A Year of War Completely Destroyed the Donetsk Airport
In Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine, the Sergey Prokofiev International Airport has been reduced from a modern transportation hub to piles of scorched rubble in less than a year of warfare.
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In FocusIn Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine, the Sergey Prokofiev International Airport has been reduced from a modern transportation hub to piles of scorched rubble in less than a year of warfare. As recently as last May, the airport was still operating and in good condition, though international flights had slowed due to the growing unrest. On May 26, Russian-backed separatist forces of the Donetsk People's Republic seized the airport, losing it to Ukrainian government forces after a brief fight. For months after, battles raged as both sides struggled to hold or retake the facilities, their bombs and rockets destroying practically everything, from buildings and aircraft to roads and trees. This week, as a cease-fire held, rebels (now in control of the ruins) brought Ukrainian war prisoners to the airport to recover bodies of their fellow troops from the rubble, and photojournalists were able to come along and document the scene.
1. The main terminal of Donetsk Sergey Prokofiev International Airport hit by shelling during fighting between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian government forces in the town of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, on October 8, 2014
Dmitry Lovetsky/AP
2. Before the battles, a photo taken on May 6, 2014, of the Sergey Prokofiev International Airport terminal, reflected in a puddle, in Donetsk
Evgeniy Maloletka/AP
3. This is an aerial view of the Donetsk Airport on June 27, 2012. The airport was one of several showcase buildings constructed for the Euro 2012 Championship hosted by Ukraine.
Irina Gorbaseva/AP
4. Passengers wait for information at Donetsk airport on May 6, 2014, as all flights in and out of the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk were suspended amid rising tensions in the region.
Alexander Khudoteply/AFP/Getty Images
5. A June 27, 2012 photo shows the control tower of the airport in Donetsk.
Irina Gorbaseva/AP
6. Passengers queue at a desk to return their tickets on May 6, 2014 at Donetsk airport, as all flights in and out of the city were suspended.
Alexander Khudoteply/AFP/Getty Images
7. A June 27, 2012, aerial shot of the airport in Donetsk
Irina Gorbaseva/AP
8. On May 26, 2014, a pro-Russian militant takes position on the roof of the Donetsk airport terminal. The airport was rocked by explosions and heavy shooting after armed rebels seized the facility.
Alexander Khudoteply/AFP/Getty Images
9. Pro-Russian militants take positions inside the airport in Donetsk on May 26, 2014.
Alexander Khudoteply/AFP/Getty Images
10. Pro-Russian militants take positions on the roof of the Donetsk airport on May 26, 2014.
Alexander Khudoteply/AFP/Getty Images
11. An armed pro-Russian militant inside the airport on May 26, 2014
Alexander Khudoteply/AFP/Getty Images
12. A Ukrainian military helicopter gunship flies above areas where pro-Russian militias had taken position around the airport, outside Donetsk, on May 26, 2014.
Vadim Ghirda/AP
13. Black smoke billows from Donetsk international airport, seen behind a cemetery, during heavy gun battles between the Ukrainian army and pro-Russian militants on May 26, 2014.
Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images
14. A pro-Russian separatist soldier fires through a window in the Donetsk airport during shelling between Ukrainian army forces and pro-Russian separatist soldiers on October 16, 2014.
Dominique Faget/AFP/Getty Images
15. Flames engulf a vehicle during shelling of the Donetsk airport on October 16, 2014.
Dominique Faget/AFP/Getty Images
16. Pro-Russian separatist fighters take a break in a damaged part of the Donetsk airport on October 16, 2014.
Dominique Faget/AFP/Getty Images
17. This photo taken by a drone on January 15, 2015 shows the destroyed control tower surrounded by craters and debris at the airport in Donetsk.
ArmySOS/AP
18. Destroyed commercial airplanes sit scattered at the Donetsk airport on February 26, 2015.
Andrew Burton/Getty Images
19. Shattered and burnt tree trunks stand outside a section of a destroyed airport building in Donetsk on February 26, 2015.
Vasily MaximovAFP/Getty Images
20. A Ukrainian national flag flies at top of a badly damaged traffic control tower as smoke rises after shelling at the Donetsk airport on October 12, 2014.
Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters
21. Debris covers part of the Donetsk airport, damaged by months of fighting, on February 26, 2015.
Baz Ratner/Reuters
22. A picture taken on Febuary 7, 2015 shows a destroyed tank and plane at the Donetsk airport.
Dominique Faget/AFP/Getty Images
23. A sports bar sits among the wreckage of the destroyed Donetsk airport on February 26, 2015.
Andrew Burton/Getty Images
24. Destroyed cars sit near the Donetsk airport on February 26, 2015.
Andrew Burton/Getty Images
25. Inside the destroyed airport in Donetsk on January 21, 2015
Igor Ivanov/AP
26. A sign riddled with shrapnel holes stands outside the hulk of the Donetsk airport terminal, damaged by months of fighting, on February 26, 2015
Baz Ratner/Reuters
27. The carcass of a destroyed airplane on the tarmac of the Donetsk airport on October 16, 2014
Dominique Faget/AFP/Getty Images
28. A picture taken on October 16, 2014 shows part of the destroyed terminal at the Donetsk airport during shelling between Ukrainian army forces and pro-Russian separatist soldiers.
Dominique Faget/AFP/Getty Images
29. Remains of the Donetsk airport, seen on January 21, 2015
Igor Ivanov/AP
30. Russian-backed rebels sit on an armored transporter driving to the destroyed airport, background, outside Donetsk, on February 25, 2015. Ukrainian troops held captive in the separatist stronghold of Donetsk were brought along to dig through the rubble to retrieve the bodies of fellow soldiers killed last month in a bitter battle for the city's airport.
Vadim Ghirda/AP
31. Ukrainian soldier prisoners-of-war are lined up before being forced by pro-Russian rebels to search through the wreckage of the destroyed Donetsk airport for weaponry and dead bodies on February 26, 2015 in Donetsk, Ukraine.
Andrew Burton/Getty Images
32. Ukrainian soldier prisoners-of-war are forced by pro-Russian rebels to search through the wreckage of the destroyed Donetsk airport for weaponry and dead bodies on February 26, 2015.
Andrew Burton/Getty Images
33. Russian-backed separatists stand next to bodies of Ukrainian servicemen retrieved from the rubble of the airport building outside Donetsk on February 25, 2015.
Vadim Ghirda/AP
34. A belt bearing the coat of arms of Ukraine on the body of a Ukrainian serviceman lying in the destroyed terminal after it was removed from the rubble of the airport building outside Donetsk on February 25, 2015
Vadim Ghirda/AP