14 April 2026
(PHOTO: Intent)
On the anniversary of the start of the anti-terrorist operation on April 14, historian, activist and soldier Serhiy Hutsalyuk told Intent how it all began.
According to the historian, the announcement of the ATO was a response to the massive seizures of government institutions and law enforcement agencies in the cities of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
The key event was the seizure of the city of Sloviansk on April 12, 2014, by an armed special unit of the Russian Federal Security Service led by Igor Girkin. On April 13, 2014, the first armed battle took place near Sloviansk, in which Captain Gennadiy Bilichenko of the Alpha Security Service of Ukraine was killed. At the same time, the platoon commander, Senior Lieutenant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Vadym Sukharevskyi, now a Hero of Ukraine, a Ukrainian general, gave the order to open fire and destroy the occupiers in that battle, which actually saved other members of the Alpha group from death.
See also: Operational Command "South" opened a virtual museum
On April 13, 2014, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine decided to launch a large-scale anti-terrorist operation involving the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On April 14, acting President of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov signed a decree enacting the decision of the National Security and Defense Council "On urgent measures to overcome the terrorist threat and preserve the territorial integrity of Ukraine."
See also: Historian and activist Serhiy Hutsalyuk tells Intent about the future of Odesa
The operation in the ATO format lasted until April 30, 2018. In May 2018, the format was changed to the Joint Forces Operation (JFO), which lasted until the start of Russia's full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.
Earlier, the socio-political publication Intent launched a series of videos dedicated to the figures of the South. The publication plans to cover many interesting topics, including coverage of significant dates and activities of the South. The first story in the series tells the story of the combat path of the Operational Command "South", which recently celebrated its 11th anniversary.
Кирило Бойко