Toretsk
Торецьк
Church of St. Macarius in Toretsk
Church of St. Macarius in Toretsk
Flag of Toretsk
Flag
Coat of arms of Toretsk
Coat of arms
Toretsk is located in Donetsk Oblast
Toretsk
Toretsk
Toretsk is located in Ukraine
Toretsk
Toretsk
Coordinates: 48°23′30″N 37°52′24″E / 48.39167°N 37.87333°E / 48.39167; 37.87333
Country Ukraine
Oblast Donetsk Oblast
RaionBakhmut Raion
HromadaToretsk urban hromada
Founded1806
City rights1938[1]
Government
 • TypeCivil-military administration
 • HeadVasil Chynchyk
Area
 • Total62 km2 (24 sq mi)
Elevation
179 m (587 ft)
Population
 (2022)
 • Total30,914
 • Density500/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Postal code
85200—85279
Area code+380-6247
ClimateDfb
Websitehttp://toretsk-rada.gov.ua/

Toretsk (Ukrainian: Торе́цьк, IPA: [toˈrɛt͡sʲk]; Russian: Торецк), is an industrial city in Bakhmut Raion, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Toretsk urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. As of January 2022, its population was approximately 30,914.[2]

It has its origins as the hamlet Shcherbynivka (Ukrainian: Щербинівка; Russian: Щербиновка, romanized: Shcherbinovka), built during the mid-19th century developments in coal mining in the Donbas. It developed over the following century with the rise of rail transport, and was renamed to Dzerzhynsk (Ukrainian: Дзержинськ; Russian: Дзержинск, romanized: Dzerzhinsk) when it was part of the Soviet Union. It received its current name in 2016, during decommunization in Ukraine. Toretsk has seen fighting and shelling during the protracted Russo-Ukrainian War that began in 2014, which has depopulated and heavily damaged the infrastructure of the city over the years.

Geography

Toretsk is located on the right bank of the Kryvyi Torets river, which is a tributary of the Kazennyi Torets.[1] It is located in the historical, cultural, and economic Donbas region within eastern Ukraine.[3]

History

Early history

The territory where Toretsk now sits has been inhabited since ancient times, as discovered with archaeological findings. The city itself was founded in 1806 in the Russian Empire, when parts of the town Zaitseve were split off into several minor hamlets, including Shcherbynivskyi. According to local traditions, this name originates from a similarly-named Cossack outpost in the area. In the late 1830s, coal deposits were discovered in the area, and the area was developed for coal mining. Shcherbynivskyi and neighboring villages were united into a village named Shcherbynivka, which became part of Bakhmut uezd.[1]

In 1869, the Kursk-Kharkiv-Azov Railway was built, which passed near Shcherbynivka, significantly contributing to the economic development of the town.[1]

20th century

Shcherbynivka changed hands several times during the Russian Civil War of 1917–1923, before eventually being captured by the Bolsheviks, who established the communist Soviet Union on much of the former territory of the Russian Empire.[3] In 1936, Shcherbynivka was renamed to Dzerzhynsk, in honor of Felix Dzerzhinsky.[1][3] Dzerzhinsky was the founder of the Cheka secret police in the USSR and architect of the Red Terror.[4] It also received city status.[1][3] A local newspaper began being published in the town in September 1936.[5]

During World War II, Dzerzhynsk was occupied by Nazi Germany from October 22, 1941 to September 5, 1943. During the occupation, the Nazis killed 150 civilians and deported 1,460 for forced labor to Germany.[1]

In 1989, Dzerzhynsk's population was 50,538 people.[6]

21st century

5-storey residential building after shelling during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, July 28, 2022

In 2013, Dzerzhynsk's population was 35,296 people.[7]

Starting in mid-April 2014, during the beginning of the war in Donbas Russia-backed paramilitaries captured several towns in Donetsk Oblast, including Dzerzhynsk.[8] It would later be discovered by investigators that then-mayor of Dzerzhynsk Volodymyr Sleptsov had ties to the Donetsk People's Republic, the militant organization and self-proclaimed state that had seized the city, and participated in the organizing of the fraudulent and illegal 2014 Donbas status referendums in May 2014.[9] On 11 July 2014 Ukrainian forces launched strikes against the militants.[10] On 21 July 2014, Ukrainian forces recaptured the city.[11][12][13]

Following the 2015 law on decommunization, the city council decided on 16 October 2015 to rename the city to Toretsk.[14] The name was approved by the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian parliament) on 4 February 2016.[15] In August 2016, Toretsk mayor Volodymyr Sleptsov was arrested on charges of treason due to his actions in 2014. Serhiy Vinnyk became acting mayor.[16]

Toretsk is only a few kilometers away from the occupied city of Horlivka.[11] Toretsk has had its water supply cut multiple times during the war due to constant shelling by the Kremlin-backed separatists, who have prevented repairs.[16]

In 2020, Toretsk became the center of Toretsk urban hromada within Bakhmut Raion, in accordance with nationwide administrative reforms.[17][18]

The conflict did not directly enter Toretsk again until the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022, when Russian forces openly invaded the country and advanced through Donetsk Oblast towards the city. Half of the pre-war population of 32,000 had fled the city by April 2022, and those that remained were impoverished and lacking in basic resources.[8] Civilian buildings in Toretsk have been repeatedly struck by Russian missiles during the invasion, killing numerous civilians.[19][20] The constant shelling has contributed to a mood of anxiety and "depression" among the remaining residents.[8] Toretsk civil-military administration head Vasyl Chynchyk announced in July 2023 that open-air markets in the city would be closed due to the extreme danger from Russia's bombings. The administration has continued slowly evacuating people westward. There had been no water or gas supply in a year and a half.[21]

Economy

A large sign reading "Toretsk is a town of miners"

The industries of the city include coal mining, the production of coke chemical, ceramics, and phenol.[22]

Education

Toretsk has a mining tekhnikum, a music school, and a medical school.[22]

Demographics

Population history
YearPop.±% p.a.
1926 18,886[3]—    
1989 50,538[6]+1.57%
2001 43,371[1]−1.27%
2013 35,296[22]−1.70%
2022 30,914[2]−1.46%

As of the Ukrainian Census of 2001, the majority of residents identified as ethnic Ukrainians and spoke Russian as their first language:[23]

Ethnicity

First language

Notable people

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Пасенюк, В. В.; Сліпцов, В. М. (2007-02-01). "Дзержинськ". Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine (in Ukrainian). Vol. 7. Інститут енциклопедичних досліджень НАН України. ISBN 978-966-02-2074-4.
  2. 1 2 Чисельність 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.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Дзержинськ, Донецька область". Історія міст і сіл Української РСР (in Ukrainian).
  4. ↑ Carr, Barnes (2016). Operation Whisper: The Capture of Soviet Spies Morris and Lona Cohen. University Press of New England. pp. 11–13. ISBN 978-1-61168-939-6.
  5. ↑ № 2683. Дзержинский шахтёр // Летопись периодических и продолжающихся изданий СССР 1986 - 1990. Часть 2. Газеты. М., «Книжная палата», 1994. стр.352
  6. 1 2 Дзержинск // Большой энциклопедический словарь (в 2-х тт.). / редколл., гл. ред. А. М. Прохоров. том 1. М., "Советская энциклопедия", 1991. стр.386
  7. ↑ Чисельність наявного населення України на 1 січня 2013 року. Державна служба статистики України. Київ, 2013. стор.51
  8. 1 2 3 "'Constantly depressing': Ukrainian town watches war close in". 2022-04-26. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  9. ↑ "Toretsk mayor suspected of infringing on territorial integrity of Ukraine". UNIAN. 17 August 2016.
  10. ↑ "Dzerzhynsk under heavy artillery fire - Jul. 11, 2014". 11 July 2014.
  11. 1 2 "War Grinds on: Volunteers doing work of government in Dzerzhynsk - May. 14, 2015". 14 May 2015.
  12. ↑ "Separatists retreat from Dzerzhynsk - Jul. 21, 2014". 21 July 2014.
  13. ↑ We Can Win After All, The Ukrainian Week (6 August 2015)
  14. ↑ "Дзержинск решили переименовать в Торецк".
  15. ↑ Decommunisation continues: Rada renames several towns and villages, UNIAN (4 February 2016)
    "Rada de-communized Artemivsk as well as over hundred cities and villages" (in Ukrainian). Pravda.com.ua. 4 February 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  16. 1 2 "People in Toretsk struggle as shelling cuts off water supply (PHOTOS) - Nov. 27, 2016".
  17. ↑ "Бахмутський район". Децентралізація в Україні. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  18. ↑ "Торецька територіальна громада". Децентралізація в Україні. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  19. ↑ "Dozens of Soldiers Freed in Russia-Ukraine Prisoner Swap". 2023-02-04. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  20. ↑ "Russia-Ukraine war at a glance: what we know on day 628". The Guardian. 2023-11-13. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  21. ↑ de Vega, Luis (2023-07-27). "Hairdresser open, market closed: the double reality of Toretsk, at the gates of the Bakhmut front". Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  22. 1 2 3 "Dzerzhynsk". Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine.
  23. ↑ "Офіційна сторінка Всеукраїнського перепису населення". Ukrcensus.gov.ua. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
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