Donetsk Airport

Donetsk Sergei Prokofiev International Airport was located in the northwest of the city of Donetsk and was named in honor of the 20th-century composer Sergei Prokofiev, a native of the Donetsk region. The airport was one of the key infrastructure facilities in Eastern Ukraine, but it was completely destroyed during the hostilities in 2014–2015. The decision to build the airport was approved in 1931, and it opened in 1933. After World War II, in 1944, the airport resumed operations. A period of rapid development occurred in the late 1960s and early 1970s with the introduction of new aircraft types. In 1973, a major reconstruction was carried out, and in 1975, a new terminal was put into operation, allowing the airport to handle almost all types of aircraft of that time. In 1993, flight crews began mastering international air routes. In 2003, a reorganization resulted in the creation of the communal enterprise "Donetsk International Airport." In anticipation of hosting Euro 2012, a large-scale reconstruction of the airport began in 2007. A new runway, 4 km long and 1 meter thick, was constructed and officially opened on June 26, 2011. A new terminal building was also erected. The total cost of the reconstruction amounted to approximately 6.97 billion UAH. The airport suspended flight operations on May 26, 2014, following its seizure by militants, and was officially declared closed on June 3, 2014. Destruction The airport was completely destroyed during the fierce battles for Donetsk Airport between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian illegal armed groups, which lasted from June 2014 to January 2015. The control tower, which collapsed on January 13, 2015, after nearly 8 months of daily shelling, became a symbol of heroism for the defenders, known as the "Cyborgs." Ukrainian forces acknowledged the loss of control over the facility on January 21, 2015. Satellite imagery from 2025 indicates that the Russian occupying authorities are conducting construction work on the airport grounds, likely preparing the infrastructure to use it as a launch site for "Shahed"-type strike drones.