On the night of January 21 to January 22, 2015, after the terminals and the flight control tower were completely destroyed, the defense of the Donetsk airport by the Ukrainian soldiers ended. Today we remember how the battle for the WCT was fought, followed by millions.

First shot. May 26, 2014

4 days after the official start of the anti-terrorist operation, the DPR militants for the first time raise the flag over the building of the airport. S. Prokofiev in Donetsk. Despite the fact that many airlines after that refused to fly to Donetsk, until the end of May, with short interruptions, DAP still accepts planes.

May 25, 2014 becomes the last day when a civilian plane lands on the runway: on that day, militants from the Vostok battalion enter the airport.

The next day, one of the most successful special operations of the Ukrainian forces in the entire history of the Russian-Ukrainian war begins. Soldiers of the 3rd special forces regiment from Kropyvnytskyi (Kirovograd) are landed not far from the DAP, and with the support of ground attack aircraft, they capture the airport in a few hours.

According to the journalist Yuri Butusov, at 11 am a sniper of the Kropyvnytskyi special forces saw one of the Chechen fighters aiming Igla MANPADS at one of the Ukrainian fighters flying over the new terminal. The fighter, having received permission from the command, makes an accurate shot, which becomes the first in the battles for the airport.

After that, the Ukrainian military successfully holds the airport all summer. In August, Russian terrorist groups are launching an active offensive across the entire area of ​​the anti-terrorist operation. The militants receive a large number of Russian Grads and begin the first shelling of the airport.

Cyborgs. September 2014

On September 10, 2014, militants attacked the fortifications of Ukrainian fighters in the DAP with T-72 tanks and 240-mm Tyulpan mortars. The battle continues until late at night. the soldiers defending the DAP are fighting off 3 tanks and 2 armored personnel carriers from the terrorists.

After that, attacks on Ukrainian positions continued almost continuously throughout September. Terrorists are bringing up their "elite" units: "Kalmius", "Sparta", "Vostok", constantly announcing that soon the airport will be under the control of the so-called. "DNR".

The heaviest attacks are from the southeast: on the roofs of the nearest skyscrapers, terrorists place mortars, grenade launchers, heavy machine guns, fire anti-tank guns at the control room, special forces from the Russian Federation are trying to storm the attack. Ukrainian fighters fight off attacks and remain at the airport. A legend is born about the "cyborgs" - as the militants themselves call them.

I don't fucking know who is protecting the Donetsk airport, but we can't knock them out for three months. We tried to storm them - they broke them in us - we retreated. They began to cover them with hail - they dive into underground sewers ... I, he says, do not know who is sitting there, but these are not people - they are cyborgs! - Sergey Sergeev, Facebook

The nickname "cyborgs" quickly became popular - a week later, in his speech, the president of Ukraine calls the defenders of the DAP Petro Poroshenko.

Donetsk airport is becoming the hottest point in the ATO zone: militants almost continuously attack the old and new terminals. On September 30, the leaders of the criminals for the first time announce about the alleged seizure of the DAP, then they talk about it again on October 3 and 5.

In order to clean up the airport, by and large, we need 20 hours, but then it will be a violation of peace agreements, - the ringleader of the so-called. "DPR" Alexander Zakharchenko.

Despite loud statements, in a month of fierce fighting, the terrorists were able to advance only 500 meters; above the control tower is still the flag of Ukraine.

For the next months, the enemy attacks without ceasing, regardless of whether a truce is in force, whether a ceasefire agreement is signed: not a day goes by without shelling or an attempted assault.

October 30 Russian actor Mikhail Porechenkov comes to occupied Donetsk, to get acquainted with "Givi" and "Motorola"... In the company of terrorists, the so-called. "DPR" he demonstratively, "on camera" fired from a large-caliber machine gun at the positions of the Ukrainian military at the airport. After a criminal case was opened against Porechenkov in Ukraine, the actor said that he was shooting blank.

Defense Finals, December, 2014 - January, 2015

In December, Ukrainian fighters blow up the old terminal on the orders of the command and retreat to the new one. One of the most difficult battles for the DAP, on December 1, lasts 36 hours: Russian special forces are trying to storm the airport, but they are suffering heavy losses and are retreating. Cyborgs lost 2 soldiers in almost two days, 16 were wounded.

According to the Ukrainian General Staff, the 16th Special Forces Brigade of the GRU of the General Staff of the Russian Federation, the 200th Special Forces Brigade of the Southern Military District (Rostov), ​​a motorized rifle battalion and a tank company of the 4th Separate Guards Kantemirovskaya Tank Brigade, battalion 22 1st separate brigade of the GRU General Staff of the Russian Federation, the assault company of the 106th Guards Airborne Division.

In the period 3-4 December, the defenders of the airport destroyed, according to various sources, from 27 to 32 fighters of the special unit "Vympel" of the FSB of Russia - the People's Deputy reported this Andrey Teteruk, volunteer Konstantin Forester and the head of the First Volunteer Mobile Hospital Evgeniy Naishtetik... At the same time, over the previous 33 years of its existence, this unit officially lost 29 fighters.

On December 8, both terminals were practically destroyed, but the Ukrainian fighters continue to defend themselves. Despite heavy fire, the "cyborgs" are flying the Ukrainian flag on the radio tower.

Towards the end of December, militants attack the airport less frequently, mostly shelling it with mortars and small arms and not going into open combat. People's Deputy Dmitry Tymchuk states that the main forces of terrorists have withdrawn from the Ukrainian borders, leaving little cover.

In early January 2015, the enemy is again activated: on the night of January 8, anti-terrorist operation positions were fired on 8 times, on January 10 - 14 times.

The media report that the rotation of "cyborgs" passes through the checkpoints of the so-called. "DPR", on which the cars of the Ukrainian military are searched by militants. After a wave of Ukrainian indignation, Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak calls this situation a misunderstanding.

“The situation at Donetsk airport is quite difficult, and each call of our units is accompanied by significant risks. Therefore, there was an agreement so that personnel who enter the airport could be passed through the DPR post without hindrance. That misunderstanding that we all saw ... After that, the necessary measures were taken. The last rotation, which took place a day and a half ago, took place without what we saw on television, ”- Stepan Poltorak, Minister of Defense of Ukraine.

The situation at the Donetsk airport is aggravated: it is possible to evacuate the wounded and bring food and ammunition only at night - during the day, the territory is shot by the enemy.

On the morning of January 13, the militants put forward an ultimatum: by 17:00, the "cyborgs" must leave the airport or they will be destroyed. The Ukrainian military refuse and ask the command for reinforcement and artillery support.

On January 15, the attack on the Ukrainian positions begins again: the militants have been trying all day to push the fighters out of the new terminal, firing at it from mortars and Gradov. The reinforcements of the Ukrainian paratroopers break through in the DAP, the "cyborgs" counterattack the terrorists and knock them out of the 2nd floor of the new terminal. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, two soldiers were killed in the battles for the airport on January 15. Volunteers talk about 6 more wounded, 2 of whom are serious.

On January 16, DAP defenders report that part of the terminal floors have been seized by pro-Russian militants who are letting in unknown gas. The battles begin around 6 am and end only the next day, around 3 am on January 17th.

On January 17, after a relative calm, a fierce battle begins at the Donetsk airport: the positions of the "cyborgs" are intensively fired upon from the "Grads". Towards evening, help makes its way to them: it is possible to take out 3 dead and 20 wounded.

The next morning, the Ukrainian military counter-attack and retake the entire territory marked along the line of demarcation. After several hours of silence, the fighting continues, the ATO headquarters declares that the "cyborgs" are trying to knock the terrorists out of the airport.

“At the Donetsk airport, the subdivisions of the Armed Forces are actively pursuing the goal of clearing the territory of the airport, which until that time was controlled by the militants. The enemy suffers losses in manpower and equipment "

At night, volunteers and military personnel pick up the wounded and bring in reinforcements. The losses for January 18 at the ATO headquarters are not announced.

On January 19, militants blow up the floors between the floors of the terminal, the defenders remain in a small square between the two floors. They build barricades there Anatoly "Spartan" Svirid and machine gunner Igor "Sodium" Branovicki They collect and melt ice, obtaining water for the seriously wounded. At 10 in the morning, a gas attack began: the terrorists first blew smoke to determine the direction of the wind, then an unknown gas that spasms the airways. The fighters breathe through wet wipes, but this is of little help - the gas corrodes the eyes and causes vomiting.

After some time of respite, the assault begins: from the side of the old terminal "cyborgs" tanks are fired at with direct fire.

Since lunchtime on January 19, attacks have been going on almost continuously. On the morning of January 20, after a slight lull, the militants blew up the terminal for the second time, having mined the floors above and below the position of the Ukrainian military.

Who was lying on the edge, stayed on top, and who was in the center - next to the "three hundred" and "two hundred" - all went under the rubble. Whoever we could, we got it. Alive - nine people - Yuri Sova, "cyborg", 80th brigade.

On the night of 20-21, there is heavy fog in the DAP area. This allows those wounded who can move to get out to the Ukrainian positions in Peski. Together with them, the intelligence chief of the 81st airborne assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine leaves the blockade Andrey "Rakhman" Grechanov together with the scout "Zinovy"... They take an armored vehicle from their own, several soldiers for help and try to return to the DAP to take out the seriously wounded and dead. A shell from a grenade launcher hits the car. "Rahman" after a severe concussion, with a burnt face, nevertheless evacuates 15 soldiers from the airport.

By this time, the "cyborgs" had practically nothing to fight with: only a few working machines and a few cartridges remained. Therefore, the Ukrainian fighters are starting negotiations with the militants on the hospitalization of the wounded. This is how some of the defenders of the airport are taken prisoner.

In the first hours, the prisoners are severely beaten, after which the interrogation begins. The 39-year-old suffers the most Igor Branovitsky- he was a machine gunner. After interrogation, he is returned to his cell with multiple fractures and is thrown on the floor next to the rest of the prisoners. "Cyborg" was cynically shot by the militant "Motorola", which.

For 242 days of defense of Donetsk airport, Ukrainian soldiers lost more than a hundred people. More than 500 soldiers were wounded, 24 "cyborgs" were taken prisoner. At least the approximate number of deaths from the militants and Russian military personnel is unknown.

During the presentation of Sergei Loiko's book "Airport" in Kharkov, the audience gave a standing ovation to the "cyborgs".

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In mid-January 2015, the Ukrainian Armed Forces, violating the ceasefire, launched an attack on the positions of the DPR army in the old terminal of the Donetsk airport. Commanders Arsen Pavlov (Motorola) and Mikhail Tolstykh (Givi) led their men into a counteroffensive and, as a result, finally drove the enemy out of the air harbor. Life special correspondent Semyon Pegov recalls what the last hours of the battle for the symbol of the Donbas war were like.

Thirty seconds after the first explosion, as soon as the reinforced concrete dust began to settle, the groans and screams of cyborgs echoed over the destroyed ruins of the new terminal - this is what Kiev called those who fought against the DPR at the Donetsk airport.

It was January 21, 2015, it was the ninth day of the decisive battle for the airport, and now its outcome was a foregone conclusion.

The sappers laid about one and a half tons of granular TNT (this is used in coal mines) in the ceiling above the room where the last group of Ukrainian soldiers remained.

Not all bookmarks were detonated, however, the explosion still turned out to be powerful, but the ceilings did not collapse completely. Judging by the screams that filled the airwaves, the cyborgs were doing badly.

The militia again offered the enemy to surrender, but the combined detachment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (there were paratroopers, and military personnel from the airmobile brigade, and national guardsmen, and, of course, the right-wing men) continued to believe the messages from their headquarters, which assured that there was no blockade of the air harbor and that the command had everything under control.

Suddenly, over the screams and rattling of metal (the ceilings, continuing to disperse even after the explosion, howled in their own way), a woman's voice drawn out the words of a Ukrainian song:

"I wonder at the sky that I guess,

What I have not soki, what I have not lit ... ".

It was a volunteer sniper, apparently from the "Right Sector" * (this was not particularly practiced in the regular army).

A few days ago, the guys from the scraps of radio interception concluded that there is a girl among the cyborgs. Then we managed to establish that she was not a nurse, but a sniper. However, they could not get any more information. Her callsign was not known, nobody saw the mysterious "biathlete".

That is why her drawn-out singing was perceived as a conversation with a ghost. The guys' ears were still ringing (the blast wave had reached them), but even through this ringing it ripped through, a lump rolled up to the throat - the sniper sang shrilly and desperately.

The militias already knew for sure that no one would come to the aid of the cyborgs. On the eve of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, three BMPs were allegedly sent for reinforcement to the new terminal (the number of personnel was up to a platoon) - the armored vehicles were immediately knocked out, and everyone who survived was taken prisoner.

The commander of the group claimed that the headquarters had promised him that the road to the terminal was open. The leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine either did not really have control of the real situation, or acted at random, deceiving their own fighters.

Cyborgs, like captured Ukrainian soldiers, were confident that the situation was not critical. At the same time, they themselves missed the moment - three days before the militias blew up the floors. There were all chances for revenge.

On January 18, Kiev sent at least a dozen tanks to help the cyborgs, followed by other armored vehicles (BMP, MTLB, armored personnel carriers), which no one counted.

The tanks reached the edge of the takeoff and grinded the bare skeleton of the new terminal, which was taken under control by the soldiers of Motorola, the commander of the Sparta battalion, together with the Somali battalion, which was led by Givi.

It was a meat grinder.

The caked blood stood out especially clearly on the faces of the Spartans due to the thick layer of concrete powder. Tank shells of the Armed Forces of Ukraine exploded on the upper floors of the new terminal with an uterine crash. Stone dust was stuffed into the eyes, mouth, ears.

The wounded continued to be brought to the basement of the new terminal. Absolutely everyone was shell-shocked.

To shout to the fighters, the commanders overcame a double barrier - the outrageous barking of explosions and the three-day deafening of the auditory paths of the personnel.

The sailor - the commanders of the "Sparta" division, whose guys were the first to enter the terminal and now held the lower and upper floors of the building, decided that this battle could be the last for him.

The forces were incomparable.

In the new terminal there were about thirty Spartans, no more. There are about the same number of notorious cyborgs. They settled on the second floor.

Once surrounded, the cyborgs were in no hurry to surrender - they received rosy predictions from the mainland: the militias would not have enough strength, the counterattack was drowning, reinforcements were about to come, they had to hold on.

The sailor knew about this, because the enemy was so close that in the moments of calm, the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the motorists could shout out.

The sailor is a sturdy fifty-year-old man with a wheeled chest, with a gray beard and the good-natured smile of a forester. He is local, Donbass, he was engaged in business before the war. Things were going well, the children were settled, I flew with my wife several times a year to rest on the European coast, I was going to buy real estate in Montenegro ...

It would seem, who else but him to fight for European integration. However, love for his homeland plus service in the navy taught him a pathological thirst for justice and developed unbending officer's stubbornness in him.

The sailor dropped everything, joined the militia and was now preparing a suicide bomber on the ground floor of the terminal.

In case the cyborgs go on the attack to throw the Spartans back, he was going to cover the retreat of his guys to the end.

The sailor did not dramatize, he was never an alarmist, but the last message from the battalion commander of "Sparta" Motorola sounded like this literally: "Take up a perimeter defense! The enemy broke through to the church!"

The temple was on the left flank when facing the airstrip, and in the rear of the new terminal. That is, in fact, it turned out that the Sailor and his fighters were cut off from the main forces of the DPR.

The situation was obtained from the category of a dream in a dream.

Ukrainian cyborgs on the second floor of the airport were blocked by Spartans, who, in turn, were taken into the operational environment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Sailor said goodbye to his brother - call sign Vodyanoy - on the fourth floor of the terminal, which was shot from all sides. From there Vodyanoy monitored the movements of the enemy.

The brothers walked side by side throughout the war, Vodyanoy even managed to be in Ukrainian captivity, but Motorola rather quickly exchanged him for some captured Ukrainian soldier and returned to the ranks.

Embracing his brother, as for the last time, the Sailor said: "I will not go anywhere from the terminal, if we cannot resist, you are taking the fighters out." However, there was no need to retreat.

At that moment, when the Spartans were surrounded from all sides - with artillery, tanks, infantry - the cyborgs had to decide on the final dash - to attack the Sailor's people. If they did it then, the fate of the new terminal could have turned out differently.

But they did not dare.

As a result, the Spartans held out, and the Somalis (as the Givi fighters were called) together with the guys from Pyatnashka (commander of Abkhaz) recaptured the church from the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

They negotiated with the cyborgs for the next three days, offered a corridor, offered to go to their own. But the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine continued to convince them that this option was unacceptable, that most of the Donetsk airport was still controlled by Kiev.

After the second explosion, the ceilings collapsed completely on the location of the cyborgs. Twelve people survived. The sniper was not among them.

* The organization is banned on the territory of the Russian Federation by the decision of the Supreme Court.

The point in the history of the battles for the Donetsk airport was set by the operation carried out by the DPR forces in January 20, 2015. Then, the already strengthened militia army was able to inflict a rather tangible blow on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which were located around the cities of Novorossiya, the main blow was inflicted by the fighters of the "Sparta" and "Somalia" battalions.

The shelling of the control tower with Somali tanks after many months gave the result - it collapsed, which deprived the Ukrainian military of the support of snipers and artillery spotters. The DPR tanks that made their way into the airport destroyed the fortifications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the Sparta strike group began to clean up the new terminal. Having driven the "cyborgs" into a trap, the militia occupied the upper floors and basement of the new terminal. The forces of the Ukrainians were locked up on the first floor, but they refused to surrender and they responded with fire to all proposals of the world.

Then the militias decided to act differently: in the basement under the place of defense, they planted explosives and blew them up. Two explosions, on January 19th and 20th, put an end to the assault on the DAP. Most of the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine died under the rubble, and on the afternoon of January 21, the surviving Ukrainian soldiers were forced to surrender to the militia.

As a result of many months of siege, Donetsk airport turned into ruins, stuffed with explosives - mines and "stretch marks". The shelling of the territory did not stop for a long time.

* Organization banned on the territory of the Russian Federation.

For a month now, the hottest battles have been taking place at the Donetsk airport. Mass heroism is shown by both sides - some protect, others build a road from corpses. The heroes are surrounded by a dense curtain built of lies, myths and populism. In memory of the fallen defenders, we decided to shed at least a little truth on the events and debunk the myths created in Moscow and Kiev.

Donetsk airport named after S.S.Prokofiev

The airfield in the city of Stalino was built on blood. The first bulldozers began leveling the runway in 1933 - the hungry year in Ukraine's history. Even Russian historians who argue about Stalin's guilt do not deny the very fact of the famine. The first passenger planes flew from Donetsk to Starobelsk, a city in the Luhansk region, located 160 km from the airport.

In July 2011, a new runway was built for Euro 2012, and in May 2012 a new terminal was built, which could handle 3100 passengers in one hour. The Croats designed and, as time has shown, they did their job well. No wonder Kolesnikov (Minister of Transport) spent nearly 7 billion hryvnias of state money, that is, 875 million dollars. There is a terminal that can withstand hailstones. They stole a lot too, but who will remember.

But even after the football championship, the construction did not end. Donetsk oligarchs, like real feudal lords, cannot use a common terminal. Simple Donetsk people for them are divided into two categories - servants and smerds. Therefore, they started to build a VIP terminal. For taxpayers' money, that is, us.

Sergei Prokofiev, after whom the airport is named, is a famous composer of the last century, who was born on the territory of the Donetsk region. Stalin's favorite, his operas War and Peace and The Fiery Angel are the best fit for modern events.

Aerodrome

It can receive aircraft of any class. In 2013, passed through 1,100,500 passengers. In addition to the charters of Akhmetov and the company, a little more than a dozen airlines fly. The main directions are Kiev and Moscow. Almost everything else is Turkish resorts. There is only one flight to Europe and beyond, to Munich. For the middle class of Donetsk feudal lords who have not yet bought a private jet, there are also flights to Greece and the Emirates. The rest is like that, little things - Kutaisi, Surgut, Ashgabat, Israel. It also accepts cargo.

The first assault on Donetsk airport

After the capture of Slavyansk, a detachment of the 3rd Special Forces Regiment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine arrived at the airport. The commandos were accommodated in the old terminal, the airport continued to receive and send flights. In May, a detachment of Khodakovsky arrived in Donetsk, called the "Vostok battalion". It included many people from the Caucasus - Chechnya, Dagestan and other places.

This is how it began ...

On May 26, Khodakovsky, who, according to some sources, had previously served in Alpha, held talks with the commander of our special forces. The conversation went something like this:

- Come on, we'll take a new terminal. So that without shooting and unnecessary victims. You stay in the old terminal, you can report to your superiors that you did not give up positions. Who needs bloodshed? We will enter the working, new terminal, journalists from Russia will come and take pictures. The airport will continue to operate.

- Well, try it. We took the oath and are not going to become traitors like some.

After this conversation, several KAMAZ trucks with the militants moved towards the airport. They entered the new terminal, which was occupied by passengers and airfield personnel. The special forces did not interfere with them so that there were no casualties among the civilian population. The soldiers first opened warning fire, which dispersed the civilians. The militants at this time took up defensive positions and prepared to repel the attack. Then the battle began.

... and that's how it ended.

The militants managed to climb onto the roof and install portable air defense systems there. Our forces used aviation, at least two Mi-24 helicopters and one Su-25 attack aircraft. Under the cover of smoke bombs, Khodakovsky's militants undertook a maneuver, which was later used by Strelkov in Slavyansk. The codename is "Set the runner".

They ran so fast that at least one KAMAZ with the wounded was fired upon by their own - the militants thought that the special forces decided, together with the airport, to liberate the whole of Donetsk. At that time, there were a lot of journalists in Donetsk, mostly Russian. They were summoned to film the "bloodless surrender of the Ukrainian special forces." Most of them only knew that there would be some event at the airport that needed wide coverage, but they did not know the details.

Therefore, the defeat of the Vostok battalion was immortalized in thousands of photographs and videos. Such a wide response made Khodakovsky send a truck with a "load of 200" to Russia. They say that we are sending all the bodies of the "volunteers" to their homeland to be identified and buried at home.

Between May and September

After the assault, the airport stopped working for its intended purpose. The militants realized that they were too tough to compete with the special forces and no longer made any serious assault attempts. The residents of Kirovograd easily coped with the attacks carried out by the militants from time to time.

Infographics General plan of Donetsk airport named after Prokofiev

1 - air defense unit A1428; 2 - Plant and base of the company that built the new terminal;

3 - military unit A1402, also air defense. The names of the settlements and the directions of the roads have been signed. All of them, except for Horlivka, are controlled by the Ukrainian Army.

Then another significant event followed - the embodiment of the age-old aspirations of lovers of the "Russian world". The Metro supermarket was completely looted, which was located as if on neutral territory. After this episode, support for the DPR from the local population increased sharply. Dreams come true.

But the commandos had a hard time. At times there were problems with the supply and removal of the wounded, snipers worked against them.

Russian invasion and the situation at Donetsk airport

The intensity of hostilities increased before the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on August 10, and unfolded in full force on the morning of August 24. Offers to surrender and irregular shelling followed. Spetsnaz responded with dense aimed fire and the most popular words from the Russian language. The Kirovograd grouping was reinforced by other troops.

Infographics detailed plan of Donetsk airport named after Prokofiev

1 - Monastery; 2 - Metro Supermarket; 3 - Autocentre Toyona / Lexus; 4 - New terminal; 5 - Bus station; 6 - Oil depot; 7 - Graveyard of old aircraft; 8 - VIP terminal under construction; 9 - Hangars; 10 - Control tower (outside the plan); 11 - Old terminal; 12 - Operating VIP terminal; 13 - Donbassaero Control Center; 14 - Hotel "Polet"; 15 - Headquarters of Civil Aviation; 16 - Aviation repair center; 17 - Boiler room; 18 - Command and control center.

Objects not related to airport infrastructure are outlined in blue.

The DPR "militias" began shelling the airport from artillery on 20 August. Until that date, the fire was directed at Marinka and Avdeevka, the largest settlements controlled by Ukrainian troops near Donetsk. After that date, the shelling did not stop.

First full-scale assault

The first serious assault on the airport took place on the night of September 1, simultaneously with the attack on Luhansk airport. In Luhansk, our military left the airfield, or rather, the ruins that remained from it. This object turned out to be behind enemy lines, it made no sense to keep the buildings destroyed to the base.

This is how they see it from Moscow

Regular Russian units, reinforced by DPR militants, went into the assault. Artillery, mortars, rocket launchers worked. Tanks and other armored vehicles were used. But the defenders managed to repel this attempt, like everyone else.

Other attempts

DPR announced attempts to assault on September 28, October 2, 3 and 6. Then they announced the capture of the airport. In fact, assault attempts were made every day from September 1st to October 7th, when this article is being written. There is some truth in the dates given by the militants. It was on September 28 that the militants made the first assault attempt, in which the Russian military did not take part. At least as part of the assault squads.

Approximate front line

Tactics changed, more and more new units were involved, but the result was always the same - mountains of corpses. The attacker always suffers greater losses than the defender, especially if the positions are prepared, there is artillery support and reconnaissance is working.

Donetsk airport heroes

On the one hand, and on the other hand, there is massive heroism. The killed and wounded appear every day, but no one is going to back down from their plans. Those who believe that heroes are only on one side, whatever it may be, should think about it. If you downplay the strength and heroism of your enemy, you are downplaying the cost of your victory or defeat.

Defenders

At first, only commandos defended the airport. In August, they were reinforced with units of 93 OMBR, 17 TBR, DUK Right Sector. The Dnieper-1 battalion is stationed in Peski; some of its soldiers are also at the airport. On October 3, a rotation was carried out, these units were replaced by 79 AB and other units of the already involved brigades, but many of the heroes refused to rotate.

3rd Special Forces Regiment

An elite part of the Ukrainian army. The main training center for the USSR special forces is located near Kirovograd. It is clear that the local unit, the 10th special unit brigade, was the best in the Soviet Union. Its history is covered with such unfading fame that Putin even tried to steal it. He attributed all the merits of the tenth separate brigade to his unit with an identical name, formed in a completely different vengeance from people not related to the Soviet brigade.

We will cite only one fact that speaks of the fanatical dedication of these people to their work. The wife of one of the deceased officers of the regiment is still paying off the loan. Her husband, even under Yanukovych, bought not a refrigerator, not a TV, but a high-quality parachute. The embezzlers gave him a beggarly salary and shabby, old equipment. But the hero also spent these pennies on increasing the defense capability of his country! As soon as we can speak out loud about some facts, we will devote a lengthy article to this glorious division. This is the least we can do for these heroes.

Many commandos refuse to rotate. From time to time they go to Sands to wash themselves and come back.

Right sector

One of the soldiers of the DUK "Right Sector" was given the call sign "Dezbashenny". This word applies to any other fighter. These people could join the National Guard, go to serve in the army, choose any volunteer battalion, but they deliberately decided to become suicide bombers.

Have you heard of at least one captive representative of the Right Sector? Have you heard that a soldier of this corps was exchanged for a separatist? If not, then imagine what they are doing to them and whether they surrender alive even in the most hopeless situation.

There are fighters of the Right Sector both at the airport itself and in Sands, but their main task is supply. Playing "Russian roulette" with five rounds in a revolver drum is much safer than driving an armor or a jeep through an open, well-visible and long-targeted area.

93 Separate mechanized brigade

It is this compound that provides the equipment and heavy weapons of the airport defenders. The commander of the brigade, Mikats Oleg Mikhailovich, is in charge of the defense. The soldiers are fighting shoulder to shoulder with the "pravosek" and special forces.

17th Tank Brigade

The best Ukrainian tankers at the start of the war served in two tank brigades. Therefore, companies and even platoons of these brigades were scattered along the entire front. Some of them ended up at the airport.

Against the background of a captured tank

79 Airmobile Brigade

It suffered heavy losses near Zelenopolye and was sent for rearmament and replenishment. Then the brigade was taken up by the famous Yuri "Wings of the Phoenix" Biryukov. Thanks to the officers of the brigade, Biryukov, other volunteers and even a little to the Ministry of Defense, it has become the most equipped unit in the entire Army of Ukraine. The paratroopers' equipment and weapons are ordinary, but the equipment ... And the fighting spirit. The soldiers believe that after Zelenopolye they have an unpaid debt to the Russian army, they are ready to return it in full. With very high percentages.

Battalion Dnepr-1

One of the first volunteer battalions formed after the outbreak of the war. It is these fighters that Russian propaganda calls "Kolomoisky's battalions." Such a negative attitude on the part of the enemy speaks of the high combat effectiveness and durability of the compound. Officially, it was not entered into the airport, it keeps the village of Peski, but some of the soldiers themselves asked to go to the airport.

Stormtroopers

First, Russia threw its special forces at the Donetsk airport, reinforcing it with DPR militants. Then she increased the number of special forces. Then she gave him army regular units. Then she added the militants.

We assume that the Russian military fought heroically (if you look at the situation through the eyes of a Russian). But they failed to take the airport. They suffered quite heavy losses. During the next assaults, the number of soldiers of the regular army of the Russian Federation began to decrease, and the number of militants began to increase. Since September 28, we have not seen Russian soldiers in the ranks of the storming soldiers, but Russian officers are still in command of the operation. It is possible that Russian commandos, marines and motorized riflemen are taking part, or they may be involved at any time. We have already written about Russian units fighting in Ukraine.

Almost all units of the regular army of the Russian Federation, which were introduced to the territory of Ukraine, passed through this meat grinder. Not every soldier went on the attack, but there were representatives from every unit. The artillerymen, of course, did not go into the attack, they only supported them with fire.

The same can be said about the militant squads. Even Cossack women from the LPR were brought to Donetsk for this business. Therefore, it makes no sense to describe each unit - name any, you won't be mistaken, you took part. Why was this done? The answer is at the end of the article.

Russian television has promoted the field "commanders" Givi and Motorola, but their role is greatly exaggerated. They are television stars who will receive all the laurels in case of victory, but not key figures or even commanders of any significant divisions. Next to them are military advisers from the Russian Federation, who make all decisions.

Donetsk airport myths

It is worth noting that creating myths around is beneficial to all parties to the conflict. Lies come from all sides - from Putin and from Poroshenko. But none of them concerns those heroes who stand there to death.

Myth number 1 Donetsk airport named after Prokofiev

Somewhere in the middle of September there is such a thing as Donetsk airport. Prokofiev, it simply ceased to exist. It cannot receive passengers - the terminals, along with the entire infrastructure, are almost destroyed. It cannot receive airplanes - navigation and radar equipment is practically destroyed, as are oil depots, repair and other facilities necessary for aviation.

Some of the aviation equipment is located far beyond the airfield, and no one knows what is with it now. The condition of the runway is a big question. Restoring even a minimal airfield operability can take many months. The problem is that it is not safe to repair dilapidated objects. Better to demolish and rebuild everything. It will be even cheaper this way.

Therefore, it would be more logical to use the phrase “the territory of the former airport. Prokofiev ".

Myth # 2 Donetsk airport is taken

If someone tells you that he took the airport, feel free to send him to Putin. The area of ​​the airport is more than 400 hectares, 99% of which is completely open area. All this land is visible not only with the help of drones, but also with simple, stationary instruments. Artillery from both sides has already very well targeted this area, so it is simply impossible to control it. Neither Ukraine nor the DPR. Everything that appears there immediately falls under dense and accurate artillery fire.

This is Luhansk airport

There are many underground communications under the airport, ranging from a tunnel connecting anti-aircraft units to a bomb shelter and terminal basements. Dozens of buildings, large and small, allow you to hide from shelling.

We can only talk about the control of specific buildings. The main stronghold of our forces is the new terminal. The artillery at the disposal of the militants can completely destroy all buildings on the territory of the airport, as was done in Lugansk. The Ukrainian can do the same. But the parties are trying, if possible, to preserve at least something that could be, albeit conditionally, called a seized / protected airport.

But even if the militants seize all the buildings, it will be impossible to talk about complete control. Spetsnaz can appear at any moment, right out of the ground. So, even if the terrorists knock ours out of the buildings, it will be a little scary for them to spend the night in these huge empty, gigantic buildings.

Leaving a garrison of several hundred people overnight (and less will not work - too large areas need to be kept under control), the commanders of the militants will not dare. Ukrainian soldiers won't even need to knock them out. The lovers of the Russian world woke up in the morning, and a dozen or two of their comrades were missing. And they found even fewer bodies. And so every night. Do you think all these Givis and Motorolls decide on such a Pyrrhic victory?

To take the Donetsk airport, you need to occupy all settlements located within a radius of 10 km from it.

Myth No. 3 The situation at the Donetsk airport

If we talk about the situation at the Donetsk airport, then you need to name the exact time and list all the objects in question. For example: "As of 04:21 PM 10/07/2014, the Ukrainian military controls objects A, B, C and two floors of object D. The militants control the ground units of objects D and E, in objects G, Z, I there are battles." Everything can change dramatically in five minutes.

The main myth. The strategic importance of Donetsk airport

Both sides of the conflict call the airport a "strategic" object. But this is not the case. Famous volunteer Roman Donik said the best about the airport in his

At the beginning of the conflict in the South-East of Ukraine, when the regional police departments were seized practically without resistance, neither in Kramatorsk, nor in Mariupol, nor in Donetsk, nor in Lugansk, not a single militia entered the airports.

The runways and the infrastructure attached to them were recognized as strategic objects and were guarded, and then defended very seriously. It was believed that if the new republics had at least one airport, one or two abandoned Ukrainian attack aircraft would immediately be found there, and the militia would have their own air force. Therefore, Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, Konstantinovka and Druzhkovka were under the rule of Igor Strelkov's units for more than two months, but the Kramatorsk airport was controlled by the Ukrainian army all the time and all assault attempts were repulsed. The same can be said about the Luhansk airport, from where the Ukrainian units were knocked out quite recently.

But the confrontation around Donetsk airport stands alone. The airport was guarded all spring by the most combat-ready and patriotic unit of the Ukrainian army. Governor Taruta complained at that time that he had an elite special forces in Donetsk, but no one allowed him to be used. It was quite easy to find out that a company of the Kirovograd special forces regiment, one of the "cradles" of the special forces of the USSR, was sitting at the airport. It was these fighters who defended the airport on May 26, when 50 militiamen were killed in an attempt to capture it (this operation is called "the most disastrous" for the DPR leadership - including those surrounded by Igor Strelkov). It was then that the operation of the airport was suspended by the State Aviation Service.

You need to understand what the Donetsk airport is like. The ultra-modern terminal building with a new runway, open for Euro 2012, is adjacent to the infrastructure of the old Soviet airport with an old building, hotels, underground hangars, two VIP terminals, special hangars for private planes of Donetsk oligarchs, Soviet bomb shelters and other special facilities in case of a nuclear war. In addition, the airport during this time from an outpost of Ukraine managed to turn into the spearhead of the Ukrainian offensive. And all this time, the units at the airport never remained completely surrounded, replenished, rotated, fortified and supplied. Left and right, the airport reinforces the positions of the army and volunteer battalions in Peski on the one hand and Avdeevka on the other. This is a super-fortified section of the front line, in case of surrender of which, a retreat from Karlovka and Avdeevka, which had been so hard-won back at the time, could follow.

In the course of the battles, the infrastructure of the airport was more and more destroyed and it is unlikely that it will be possible to use it for its intended purpose for military aircraft.

The fighting has been going on for the fourth month and so many militias have died near the airport, and during the defense there are so many soldiers of the National Guard and special forces that it has gradually turned into a symbol. Both for Ukraine and for the DPR.

Meanwhile, according to some analysts, there is another objective reason why the militia is so eager to take the airport, and the Ukrainian security forces are so reluctant to leave it. To paraphrase the classic - "who owns the airport, he owns Donetsk." It is impossible to begin to establish a peaceful life and restore the infrastructure of the city, being under a constant "gunpoint". The airport is too convenient a point for shelling the districts of Donetsk. In addition, it is a kind of "black hole" through which sabotage squads can penetrate into the city.

And here it is impossible not to touch upon the complex system of life and communications of the Donetsk airport. The militias have repeatedly said that the military holding the city's "air gates" are in a double cordon of the DPR fighters. However, for about five months now, they have been able to keep a completely blocked space under control.

It is clear that the airport itself is, as DPR Prime Minister Purgin says: "a city within a city." There are several terminals with underground floors, numerous warehouses. Even an anti-nuclear bunker left over from Soviet times. In general, there is a place to hide from constant shelling. But how, with the supposedly complete blockade, the ATO fighters did not run out of food and ammunition during this time - this is the question.

They say that military planes dropped "humanitarian aid" to ATO fighters twice: in July and August. But is this enough for the normal functioning of a garrison of several thousand people? The Ukrainian media launched information that under the Donetsk airport there is allegedly a warehouse of "emergency supplies": there is food, weapons, and clothes. The airport staff called these messages "nonsense" and explained that according to building codes, there can be no warehouses under the aircraft structure. However, the same employees confirm: from the runway, underground communications go towards the village of Peski, controlled by the anti-terrorist operation forces. From there, allegedly, there is a constant supply of the forces holding the airport. It is clear that the militia cannot stand such a "Harry Potter closet" near the capital of Donbass. Otherwise, there will never be peace in the city.