1128-521: A roadmap for ending the war in October 2019, but it remained unresolved. During 2021, Ukrainian fatalities rose sharply and Russian forces massed around Ukraine's borders . Russia recognized the DPR and LPR as independent states on 21 February 2022 and deployed troops to those territories. On 24 February, Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine , subsuming the war in Donbas into it. Following

1222-473: A single hall, and that they were under constant tank fire. 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. Ukrainian forces said that there had been "no order to retreat" from

1316-579: A strategy of regional divide-and-rule through polarization, using May 9–style provocations, to maintain its eastern Ukrainian electorate permanently mobilized. Analysts have stated that as of February 2014, Russia was able to: According to the Institute of Modern Russia, the Kremlin also maintained a tight hold on Ukraine's president, Viktor Yanukovych . In November 2013, the ' Euromaidan ' protests began in response to Yanukovych's decision to abandon

1410-721: The Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Security and Defence Council launched an anti-terrorist operation "in the war waged by the Russian Federation against Ukraine". As part of the counter-offensive, Ukrainian troops re-took the airfield in Kramatorsk after a skirmish with members of the Donbas People's Militia. According to Russian media, at least four people died as a result. After

1504-545: The Armed Forces of Ukraine ensued, marking the start of combat in the Donbas. The same day as the capture of Sloviansk, Girkin's men attacked the police station in nearby Kramatorsk , resulting in a shootout. The fighters, claiming to be members of the Donbas People's Militia , later captured the police station. They removed the police station's sign and raised the flag of the Donetsk People's Republic over

1598-967: The Donbas war , was a phase of the Russo-Ukrainian War in the Donbas region of Ukraine . The war began in April 2014 , when a commando unit headed by Russian citizen Igor Girkin seized Sloviansk in Donetsk oblast . The Ukrainian military launched an operation against them. The war continued until subsumed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In March 2014, following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity , anti-revolution and pro-Russian protests began in Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts , collectively 'the Donbas'. These began as Russia invaded Crimea . Armed Russian-backed separatists seized Ukrainian government buildings and declared

1692-473: The Donbass 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. 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

1786-420: The Donetsk and Luhansk republics (DPR and LPR) as independent states, leading to conflict with Ukrainian forces. Russia covertly supported the separatists with troops and weaponry. It only admitted sending "military specialists", but later acknowledged the separatists as Russian combat veterans . In April 2014, Ukraine launched a counter-offensive, called the "Anti-Terrorist Operation" (ATO), later renamed

1880-940: The Luhansk People's Republic authorities and replaced by the People's Council in 2014, although the Oblast Council still operates de jure as the oblast's parliament in Ukraine. This article about politics in Ukraine is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . War in Donbas (2014%E2%80%932022) [REDACTED] Ukraine (details) Ukrainian Armed Forces Security Service Internal Affairs Ministry [REDACTED] Russia (details) [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Pro-Russian separatists (details) DPR Armed Forces Post-Minsk II conflict Attacks on civilians Related The war in Donbas , also known as

1974-747: The Minsk Protocol , in September 2014. Ceasefire breaches became rife, 29 in all, and heavy fighting resumed in January 2015, during which the separatists captured Donetsk Airport . A new ceasefire, Minsk II , was agreed on 12 February 2015. Immediately after, separatists renewed their offensive on Debaltseve and forced Ukraine's military to withdraw. Skirmishes continued but the front line did not change. Both sides fortified their position by building networks of trenches , bunkers and tunnels , resulting in static trench warfare . Stalemate led to

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2068-411: 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. 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. Following the meeting on 2 December, a general ceasefire

2162-645: The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine . In addition, DPR forces assisted with the rotations under OSCE observation, and helped carry Ukrainian personnel and supplies. 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". Heavy fighting resumed on 29 December, when DPR forces again attacked government-controlled positions at

2256-559: The Revolution of Dignity . Immediately following the revolution, unmarked Russian troops occupied the Ukrainian territory of Crimea . After an illegal referendum , Crimea was annexed by Russia . Following the revolution, counter-revolutionary and pro-Russian protests began in parts of the Donbas. A national survey held in March–April 2014 found that 58% of respondents in the Donbas wanted autonomy within Ukraine, while 31% wanted

2350-466: The "Joint Forces Operation" (JFO). By August 2014, Ukraine had re-taken most separatist-held territory and nearly regained control of the Russia–Ukraine border . In response, Russia covertly sent troops, tanks and artillery into the Donbas . The Russian incursion helped pro-Russian forces regain much of the territory they had lost. Ukraine, Russia, the DPR and LPR signed a ceasefire agreement,

2444-466: The "Little Stalingrad ". 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. According to one anonymous DPR intelligence officer who

2538-482: The "Volvo Centre" at its southern entrance. Government forces attacked the DPR-controlled old terminal building on 12 January, but this attack was repelled by DPR forces. 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". According to a Ukrainian government official, Ukrainian forces defending

2632-716: The Armed Forces of Ukraine re-took the airfield, the commanding general of the unit that had retaken it, Vasyl Krutov , was surrounded by hostile protesters who demanded to know why the Ukrainian troops had fired upon local residents. Krutov was then dragged back to the airbase along with his unit. They were then blocked by the protesters, who vowed not to let the troops leave the base. Krutov later told reporters that "if they [the separatists] do not lay down their arms, they will be destroyed". Donbas People's Militia insurgents entered Sloviansk on 16 April, along with six armoured personnel carriers they claimed to have obtained from

2726-567: 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. 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. An article that appeared in The Daily Telegraph said that

2820-568: The Donbas War. He said "I'm the one who pulled the trigger of war. If our unit hadn't crossed the border, everything would have fizzled out, like in Kharkiv, like in Odesa". He explained that "nobody there wanted to fight" until his unit seized Sloviansk. After militants took over the city, Sloviansk mayor Nelya Shtepa briefly appeared at an occupied police station, and expressed support for

2914-499: The Republic, Irina Voropoyeva , said, "We, the Donetsk People's Republic, still control the building. There was an attempted provocation but now it's over." On the same day, Ukrainian government officials said that the Armed Forces had intended to retake the city of Sloviansk, but that an increased threat of "Russian invasion" halted these operations. Russian forces had mobilised within 10 kilometres ( 6 + 1 ⁄ 4  mi) of

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3008-475: The Ukrainian 25th Airborne Brigade , which had surrendered in the city of Kramatorsk . Reports say members of the brigade were disarmed after the vehicles were blocked from passing by angry locals. In another incident, several hundred residents of the village of Pchyolkino, south of Sloviansk, surrounded another column of 14 Ukrainian armoured vehicles. Following negotiations, the troops were allowed to drive their vehicles away, but only after agreeing to surrender

3102-460: The Ukrainian border. The officials said that seven troops were killed during the day's operations. President Turchynov issued a statement later in the day, and said that the "Anti-Terrorist Operation" would be resumed, citing the ongoing hostage crisis in Sloviansk as a reason. By 6 May, 14 Ukrainian troops had died and 66 had been injured in the fighting. Insurgents took over the offices of

3196-405: 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. 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

3290-514: The airport buildings. Ukrainian forces maintained their hold on the control tower and the old terminal building. By 28 October, all but the first three floors of the new terminal building had collapsed. It had become a "blackened skeleton". 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

3384-439: The airport in an attempt to push back the insurgents on 20 January. 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. This killed several soldiers, and proved to be

3478-612: The airport managed to break out towards the airport, though one soldier was killed. 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. In the evening, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry said that DPR forces had blown up the airport's runway. By this point, more than 100 soldiers that were wounded during that airport battle had been evacuated. Ukrainian forces attempted to surround

3572-448: 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. 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. Many soldiers were wounded by the collapse. According to Airmobile brigade commander Colonel Yevgeny Moysyuk,

3666-413: The airport on 3 October. 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. Despite this, Ukrainian forces later managed to push

3760-408: 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. At the time of the collapse of the tower, DPR forces were within 400 metres (440 yd) of

3854-468: 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". 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

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3948-418: 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. Fighting between Ukrainian and DPR forces intensified in mid-October. 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

4042-455: The airport. 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. Ten civilians were killed, though no schoolchildren were harmed. According to Joanne Mariner of Amnesty International , it was "impossible to tell" who

4136-566: The airport. 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. 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. DPR forces used their positions in neighbouring residential buildings to direct artillery fire at

4230-492: The airport. Three Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the fighting, along with fourteen insurgents. By 31 December, the insurgents had retreated back to the positions they held prior to the attack. Heavy fighting resumed, however, when DPR forces launched a three-pronged offensive on the strategic village of Pisky. 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

4324-479: The basement. A government military operation over the weekend of 17–18 January resulted in Ukrainian forces recapturing most of airport. 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

4418-462: The battle's turning point. 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. During the fighting, Right Sector leader Dmytro Yarosh was wounded by an exploding Grad rocket in Pisky. He was evacuated from the conflict zone. A spokesman for

4512-436: The brief ceasefire, but continued to maintain their positions at the new terminal building. At this time, it was reported that the old terminal building had become the main battleground at the airport. 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. The nearby village of Pisky , which

4606-485: The building after a tense standoff with the police. Some members of the local police unit had defected to the Donetsk People's Republic earlier in the day, whilst the remaining officers were forced to retreat, allowing the insurgents to take control of the building. The local chief of police was captured and badly beaten by the insurgents. A Horlivka city council deputy, Volodymyr Rybak , was kidnapped by masked men believed to be pro-Russian militants on 17 April. His body

4700-734: The building, the chief of the office resigned from his post. According to anonymous witnesses, some militants wore uniforms of the Berkut special police force, which had been dissolved by the new government following the February revolution. The militants also took over the municipal administration building unopposed on 16 April. Demonstrators hoisted the DPR flag over the city administration buildings in Krasnoarmiisk and Novoazovsk on 16 April. The local administration building in Siversk

4794-413: The building. They then issued an ultimatum that stated that if the city's mayor and administration did not swear allegiance to the Republic by the following Monday, they would remove them from office. Concurrently, a crowd of demonstrators surrounded the city administration building, captured it, and raised the Donetsk People's Republic flag over it. A representative of the Republic addressed locals outside

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4888-603: The city administration building and raised the DPR flag over it. The city administration buildings in Yenakiieve and Druzhkivka were also captured. Police repelled an attack by pro-Russian militants upon an office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Krasnyi Lyman on 12 April, but the building was later captured by the separatists after a skirmish. Insurgents affiliated with the Donbas People's Militia occupied

4982-433: The city that border the airport. DPR authorities said that they halted government forces at Putylivskiy bridge, which connects the airport and the city proper. 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 . Both sides claimed control of

5076-752: The city was still not under Ukrainian government control. On 22 April pro-Russian demonstrators in Kostiantynivka burned down the offices of a newspaper that had been critical of the DPR. On 21 April, demonstrators gathered for a 'people's assembly' outside the SBU building in Luhansk and called for a 'people's government', demanding either federalization or joining Russia. At this assembly, they elected Valery Bolotov as "People's Governor". Two referendums were announced, one to be held on 11 May to determine whether Luhansk region should seek greater autonomy, and another scheduled for 18 May to determine whether

5170-412: 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". In the evening, a group of Ukrainian troops that had been encircled by insurgents near

5264-401: The control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine . A brief ceasefire was agreed to by both parties to the conflict on the night of 16–17 November. 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. The spokesman for

5358-438: 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. Following the battle, separatist fighters paraded captured Ukrainian soldiers from the airport at the scene of a bus shelling in Donetsk city proper. Onlookers verbally abused the prisoners, and pelted them with debris from

5452-470: The exploded bus. The loss of the airport was described as a "devastating victory over Ukrainian forces", and a "major blow". During the battle, the word Cyborg ( Ukrainian : кіборг , romanized :  kiborh ) was used to refer to the Ukrainian defenders of the airport. 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

5546-504: The influence of oligarchs , police brutality , and human rights violations . The protests culminated in February 2014 with clashes in Kyiv between protesters and Berkut special riot police, in which 108 protesters were killed . Yanukovych and the opposition signed an agreement on 21 February, but he secretly fled the city that evening. The following day, parliament voted to remove him from office . This series of events became known as

5640-563: The insurgents out of half of the old terminal building, and halted their advance. Government forces said that they destroyed two DPR tanks 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. Four Ukrainian soldiers died in the fighting, including two from the far-right group Right Sector . DPR forces made another attempt to seize control of Donetsk airport on 9 October. They said that they managed to capture most of

5734-550: The insurgents, but were forced to retreat after many men were wounded by insurgent fire. Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov said that the insurgents were led by a man with "an extensive beard". Some 30 militants seized the police headquarters in Konstantinovka on 28 April. The Internal Affairs Minister, Arsen Avakov , said on 24 April that Ukrainian troops had captured the city administration in Mariupol, after

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5828-486: The invasion, Russia held illegitimate referendums on the Ukrainian territory it occupied, annexing the LPR and DPR as well as Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, despite not controlling all of the area of any of these territories nor defining borders for them. Russia now thus views the LPR and DPR as a Republic of Russia , but the international community still overwhelmingly views them as About 14,000 people were killed in

5922-607: The magazines from their assault rifles. These incidents led President Turchynov to say he would disband the 25th Airborne Brigade , although this was later cancelled. Three members of the Donbas People's Militia were killed, 11 wounded, and 63 were arrested after they attempted and failed to storm a National Guard base in Mariupol . On 20 April, separatists in Yenakiieve left the city administration building there, which they had occupied since 13 April. Despite this, by 27 May

6016-603: The militants. Others gathered outside the building and similarly voiced their support for the militants. They told Ukrainian journalists who were reporting on the situation to "go back to Kyiv ". Shtepa was later detained by the insurgents, and replaced by the self-proclaimed "people's mayor" Vyacheslav Ponomarev . The pro-Russian militants killed a member of Solviansk town council, Volodymyr Ivanovych Rybak , as well as four other Ukrainians, including 25-year-old Yuri Dyakovsky and an unnamed 19-year-old man. Girkin took responsibility for these summary executions in 2020, even though in

6110-407: 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". The cyborgs have become part of Ukrainian national mythos, and are cast in

6204-422: The new terminal building. 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. A Ukrainian soldier at the airport said that Ukrainian forces had been forced to hole up in

6298-428: 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. After four days of heavy shelling of the airport, DPR forces pushed back Ukrainian troops on 14 January, and captured one-third of

6392-501: The occupied police station, but was received negatively and booed. Pro-Russian militants attempted to seize the police headquarters in Horlivka on 12 April, but were halted. Ukrainska Pravda reported that police said that the purpose of the attempted seizure was to gain access to a weapons cache. They said that they would use force if needed to defend the building from "criminals and terrorists". By 14 April militants had captured

6486-410: The parties to the conflict grew more serious in the days following 25 September. 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. DPR forces began

6580-417: The preceding years he and other pro-Russian militants had claimed Rybak had been released. The militants gained control of the city's police weapons cache and seized hundreds of firearms, which prompted the Ukrainian government to launch a "counter-terrorism" operation to retake the city. This government counter-offensive began on the morning of 13 April. An entrenched standoff between pro-Russian forces and

6674-456: The region should join Russia, or declare independence. Turchynov relaunched the stalled counter-offensive against pro-Russian insurgents on 22 April, after two men, one a local politician, were found "tortured to death". The politician, Volodymyr Rybak , was found dead near Sloviansk after having been abducted by pro-Russian insurgents. Turchynov said that "the terrorists who effectively took

6768-594: The region to separate from Ukraine. Pro-Russian protesters occupied the Donetsk Regional State Administration Building from 1 to 6 March 2014, before being removed by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). Pavel Gubarev , a member of the neo-Nazi group Russian National Unity , was proclaimed "people's governor" of Donetsk Oblast. On 6 April, 1,000–2,000 people gathered at a rally in Donetsk to demand

6862-670: The region. They issued an ultimatum that stated that if Kyiv did not meet their demands by 14:00 on 29 April, they would launch an insurgency in tandem with that of the Donetsk People's Republic . Second Battle of Donetsk Airport [REDACTED] Armed Forces of Ukraine [REDACTED] Internal Affairs Ministry [REDACTED] Right Sector [REDACTED] Novorossiya Armed Forces Per Ukraine : Per Ukraine: Per DPR: Per DPR: Per Ukraine: Post-Minsk II conflict Attacks on civilians Related The Second Battle of Donetsk Airport

6956-497: The regional government with a "people's mandate", and dismiss all elected regional councillors and members of parliament. As these demands were not met, the following day the activists held a meeting in the building and proclaimed the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) as an independent state. Unrest also began in Luhansk on 6 April, when hundreds of protesters attacked and laid siege to the SBU headquarters for six hours, demanding

7050-409: The regional state television network on 27 April. After capturing the broadcasting centre, the militants began to broadcast Russian television channels. The Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) was declared on 27 April. Representatives of the Republic demanded that the Ukrainian government provide amnesty for all protesters, enshrine Russian as an official language, and hold a referendum on the status of

7144-481: The release of anti-government militants held there. They eventually stormed the building, releasing prisoners and seizing weapons. In response to the widening unrest, Acting Ukrainian President, Oleksandr Turchynov announced on 7 April that Ukraine would launch an "anti-terrorist operation". On 8 April, he signed a decree to take the Donetsk regional government buildings "under state protection". The Minister of Internal Affairs, Arsen Avakov , said on 9 April that

7238-685: The separatist movement in Donetsk from April until August 2014, and were supported by volunteers and materiel from Russia. As the conflict escalated in May 2014, Russia employed a " hybrid approach", deploying a combination of disinformation, irregular fighters, regular Russian troops, and conventional military support to destabilize the Donbas. Between 12 April and 14 April, Russian-allied militants took control of government buildings in several towns and cities in Donetsk oblast, including Sloviansk , Mariupol , Horlivka , Kramatorsk , Yenakiieve , Makiivka , Druzhkivka , and Zhdanivka . On 12 April,

7332-495: 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. The remaining Ukrainian forces were either killed, forced to retreat, or captured by DPR forces. The battle has been called

7426-503: The strategic town of Sloviansk was captured by a fifty-strong unit of heavily-armed pro-Russian militants. They attacked and occupied the town's administration building, police station, and SBU building, and set up roadblocks with the help of local armed activists. The unit were Russian Armed Forces 'volunteers' under the command of Russian GRU colonel Igor Girkin ('Strelkov'). They had been sent from Russian-occupied Crimea and wore no insignia . Girkin said that this action sparked

7520-479: The unrest would be resolved within 48 hours, either through negotiations or the use of force. On 10 April, President Turchynov offered amnesty to the militants, if they laid down their arms, and also offered to hold referendums on autonomy. While the initial protests were largely native expressions of discontent with the new Ukrainian government, Russia took advantage of them to launch a coordinated political and military campaign against Ukraine. Russian citizens led

7614-419: The use of "law enforcement" at the time, but that "there was a limit" to how much the Ukrainian government would tolerate. In response to the spread of separatist control throughout Donetsk Oblast and the separatists' refusal to lay down their arms, Turchynov vowed to launch a military counter-offensive operation, called the "Anti-Terrorist Operation", against insurgents in the region by 15 April. On 13 April,

7708-498: 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 . However, the airport served a tactical advantage for Ukrainians. While DPR

7802-500: The war being called a " frozen conflict ", but Donbas remained a war zone, with dozens killed monthly. In 2017, on average a Ukrainian soldier died every three days, with an estimated 40,000 separatist and 6,000 Russian troops in the region. By the end of 2017, OSCE observers had counted around 30,000 people in military gear crossing from Russia at the two border checkpoints it was allowed to monitor , and documented military convoys crossing from Russia covertly. All sides agreed to

7896-468: The war: 6,500 Russian and Russian proxy forces, 4,400 Ukrainian forces, and 3,400 civilians on both sides. Most civilian casualties were in the first year. Despite being recognized as an independent country since 1991 , as a former USSR constituent republic, Ukraine was perceived by the leadership of Russia as part of its sphere of influence . In a 2002 paper Taras Kuzio stated "While accepting Ukrainian independence, Putin has sought to draw Ukraine into

7990-642: The whole Donetsk Oblast hostage have now gone too far". The Internal Affairs Ministry reported that the city of Sviatohirsk , near Sloviansk, was retaken by Ukrainian troops on 23 April. In addition, the Defence Ministry said it had taken control over all points of strategic importance in the area around Kramatorsk . On 24 April, 70 to 100 insurgents armed with assault rifles and rocket launchers attacked an armoury in Artemivsk. The depot housed around 30 tanks . Ukrainian troops attempted to fight off

8084-437: 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

8178-418: 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. 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

8272-476: 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 . 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

8366-408: 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. The centre would include Russian, Ukrainian, and OSCE representatives. Ukrainian forces left the old terminal building on 5 December due to heavy shelling by DPR forces that broke

8460-532: 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. 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. "Tit-for-tat" exchanges between

8554-406: Was later found in a river in occupied Sloviansk on 22 April. The city administration building was seized on 30 April, solidifying separatist control over Horlivka. Other smaller towns, as well as government buildings, were seized by Russian-backed militants in the Donbas. In Artemivsk on 12 April, separatists failed to capture the local Ministry of Internal Affairs office, but instead captured

8648-422: 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". Concurrently, DPR forces supported by tanks began to advance into the airport, and seized several hangars,

8742-537: Was similarly captured on 18 April. Following the takeover, local police announced that they would co-operate with the activists. Arsen Avakov , the Minister of Internal Affairs, said on 9 April that the separatist problem would be resolved within 48 hours through either negotiations or the use of force. According to the Ukrinform state news agency, he said: "There are two opposite ways for resolving this conflict –

8836-418: 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. Over the course of December, there were several rotations of the Ukrainian troops stationed at the airport. These rotations were overseen by

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