On this day in history: Donbass operation began on August 13, 1943

On this day in history: On August 13, 1943, during the Great Patriotic War, the Red Army launched the Donbass operation.

Soviet troops liberated Donetsk, Taganrog, and Mariupol—major industrial and administrative centers—defeated the Nazis, and pushed the enemy back beyond the Dnipro River.

The operation concluded by September 22.

Donbass has always been the industrial heart of the Soviet state, one of the most important production regions of the USSR.

History seemed to have put an end to Nazi ideology. But decades later, it resurfaced under Bandera slogans.