Sverdlovsk(Ukrainian:Свердловськ;Russian:Свердловск) orDovzhansk(Ukrainian:Довжанськ) is an industrial city inLuhansk OblastofUkraine,near the internationally recognized border withRussia.This is the residence ofDovzhansk urban hromadaandDovzhansk Raion(district). It is located approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) from the administrative center of the oblast,Luhansk.Its population is estimated to be62,691 (2022 estimate).[1]
Sverdlovsk
Dovzhansk Довжанськ(Ukrainian) | |
|---|---|
 A church in Sverdlovsk | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Sverdlovsk Location of Sverdlovsk  Sverdlovsk Sverdlovsk (Ukraine) | |
| Coordinates:48°04′40″N39°38′50″E/ 48.07778°N 39.64722°E | |
| Country |  Ukraine |
| Oblast | Luhansk Oblast |
| Raion | Dovzhansk Raion |
| Hromada | Dovzhansk urban hromada |
| Founded | 1938 |
| Area | |
• Total | 83 km2(32 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 268 m (879 ft) |
| Population (2022) | |
• Total | 62,691 |
| • Density | 760/km2(2,000/sq mi) |
| Postal code | 94800—94819 |
| Area code | (+380) 6434 |
| Vehicle registration | BB / 13 |
| Climate | Dfb |
| Website | http://svk.gov.ua |
 | |
Sverdlovsk has its origins in several mining settlements that appeared in the late 18th century and 19th century. They were united into a single city in 1938, which grew over time despite destructive occupation byNazi GermanyduringWorld War II.It has been controlled by theLuhansk People's Republicsince 2014.
History
editImperial Russian and Soviet history
editThe city has its origins in a settlement namedDovzhykove-Orlovskеthat originated in the late 18th century. It was later renamed toSharapkyne.The first coal mines in the area began development in the 1870s.[2]
On 22 October 1938, several of the mining settlements in the area, along with the "Sverdlov" mine, were merged into a new city namedSverdlovsk,named after Bolshevik leaderYakov Sverdlov.[3][2]The city became the center ofSverdlovsk Raion.[3]A local newspaper began being published in the city in November 1938.[4]
DuringWorld War II,Sverdlovsk was occupied byNazi Germanybetween 20 July 1942 and 17 February 1943. During the occupation, the Nazis massacred communists and Jews, as well as murdering other civilians for minor infractions. The population wagedpartisan warfareagainst the occupiers. As the Nazis retreated from the settlement, they burned down and blew up several buildings, andkidnapped 4,500 people to Germany for forced labor.[3]
In 1962, Sverdlovsk was designated as acity of oblast significance;while it still served as the administrative center of Sverdlovsk Raion, it was no longer part of it, and was instead subordinated directly toLuhansk Oblast.[5]
21st century
editOn 4 June 2014, at the beginning of thewar in Donbas,militants proclaiming loyalty to the Russian-backed separatistLuhansk People's Republic(LPR) seized control of the border guards' base at Sverdlovsk, as well as taking over the city itself.[6]The Luhansk People's Republic andDonetsk People's Republic,both considered proxies ofRussia,went on to seize large swathes ofeastern Ukraine.[7][8]Using August 2014 footage from occupied Sverdlovsk, investigators identified a Russian tank in one of the separatist columns that "only have come from across the border in Russia", confirming direct Russian involvement in the war.[9]
On 22 August the same year, it was discovered that the LPR authorities in Sverdlovsk - as well asChervonopartyzanskand other nearby settlements - had forbidden shops owned by people who held pro-Ukrainian views from selling bread. Residents of the settlements began making a petition to end this practice, calling the bans on selling food "genocide".[10]On 23 August, a group of Russian "humanitarian" trucks arrived with packets of salt and water. However, the trucks were reportedly "half-empty", and the salt packets had unusual prices.[11]On 11 September 2014, it was reported that in the past month, sixteen people in Sverdlovsk had died of starvation in what Ukrainian media called a "famine inDonbas".Elderly people with disabilities living on their own were particularly at risk of starvation, now that social services were unable to access the city.[12]On 24 September,Information ResistancecoordinatorDmytro Tymchukreported that theRussian military,who had been fighting alongside the LPR militants in the war, were using an abandoned mine in Sverdlovsk as an impromptu mass grave for its dead soldiers in an attempt to hide casualties and obscure its role in the war.[13]
On 4 October 2014, there was a "hunger riot" in Sverdlovsk in protest against the LPR, citing lack of payment of wages, lack of food, the collapse of the baking system, and widespread looting and robbery. Unknown people threw grenades at the organizers of the protests. This came in the wake of larger-scale "hunger riots" throughout occupied Luhansk Oblast.[14]On 17 November 2014, a second, larger-scale rally broke out in protest of the occupation. People poured blue and yellow paint (the national colors of Ukraine) over the gate of an administrative building and threatened the militants. The militants fired automatic weapons in an attempt to disperse the rally, but this failed.[15]About 2,000 people were taking place in the rally, and they called for the separatists to leave the city,[16]and chanted "Sverdlovsk is Ukraine!"[17]By 18 November, activists reported that 64 people in the city had now died of starvation.[16]
In 2016, Sverdlovsk was renamedDovzhanskand Sverdlovsk Raion was renamed toDovzhansk Raionby the Ukrainian government as a result ofdecommunization laws.[18]In 2020, the designation of a city of oblast significance was abolished across Ukraine, and Dovzhansk has since been officially subordinated toDovzhansk Raion.[citation needed]
On 21 August 2022, during the full-scaleRussian invasion of Ukraine,Luhansk Oblast governorSerhiy Haidaireported that the LPR authorities had forcibly conscripted 430 mine workers in Dovzhansk. According to Russian state TV, only women and the elderly were left to work the mines.[19]Systematic abduction of childrenhas taken place in the city, with 200 children being taken to camps inKrasnodar Kraiin Russia for "patriotic training" on 17 August 2023.[20]
Economy
editSverdlovsk is an industrial city. It has twelve mines and four coal enrichment plants, as well asmetalworkingand machine-building industries. There are repair shops for mining equipment and a clothes factory.[2]
Demographics
edit| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1939 | 37,000[3] | — |
| 2001 | 72,531[3] | +1.09% |
| 2013 | 65,276[2] | −0.87% |
| 2022 | 62,691[1] | −0.45% |
As of the2001 census,the city's population was 72,531.[21]Its ethnic composition was as follows:[22]
- Russians:48.6%
- Ukrainians:46%
- Belarusians:1.2%
- Others: 2.4%
Gallery
edit-
"Victory" cinema -
Palace of Culture -
Church of Saint Peter and Paul -
Chapel of Saint Barbara -
Dovzhanska Train Station -
City stadium
References
edit- ^abЧисельність наявного населення України на 1 січня 2022[Number of Present Population of Ukraine, as of January 1, 2022](PDF)(in Ukrainian and English). Kyiv:State Statistics Service of Ukraine.Archived(PDF)from the original on 4 July 2022.
- ^abcd"Sverdlovsk".Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine.Retrieved2023-11-16.
- ^abcde"Свердловськ, Свердловський район, Луганська область".Історія міст і сіл Української РСР(in Ukrainian).Retrieved2023-11-07.
- ^№ 2909. Заря Донбасса // Летопись периодических и продолжающихся изданий СССР 1986 - 1990. Часть 2. Газеты. М., «Книжная палата», 1994. стр.382
- ^"Свердловськ, Свердловський район, Луганська область (продовження)".Історія міст і сіл Української РСР(in Ukrainian).Retrieved2023-11-16.
- ^Vaux, Pierre (2014-08-12)."Ukrainian Troops Retreat From Russian Border, Leaving 100 Kilometers Defenseless Against Invasion".The Daily Beast.Retrieved2023-11-17.
- ^"Moscow's proxies in occupied Ukraine regions claim landslide votes to join Russia".France 24.2022-09-27.Retrieved2024-01-25.
- ^"Donbas: Why Russia is trying to capture eastern Ukraine".2022-04-01.Retrieved2024-01-25.
- ^"Ukraine crisis: T-72 tank shoots hole in Russian denial".28 August 2014.Retrieved17 November2023.
- ^"У Свердловську терористи заборонили продавати хліб"(in Ukrainian).Retrieved2023-11-17.
- ^"В Свердловську вже розпродують сіль з російської" гуманітарки "по 10 грн за кілограм"(in Ukrainian).Retrieved2023-11-17.
- ^"Голод на Донбассе: в оккупированном Свердловске от голода умерли 16 жителей"(in Ukrainian).Retrieved2023-11-17.
- ^"В Свердловську російські військові зробили «братську могилу» в шахті".Archived fromthe originalon 26 September 2014.Retrieved24 September2014.
- ^"В Свердловске прошел голодный митинг".Archived fromthe originalon 10 October 2014.Retrieved19 November2014.
- ^"У Свердловську містяни повстали проти бойовиків, найманці розганяють мітинг автоматами, ТСН.юа".Archived fromthe originalon 18 November 2014.Retrieved17 November2014.
- ^ab"Донбас охоплюють протести через безгрошів'я та голод".Радіо Свобода.Archived fromthe originalon 20 November 2014.
- ^"В Свердловске пенсионеры требовали от Путина выплаты пенсий".Archived fromthe originalon 24 November 2014.Retrieved19 November2014.
- ^"Rada renames some population areas in occupied Donbas as part of decommunization campaign".Interfax-Ukraine.12 May 2016.Retrieved20 July2016.
- ^"Latest Developments in Ukraine: August 21".2022-08-21.Retrieved2023-11-17.
- ^"Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, 17 August 2023".Institute for the Study of War.Retrieved2023-11-17.
- ^"Sverdlovsk".Encyclopedia Britannica.
- ^Дністрянський М. С. Етнополітична географія України. Львів: Літопис,2006, p. 465
External links
edit- Official city page(in Ukrainian and Russian)
- City site