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Pokrovsk

Coordinates: 48°16′58″N 37°10′58″E / 48.28278°N 37.18278°E / 48.28278; 37.18278
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For other places with the same name, see Pokrovsk.
Pokrovsk
Покровськ
City
The Saint Michael the Angel Orthodox Church of Pokrovsk, photographed in 2012
The Saint Michael the Angel Orthodox Church of Pokrovsk, photographed in 2012
Flag of Pokrovsk
Flag
Coat of arms of Pokrovsk
Coat of arms
Pokrovsk is located in Donetsk Oblast
Pokrovsk
Pokrovsk
Pokrovsk shown within Donetsk
Pokrovsk is located in Ukraine
Pokrovsk
Pokrovsk
Pokrovsk shown within Ukraine
Coordinates: 48°16′58″N 37°10′58″E / 48.28278°N 37.18278°E / 48.28278; 37.18278
Country Ukraine
OblastDonetsk Oblast
RaionPokrovsk Raion
HromadaPokrovsk urban hromada
Establishedc. 1880
City status1938
Area
 • Total29.57 km2 (11.42 sq mi)
Elevation
181 m (594 ft)
Population
 (October 2024)[1]
 • Total~13,000
Postal code
85300—85309
Area code+380-6239
ClimateWarm summer subtype
KOATUU1413200000
KATETTOUA14160210010099403
Websitepokrovsk-rada.gov.ua
Map

Pokrovsk (Ukrainian: Покровськ, IPA: [poˈkrɔu̯sʲk] ⓘ; Russian: Покровск), formerly known as Krasnoarmiisk[a] (until 2016) and Grishino (until 1934),[b] is a city and the administrative center of Pokrovsk Raion in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. It is located 56 kilometres (35 mi) northwest of Donetsk.[2] Prior to 2020, it was incorporated as a city of oblast significance. Its population was approximately 60,127 (2022 estimate).[3][4]

Names

  • 2016–present: Pokrovsk (Ukrainian: Покровськ; Russian: Покровск)[5]
  • 1964–2016: Krasnoarmiisk (Ukrainian: Красноармійськ) or Krasnoarmeysk (Russian: Красноармейск)
  • 1938–1964: Krasnoarmeyskoye (Russian: Красноармейское) or Krasnoarmiiske (Ukrainian: Красноармійське)[6][2]
  • 1934–1938: Postyshevo (Russian: Постышево) or Postysheve (Ukrainian: Постишеве)[7][2]
  • 1884–1934: Grishino (Russian: Гришино) or Hryshyne (Ukrainian: Гришине)[8]

History

Railway station at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries

Pokrovsk was founded as Grishino in 1875 by a decision of the Ministry of Railways of the Russian Empire authorizing a railway station. The village had two thousand inhabitants.

In 1881, a locomotive depot which became one of the main locomotive repair companies, Ekaterinoslavskaya railway, was built in the town. Two years later, in 1883, there was an enlargement to the station building; the central portion survives to this day. In May 1884, trains finally began transiting the rail station in Grishino.

With the development of the railway station, Grishino grew and there were new businesses, in particular for exploitation of underground minerals, starting with coal. By 1913, the population around Grishino station had more than doubled to about 4.5 thousand people.

After the Russian Civil War ravaged Russia as a whole, Grishino station continued its growth and by 1925 had a locomotive depot, a brick factory, and six mines. The name of the station was changed to Postyshevo in 1934 to honor Pavel Postyshev, and in 1938, the name of the city became Krasnoarmeyskoe, commemorating the Soviet Red Army, after Postyshev was repressed during the Great Purge.

World War II heavily impacted the population of the city. The first Axis forces to arrive were Italians, followed by the Germans who occupied it on 19 October 1941. German forces proceeded to forcibly transfer many civilians by train to labor camps in Austria. Many residents defended their hometown. 8295 Soviet soldiers perished on the battlefield, and 4788 residents of the town were killed in World War II. The city witnessed an atrocity when its remaining Jewish community was massacred by the German Nazi army in midwinter 1942.[9] Furthermore, in February 1943, the Red Army perpetrated the massacre of Grischino, in which 508 POWs and 88 civilians were massacred, mainly Germans and Italians, but also Romanians, Ukrainians, Hungarians and Danes. On 7 September 1943, the town was liberated for good by Red Army troops.

In the 1950s, in the post-war period, the city renewed its industrial and residential construction.

Russo-Ukrainian War

War in Donbas

During the 2014-2022 war in Donbas, the city was near the frontline with the separatist Donetsk People's Republic.[10]

In May 2016, the city was renamed to Pokrovsk as a result of decommunization laws,[11] honoring the Intercession of the Theotokos known as Pokrova in Ukrainian.

Russian invasion of Ukraine

See also: Pokrovsk offensive
Residential building in Pokrovsk after Russian rocket strike on 15 February 2023

On 7 August 2023 during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian missiles struck the city twice,[12] killing nine people.[13]

In July 2024, Russia renewed efforts to reach and capture Pokrovsk in a new offensive.[14] On 15 August, Serhii Dobriak, the head of the Pokrovsk City Military Administration, reported that Russian forces were only 10 km from the city,[15][16][17] and urged all citizens, especially the elderly and families with young children, to evacuate.[18][19] On 19 August, Ukrainian officials announced that families with children living in Pokrovsk and surrounding villages would be forced to leave.[20][21] The population reportedly had decreased to 36,000 by 1 September.[22] On 5 September, the train station closed for civilian evacuation due to a deteriorating security situation, using buses and the train station in Pavlohrad instead. According to Donetsk Oblast Governor Vadym Filashkin, 26,000 people, including 1,076 children, were still remaining in the city.[23] By October, the population declined to 13,000.[1]

Education

Donetsk National Technical University in Pokrovsk in November 2014

Following the loss of Ukrainian government control over Donetsk in 2014 during the war in Donbas, the Donetsk National Technical University was evacuated to Pokrovsk.[24]

Demographics

The population of Pokrovsk as of 1 August 2017 was 75,205 people.[25]

According to 2001 census data, the breakdown by ethnicity is:[26]

Population Percentage, %
Ukrainian 62,158 75.0
Russian 18,299 22.1
Belarusian 558 0.7
Armenian 307 0.4
Azerbaijani 215 0.3
Historical population
YearPop.±%
19238,203—    
192611,335+38.2%
193929,617+161.3%
195947,974+62.0%
197055,044+14.7%
YearPop.±%
197959,864+8.8%
198972,859+21.7%
200169,154−5.1%
201165,447−5.4%
202260,127−8.1%
Source: [27]

Native language per 2001 Ukrainian census:[28]

  • Pokrovsk railway station in 2016
    Pokrovsk railway station in 2016
  • Street in Pokrovsk in 2012
    Street in Pokrovsk in 2012
  • Mass grave of Soviet soldiers who died during World War II, Sobornyi square, Pokrovsk
    Mass grave of Soviet soldiers who died during World War II, Sobornyi square, Pokrovsk
  • Monument to Ukrainian-born Soviet Marshal Kirill Moskalenko in Pokrovsk, 2017
    Monument to Ukrainian-born Soviet Marshal Kirill Moskalenko in Pokrovsk, 2017

Notes

  1. ^ Ukrainian: Красноармійськ
    Russian: Красноармейск, romanized: Krasnoarmeysk
  2. ^ Russian: Гришино; Ukrainian: Гришине, romanized: Hryshyne

References

  1. ^ a b "On Pokrovsk's Front Lines As Russian Forces Close In On 'Fortress City'". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Archived from the original on 9 October 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Cohen 1998, p. 1615.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ "Чисельність наявного населення України (Actual population of Ukraine)" (PDF) (in Ukrainian). State Statistics Service of Ukraine. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  5. ^ "Про перейменування деяких населених пунктів". rada.gov.ua. 12 May 2016.
  6. ^ Руководители центральных органов ВКП(б) в 1934-1939 гг. Справочник. p. 141.
  7. ^ Room, Adrian (2009). Alternate names of places : a worldwide dictionary. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co. p. 106. ISBN 9780786437122.
  8. ^ "Krasnoarmiysk". britannica.com. 22 August 2024.
  9. ^ "Krasnoarmeyskoye". @yadvashem.
  10. ^ The vulnerable victims of the Ukrainian Conflict Archived 2015-05-28 at the Wayback Machine, Deutsche Welle (25 May 2015)
  11. ^ "Про перейменування деяких населених пунктів". Офіційний вебпортал парламенту України.
  12. ^ Boffey, Daniel; Sullivan, Helen (8 August 2023). "Russian 'double tap' missile strike kills seven near hotel used by journalists". The Guardian.
  13. ^ Smilianets, Vladyslav (8 August 2023). "Russian missiles kill nine, destroy hotel in eastern Donetsk, Ukraine says". Reuters.
  14. ^ Ebel, Francesca; Korolchuk, Serhii (27 July 2024). "Russia, adapting tactics, advances in Donetsk and takes more Ukrainian land". Washington Post.
  15. ^ "Russian army approaches Pokrovsk, authorities ask civilians to evacuate". global.espreso.tv.
  16. ^ "Occupiers are almost close to Pokrovsk: MMA calls for evacuation | Censor.NET".
  17. ^ "Russian forces close in on Pokrovsk, authorities urge residents to evacuate". english.nv.ua.
  18. ^ Williams, Nathan; Abdulla, Sophie (15 August 2024). "Ukrainian residents urged to evacuate eastern town as Russia closes in". BBC News.
  19. ^ Méheut, Constant (16 August 2024). "Russia Closes In on Key Eastern Ukrainian City Despite Kursk Incursion". The New York Times.
  20. ^ "Ukraine orders evacuation of city as Russia makes gains". www.bbc.com.
  21. ^ "Ukraine orders families to leave key city of Pokrovsk amid Russian advances". Al Jazeera.
  22. ^ Kramer, Andrew E. (1 September 2024). "With Russia on Its Doorstep, a Ukrainian Town Packs Its Bags". The New York Times.
  23. ^ Court, Elsa (5 September 2024). "Pokrovsk train station closes for civilian evacuations as security situation deteriorates". Kyiv Independent.
  24. ^ Donetsk National Technical University Ukrainian website
  25. ^ "Стало известно, сколько зарабатывают жители Покровска" Girnyk.dn.ua, 12 September 2017
  26. ^ "Національний склад та рідна мова населення Донецької області". February 7, 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-02-07.
  27. ^ "Cities & towns of Ukraine". pop-stat.mashke.org.
  28. ^ "Офіційна сторінка Всеукраїнського перепису населення". www.ukrcensus.gov.ua.

Bibliography

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