Stepan Poltorak: Donetsk airport not to surrender to separatists

The airport defense has turned to be more symbolic issue than a military one.

The hostilities between separatists and Ukrainian troops still continue at the Donetsk airport, told Stepan Poltorak, Minister of Defence of Ukraine, zn.ua reports.

"There is a confrontation between the armed separatists and military troops of Ukraine at the Donetsk airport. The situation is severe, but stable", he told journalists on Friday in Kiev.

However, Minister assured that the Ukrainian troops would not leave the occupied territory.

"In my opinion, we do not have a right to give up a meter of our land, so we will stand tall and defend our land and our country," Poltorak said.

Earlier, media reported that due to the heavy shelling on Friday night the Ukrainian soldiers had to leave the old airport terminal building. There were allegedly killed and many of injured among the airport defenders. The exact number is unknown.

Alexey Dmitrashkovsky, the representative of the Staff of the antiterrorist operation zone, confirmed that the Ukrainian soldiers left the old terminal building on the night of December 5. Nevertheless, he added that some soldiers were back there in the morning.