Day of Remembrance of Cyborgs — fightings for Donetsk Airport

Every year on January 20, Ukraine celebrates the Day of Remembrance of the Defenders of Donetsk Airport. The defense lasted from May 26, 2014 to January 20, 2015.

Novyny.LIVE is going to tell what is known about fighting in Donetsk.

Fighting for Donetsk airport

The fighting for Donetsk Airport (DAP) began on May 26, 2014, when Russian separatists and Chechen militants seized the facility. On the same day, Ukrainian defenders attacked enemy positions and regained control of the airport. However, this was only the beginning of a long struggle, as the battle for this facility lasted for 242 days until January 20, 2015.

The Russians tried their best to push out the Ukrainian military and lured them out of the fire station in various ways, even negotiating on behalf of our troops' commander Oleh Kuzminykh. Although at that time he was already in captivity. However, the soldiers from the 90th Airmobile Battalion, led by Maksym Rydzanych "Adam", who were defending the DAP, immediately "figured out" the enemy's intentions and realized that there would be another attack the next morning.

They participated in the defense of Donetsk airport:

• Special Forces units of the 3rd separate regiment;
• soldiers of the 79th separate airmobile brigade;
• soldiers of the 81st separate airmobile brigade;
• soldiers of the 95th separate airmobile brigade;
• soldiers of the 93rd separate mechanized brigade;
• soldiers of the 57th separate motorized infantry brigade;
• fighters of the 90th separate airmobile battalion;
• soldiers of the 74th separate reconnaissance battalion;
• soldiers of the Dnipro-1 regiment;
• soldiers of the Ukrainian Volunteer Corps;
• as well as medics and volunteers who provided assistance to Ukrainian soldiers.

Many of them received state awards for their heroic deeds, some posthumously.

According to the Institute of National Remembrance, the most severe fighting took place in January 2015. For example, on January 13, the airport's control tower was destroyed due to constant enemy attacks. Then the fighting moved to the floors of the new terminal, where the Ukrainian military held the line for several days. The bloodiest battles took place on January 18-20. The Ukrainian army held the first floor of the terminal, while the Russian occupiers controlled the basement and upper floors.

On January 20, the invaders blew up the concrete floors of the new airport terminal, turning it into complete ruins. This day was the last day for Ukrainian defenders at this strategic facility. The military leadership decided to withdraw Ukrainian units, and on January 22, the last surviving defenders left the destroyed airport, ending their heroic defense.

According to official figures, about 100 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in these fierce battles.

In 2022, the Order of the Minister of Defense of Ukraine and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine established the Day of Honoring the Defenders of Donetsk Airport to be celebrated annually on January 20.

The memorial is dedicated to all those who stood up for Ukraine in those days.Such people began to be called "cyborgs." According to the most common version, this term was coined by the enemy, who could not otherwise explain why the garrison was impossible to capture by assault. The most iconic phrase that went down in history alongside the heroism of Ukrainians is: "The Cyborgs held out; the concrete did not".

As a reminder, the fighting in the Donetsk region is still ongoing. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are preemptively destroy mine shafts in the region to prevent the Russian invaders from moving or hiding their personnel.

We also wrote about the situation in Pokrovsk, Donetsk region is difficult, but the Defense Forces are holding their positions and preventing the occupiers from taking the city.