January 20 marks the Day of Remembrance for the Defenders of Donetsk Airport. However, it is also important to note the unofficial date of January 16, which emerged in 2016 when the airport’s defenders and their families gathered in Kyiv to honor their fallen comrades.

The defense of Donetsk Airport lasted 244 days—from May 26, 2014, to January 23, 2015. Soldiers, volunteers, medics, and aid workers demonstrated unyielding bravery and resilience in defending Ukraine. The defenders, who proved to be stronger than concrete, came to be known as “Cyborgs.” According to the most common account, this term was coined by their enemies, who could not explain how the garrison withstood relentless assaults.

Among the defenders of Donetsk Airport were servicemen from Crimea, including Valid (call sign “Krym”), Oleksandr Balkovyi, Mykola Andrushchenko (call sign “Krym”), and Denis Bilyi.

On January 20, Russian forces detonated the concrete ceilings of the airport’s new terminal, leaving surviving defenders captured. Ukrainian fighters held the “Pozharka” position at the fire station between the terminal and the airport’s control tower until January 23, 2015, when they were successfully evacuated to Ukrainian-controlled territory. This date marks the end of the battles for Donetsk Airport. According to official data, 109 defenders lost their lives during the battles for Donetsk Airport, with around 440 others wounded. In 2015, these defenders exemplified Ukrainian resilience and courage to the world. Their heroic stand became a landmark in modern Ukrainian history, symbolized by the phrase, “They withstood—the concrete did not.”