Savur-Mohyla
Savur-Mohyla Memorial | |
---|---|
Soviet Union | |
Savur-Mohyla Memorial, 2008 | |
For Red Army soldiers fallen during World War II | |
Unveiled | 1963 |
Location | near Snizhne |
Designed by | Anatoly Ignashchenko |
Savur-Mohyla (Ukrainian: Савур-могила), sometimes transcribed as Savur-Mogila or Saur-Mogila (Russian: Саур-Могила), is a strategic height in the Donets ridge near the city of Snezhnoye, located about 5 km (3.1 mi) away from the border between Ukraine and Russia (Rostov Oblast).
It is originally a tumulus (kurgan) - "mohyla" means "tumulus" in Ukrainian and according to one interpretation the word "Savur" comes from Turkic "Sauyr", meaning "steppe mound shaped like horse bottom."
World War II
During World War II Saur-Mohyla was the focal point of intense fighting. Only in August 1943, Soviet troops managed to retake control of the height from German forces. In 1963 a memorial complex was unveiled on the top of the hill to honour the fallen soldiers.[1]
2014 war in Donbass
In 2014, during the long-time military conflict between Ukrainian troops and Donbass pro-Russian fighters, the Saur-Mohyla height was captured by the pro-Russian fighters. On 23 July 2014, pro-Russians shot down two Ukrainian Air Force Sukhoi Su-25 (NATO reporting name "Frogfoot") ground-attack aircraft flying at 17,000 feet (5,182 meters) over Saur-Mohyla, using an advanced anti-aircraft system.[2][3]
On 28 July 2014, after intense fighting, the Armed Forces of Ukraine claimed that they recaptured control of Savur-Mohyla from the pro-Russian fighters.[4] However, commander of the pro-Russian Donetsk People's Republic, Igor Girkin, denied Savur-Mohyla had been lost, saying fighting was continuing.[5] Followings its capture by the Ukrainian 25th Airborne Brigade on 9 August 2014,[6] the DPR recaptured the hill on 26 August 2014.[7][8] During the fighting, the hill changed sides between the Ukraine and DPR about 8 times.
Destruction of the memorial
On 21 August 2014, the memorial's obelisk collapsed after enduring weeks of heavy shelling.[7][9]
Gallery
- Red Army soldiers near Saur-Mogila during World War 2
- Monument to Soviet infantrymen in World War 2
- Monument to Soviet tankmen in World War 2
- Monument to Soviet pilots in World War 2
- Soviet soldier statue next to the former obelisk
- Ukrainian soldiers near the memorial before the Battle of Shakhtarsk Raion in June 2014
- Large memorial to World War 2 Soviet soldiers in August 2015
- Close up of the memorial
- Another view of the memorial
- Saur-Mogila in 2015 with notable damage a year after the War in Donbass battle
- HD view of the path and visitors
- Aftermath of the monument to Soviet infantrymen
- Aftermath of the monument to Soviet tankmen
- Aftermath of the monument to Soviet artillerymen
- Aftermath of the monument to Soviet pilots
- Soviet pilot statue collapsed in front of rubble
- More pilot statues amongst the rubble
- A memorial considerably damaged after the battle
- Path to the destroyed obelisk
- Outside view of the former obelisk
- Rubble inside of the former obelisk
- View of the area in front of Saur-Mogila
- A DPR Vostok Battalion flag dedicated to Oleg Grishin's squad called the "Medvedevtsy"
- Cemetery of DPR fighters that died for the capture of the hill, with an old bell
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saur-Mogila. |
- ↑ GPW Veterans Celebrate Victory Day At Saur-Mohyla, UKRINFORM, 9 May 2008
- ↑ Two Ukrainian fighter jets shot down as Kiev accuses Moscow of sending more arms to fighters, FoxNews, 23 July 2014.
- ↑ Two Ukrainian military jets shot down over rebel-held area, Washington Post, 23 July 2014.
- ↑ Ukrainian Armed Forces take control of Saur-Mohyla - report to president, Interfax, 28 July 2014.
- ↑ "Ukraine claims more territory as fight intensifies with rebels". Reuters. 28 July 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
- ↑ Ополчение отступило со стратегической высоты Саур-Могила // RIA Novosti, 9 August 2014
- 1 2 Panoramic video of the destroyed memorial, Lifenews.ru, August 28, 2014
- ↑ Donetsk militia claims assuming control of border stretch to Azov Sea, ITAR-TASS, 26 August 2014
- ↑ Savur-Mohyla Left Without Obelisk Because of Shelling, Censor.NET, August 21, 2014
Coordinates: 47°55′22.75″N 38°44′25.94″E / 47.9229861°N 38.7405389°E