Toretsk Explained

Official Name:

Toretsk

Native Name:

Торецьк

Settlement Type:

Subdivision Type:

Subdivision Type1:

Subdivision Name1:

Subdivision Type2:

Subdivision Name2:

Subdivision Type3:

Subdivision Name3:

Toretsk urban hromada

Established Title:

Founded

Established Date:

1806

Established Title1:

City rights

Established Date1:

1938

Government Type:

Civil-military administration

Leader Title:

Head

Leader Name:

Vasil Chynchyk

Area Total Km2:

Population Total:

~1600 (October 2024)^[1]

Population Footnotes:

2013 population was 35,296

Population Density Km2:

auto

Pushpin Map:

Ukraine Donetsk Oblast#Ukraine

Coordinates:

48.3917°N 37.8733°W

Elevation M:

179

Postal Code Type:

Postal code

Postal Code:

85200—85279

Area Code:

+380-6247

Blank Name:

Climate

Blank Info:

Dfb

Website:

http://toretsk-rada.gov.ua/

Module:

Wikidata:	yes
Zoom:	11
Height:	250
Stroke-Width:	2
Display:	i

Toretsk (uk|Торецьк|, pronounced as /uk/; ru|Торецк) is an industrial city in Bakhmut Raion, Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Toretsk urban hromada. As of January 2022, its population was approximately

It has its origins as the hamlet Shcherbynivka, built during the mid-19th century developments in coal mining in the Donbas region. It developed over the following century with the rise of rail transport. Between 1936–2016, the city was named Dzerzhynsk after Felix Dzerzhinsky, the founder of the Cheka. The city received its current name in 2016, as a result of decommunization laws.

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. It is located in the historical, cultural, and economic Donbas region within eastern Ukraine.

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.^[2]

In 1869, the Kursk-Kharkiv-Azov Railway was built, which passed near Shcherbynivka, significantly contributing to the economic development of the town.^[2]

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. In 1936, Shcherbynivka was renamed to Dzerzhynsk after Felix Dzerzhinsky.^[2] ^[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.^[2] ^[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 22 October 1941 to 5 September 1943. During the occupation, the Nazis killed 150 civilians and deported 1,460 for forced labor to Germany.^[2]

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

21st century

In the 2001 census Dzerzhynsk's population was 43,371 and by 2013 had declined to 35,296 people.^[7]

Following the 2015 law on decommunization, the city council decided on 16 October 2015 to rename the city to Toretsk.^[8] The name was approved by the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian parliament) on 4 February 2016.^[9]

In August 2016, Toretsk mayor Volodymyr Sleptsov was arrested on separatism charges due to his ties to the Donetsk People's Republic in 2014; Serhiy Vinnyk became acting mayor.

In 2020, Toretsk became the center of Toretsk urban hromada within Bakhmut Raion, in accordance with nationwide administrative reforms.^[10] ^[11]

Russo-Ukrainian War

War in Donbas

Starting in mid-April 2014, during the beginning of the war in Donbas, Russia-backed paramilitaries captured several towns in Donetsk Oblast, including Dzerzhynsk.^[12] On 21 July, Ukrainian forces recaptured the city.^[13] ^[14] ^[15] As a result of the conflict, the city had its water supply cut multiple times during the war due to constant shelling by Russian-backed separatists, which prevented repairs as of November 2016.^[16]

Russian invasion of Ukraine

See main article: Battle of Toretsk. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022, Russian forces 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.^[12] Numerous civilians were killed as a result of Russian strikes.^[17] ^[18] 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.^[19]

In June 2024, Toretsk came under increased Russian pressure, as part of a renewed campaign to capture the city and its surrounding villages.^[20] As of October, Russia fully or almost completely controls Toretsk's eastern outskirt settlements of Pivnichne, Zalizne, Druzhba, and Pivdenne,^[1] while also advancing into the center of Toretsk.^[21] Amid the heavy fighting, the city population decreased to ~1,600.^[1]