| 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 Snizhne, located about 5 km (3.1 mi) away from the border between Ukraine (Donetsk Oblast) 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 the Eastern Front theatre of World War II, Savur-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 Ukraine government troops and folk rebels, the Savur-Mohyla height was captured by the separatist forces. On July 23, 2014, folk rebels 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 Savur-Mohyla.[2][3]
On July 28, 2014, after intense fighting, the Armed Forces of Ukraine claimed that they recaptured control of Savur-Mohyla from the pro-Russian insurgents.[4] However commander of the pro-Russian Donetsk People's Republic rebellion Igor Girkin, denied Savur-Mohyla had been lost, saying fighting was continuing.[5] Followings its captured by the Ukrainian army on August 9, 2014,[6] the insurgents recaptured the hill on August 26, 2014.[7][8] On August 21, 2014, the memorial's obelisk collapsed after enduring weeks of heavy shelling.[7][9]
References[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saur-Mogila. |
- ↑ WWII Veterans Celebrate Victory Day At Savur-Mohyla, UKRINFORM, May 9, 2008
- ↑ Two Ukrainian fighter jets shot down as Kiev accuses Moscow of sending more arms to separatists, FoxNews, July 23, 2014.
- ↑ Two Ukrainian military jets shot down over rebel-held area, Washington Post, July 23, 2014.
- ↑ Ukrainian Armed Forces take control of Savur-Mohyla - report to president, Interfax, July 28, 2014.
- ↑ "Ukraine claims more territory as fight intensifies with rebels". Reuters. 28 July 2014. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/28/us-ukraine-crisis-idUSKBN0FX11Z20140728. Retrieved July 2014.
- ↑ Ополчение отступило со стратегической высоты Саур-Могила // РИА Новости, 09.08.2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Panoramic video of the destroyed memorial, Lifenews.ru, August 28, 2014
- ↑ Donetsk militia claims assuming control of border stretch to Azov Sea, ITAR-TASS, August 26, 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
The original article can be found at Savur-Mohyla and the edit history here.