Savur-Mohyla

Savur-Mohyla (Савур-могила), sometimes transcribed as Savur-Mogila or Saur-Mogila (Саур-Могила), is a strategic height in the Donets ridge near the city of Snizhne, located about 5 km away from the border between Ukraine (Donetsk Oblast) and Russia (Rostov Oblast).

It is originally a tumulus (kurgan) - "mohyla" means "tumulus" in Ukrainian and according to one interpretation the word "Savur" comes from Turkic "Sauyr", meaning "steppe mound shaped like horse bottom."

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
In 2014, during the long-time military conflict between Ukraine government troops and folk rebels, the Savur-Mohyla height was captured by the separatist forces. On July 23, 2014, folk rebels 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.

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 rebellion Igor Girkin, denied Savur-Mohyla had been lost, saying fighting was continuing. Followings its captured by the Ukrainian army on August 9, 2014, the insurgents recaptured the hill on August 26, 2014. On August 21, 2014, the memorial's obelisk collapsed after enduring weeks of heavy shelling.