Luhansk Airport: Russia’s Forces Destroy it, Then Build A Road Through It

Nothing signals Russia’s hypocrisy towards eastern Ukraine more than the Luhansk city International airport. Watch the Kremlin’s propaganda and you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s Ukraine whose holding back the regeneration of eastern Ukraine. Yet the Russian reality is, it’s Putin whose created a wasteland of destruction and mass unemployment in eastern Ukraine. Putin who builds roads through the shattered remains of airports which his Russian forces shelled into oblivion. Airport Coordinates 48°25’15.76″N 39°22’30.07″E

Located on the outskirts of Luhansk city, lies the cities International airport. Like its larger sister airport in the city of Donetsk, in 2014 it was held by the Ukrainian army. With Russia’s invasion forces eager to secure both cities, Russian artillery and every conceivable weapon was used to grind both airports into dust. With nothing left to defend, on Sept 1st 2014, Ukrainian troops withdrew from Luhansk airport.

Terminal building before the shelling. The header picture shows it after its capture in 2014.

Russia’s forces soldiers look around the airport remains on Sept 11th 2014.

Airport seen in June 2014, before the shelling. Terminal building can be seen in the middle foreground.

Remains of the airport in 2015. Terminal in foreground. Note the road seen on the right.

Over the last couple of years, Russia’s forces in eastern Ukraine have started using the Luhansk airport runway as a training area and a location for those cliché Russian style military parades/events. But who’d have thought? It seems Russia’s big butch forces in eastern Ukraine are really delicate flowers. They don’t like marching up and down and driving their little Russian tanks alongside the ruins of airports which they destroyed. So, in 2016 the standing remains were bulldozed flat. Then in 2019, they built a road straight through the terminal.