Chapel to commemorate home guards of Donbass to be set up

   

Moscow, - Orthodox activists laid a foundation capsule in Saur Mogila (the Donetsk Region) in place of a future memorial chapel to commemorate home guards of Donbass.
"Saur Mogila again has become a top of martial glory and heroic virtue, a place to commemorate those who perished, and to educate the offsprings," Russian Charitable Foundation of Martyrs and Confessors of Christ told.
Local residents, home guards who fought against Ukrainian regular army on this top this summer, representatives of the DNR authorities and the Union of Orthodox Gonfaloniers attended the ceremony.
In August 1943, graduates of the Soviet artillery, pilot, infantry, tank and other armor schools participated in battles against German fascist invaders for Saur Mogila, its capture was the start of releasing Ukraine.
After the war, a memorial complex was set up there, but it was destroyed in course of fights in summer 2014. 

   

Saur Mogila Memorial, For Red Army 

soldiers fallen during World War II

 

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.

2014 war in Donbass

Main articles: War in Donbass and Battle in Shakhtarsk Raion

In 2014, during the long-time military conflict between Ukraine government troops and pro-Russian fighters, the Savur-Mohyla height was captured by the pro-Russian fighters. On July 23, 2014, separatists 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, using Russian AA systems.


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. However commander of the pro-Russian Donetsk People's Republic separatists Igor Girkin, denied Savur-Mohyla had been lost, saying fighting was continuing. Followings its capture by the Ukrainian army on August 9, 2014, the insurgents recaptured the hill on August 26, 2014.