Lysychansk ( uk, Лисича́нськ ; russian: Лисича́нск ) is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

in the

Sievierodonetsk Raion Sievierodonetsk Raion ( uk, Сєвєродонецький район, russian: Северодонецкий район) is a raion (district) of Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine. It was created in July 2020 as part of the reform of administrative division ...

of the

Luhansk Oblast Luhansk Oblast ( uk, Луга́нська о́бласть, translit=Luhanska oblast; russian: Луганская область, translit=Luganskaya oblast; also referred to as Luhanshchyna, uk, Луга́нщина) is the easternmost Adminis ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...

. Prior to 2020 municipal classification reforms, it was incorporated as a city of oblast significance. It is located on the high right bank of the

Donets river The Seversky Donets () or Siverskyi Donets (), usually simply called the Donets, is a river on the south of the East European Plain. It originates in the Central Russian Upland, north of Belgorod, flows south-east through Ukraine (Kharkiv, Don ...

, approximately 115 km from the oblast capital, Luhansk. It faces

Sievierodonetsk russian: Северодоне́цк , other_name = Severodonetsk , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_flag = Severodoneck prapor.png , image_shield ...

across the river. Its population is approximately The administration of Lysychansk Municipality includes the cities of

Novodruzhesk Novodruzhesk (, ) is a city in Lysychansk Municipality, Luhansk Oblast (region) of Ukraine. Population: . Novodruzhesk originally established (in 1963) during Soviet-era of Ukraine, now is an urban settlement with a famous brewery plant. Demog ...

and Pryvillia. Together with the cities of

Sievierodonetsk russian: Северодоне́цк , other_name = Severodonetsk , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_flag = Severodoneck prapor.png , image_shield ...

, Rubizhne, Kreminna and the nearest towns, the Lysychansk area constitutes a major urban and industrial hub of the

Donbas The Donbas or Donbass (, ; uk, Донба́с ; russian: Донба́сс ) is a historical, cultural, and economic region in eastern Ukraine. Parts of the Donbas are controlled by Russian separatist groups as a result of the Russo-Ukrai ...

area, with a population of about 353,000 (2009). During the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. A ...

, the city was the site of major fighting during the

Battle of Lysychansk The Battle of Lysychansk was a military engagement between Russia and Ukraine in the wider Battle of Donbas of the Eastern Ukraine offensive during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. By May 2022, Lysychansk and its twin city of Sievierod ...

, which ended with the capture of the city by Russian forces and the

Luhansk People's Republic The Luhansk or Lugansk People's Republic (russian: Луга́нская Наро́дная Респу́блика, Luganskaya Narodnaya Respublika, ; abbreviated as LPR or LNR, rus, ЛНР) is a disputed entity created by Russian-backed ...

on 2 July.

History (1721–2013)

In 1721, coal was discovered in the Donets basin near Lisya Balka, a

Cossack The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...

village established in 1710. In 1795, Lysychansk was the first coal-mining settlement of the Donets basin. Previously existing settlements in the area around Lysychansk were completely destroyed by the Muscovy

punitive expedition A punitive expedition is a military journey undertaken to punish a political entity or any group of people outside the borders of the punishing state or union. It is usually undertaken in response to perceived disobedient or morally wrong beh ...

against the Bulavin Rebellion. After suppressing the uprising, the area was resettled with

Voronove Voronove ( uk, Воронове) may refer to the following places in Ukraine: * Voronove, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, village in Synelnykove Raion * Voronove, Luhansk Oblast, urban-type settlement in Sievierodonetsk Raion {{SIA, populated places i ...

(founded by Khokhlov's Cossacks), Syrotyne (Popov's and Sirotin's Cossacks), Borivske (partly settled by former residents of the burned the Borovskaya

Sloboda A sloboda ( rus, слобода́, p=sləbɐˈda) was a kind of settlement in the history of the Old Russian regions Povolzhye, Central Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. The name is derived from the early Slavic word for "freedom" and may be loosel ...

), Metiolkine (Metelnikov's Cossacks) and Smolianynove (Smolkin's Cossacks). File:Комсомольская подл.jpg, "Old Town", Komsomolskaya Street, 1932 File:MQA-MPSD.jpg, The first coal mine File:Old town Lisichansk.jpg, "Old Town" File:Lysychansk 16.jpg, Damaged building in Lysychansk, 2014 A local newspaper has been published in the city since January 1918. The present borders of Lysychansk were finalized by the mid-1960s. In 1962, the city of

Sievierodonetsk russian: Северодоне́цк , other_name = Severodonetsk , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_flag = Severodoneck prapor.png , image_shield ...

separated from Lysychansk and became its own independent city. In 1963, the towns of

and Pryvillia were included in the city limits of Lysychansk and became cities. In 1965, Lysychansk incorporated the cities of Verkhnie and Proletarsk.

Russo-Ukrainian war

2014

During the 2014 pro-Russian conflict in Ukraine the town was captured early April 2014 by pro-Russian separatists. On 22 July 2014 Ukrainian

Ukrinform The National News Agency of Ukraine ( uk, Українське національне інформаційне агентство), or Ukrinform ( uk, Укрінформ), is a state information and news agency, and international broadcaster of ...

reported that the separatists "massively left Lysychansk" with "seized cars from the population and in parking lots;" Russian ITAR-TASS reported the same day that the separatists had "decided to leave the town in order to save the population and stop clashes." This was mainly because their defeat in the Siege of Sloviansk and the evacuation of

Kramatorsk Kramatorsk ( uk, Краматорськ, translit=Kramatorsk ) is a city and the administrative centre of Kramatorsk Raion in the northern portion of Donetsk Oblast, in eastern Ukraine. Prior to 2020, Kramatorsk was a city of oblast significan ...

made holding the city untenable. The next day heavy fighting continued around the town while the Ukrainian National Guard and the Ukrainian army released a statement that stated "the military plan to free Lysychansk, Luhansk region, from terrorist groups in the near future." On 24 July 2014 the Ukrainian army claimed its troops had entered Lysychansk and its Col. Andriy Lysenko stated "We will take the town, and the road will be open to

Horlivka Horlivka ( , ; uk, Го́рлівка ), or Gorlovka (russian: link=no, Горловка ), is a city of regional significance in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. In 2001, the city's population was 292,000, and it was estimated as Economic activi ...

, then

Donetsk Donetsk ( , ; uk, Донецьк, translit=Donets'k ; russian: Донецк ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin and Stalino (see also: cities' alternative names), is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine loc ...

." On 25 July 2014, Ukrainian forces secured the city from the pro-Russian separatists.

2022

During the

, Lysychansk came under heavy shelling from the Russian military. Some of the most intense strikes occurred late in March 2022, which destroyed dozens of buildings and caused civilian casualties. On 9 May 2022, Russian troops attempted to cross over the Seversky Donets river with a temporary pontoon bridge near Bilohorivka. Ukrainian forces anticipated this approach, monitored the bridge construction, bombing the bridge and Russian vehicles who already crossed resulting in severe Russian losses. Russia made several such attempts, many of which were neutralized by Ukrainian forces. After the Russian capture of Sievierodenetsk, Lysychansk became the last major city in the Luhansk region under Ukrainian control. On 26 June,

TASS The Russian News Agency TASS (russian: Информацио́нное аге́нтство Росси́и ТАСС, translit=Informatsionnoye agentstvo Rossii, or Information agency of Russia), abbreviated TASS (russian: ТАСС, label=none) ...

reported that Russian forces entered the city from five directions. On 27 June, the CNN reported that civilians in Lysychansk have been urged to leave immediately, as Russian forces gain ground in the city. On 2 July 2022, reports of Ukrainian troops withdrawing from the city and Russian forces moving in were supported by multiple videos from Kadirov's 141st Special Motorized Regiment declaring victory in front of the City Council of Lysychansk. "After heavy fighting for Lysychansk, the defence forces of Ukraine were forced to withdraw from their occupied positions and lines," the army general staff said. Earlier Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said his forces had captured Lysychansk and taken full control of Luhansk region. Ukraine's troops were outgunned there. Its general staff said that "in order to preserve the lives of Ukrainian defenders, a decision was made to withdraw". (BBC 4 July 2022) On 19 September 2022, Ukrainian troops recaptured Bilohorivka, a village 10km from the city.

Geography

Lysychansk is located in the North-Western part of the Luhansk region, 115 km from Luhansk, on the high right bank of the Siverskyi Donets River. The area is surrounded by large hills, ravines and valleys. The city is situated on the northern spur of the Donets Ridge. Lysychansk lies in the continental climate of the steppe zone of

. Water resources stemming from here are one of the most important resources. Siverskyi Donets River is the main water artery of the Lysychansk and the whole region. The length of the Siverskyi Donets River within the city is 26.5 km. Verkhnia Bilenka River, a tributary of the Siverskyi Donets River, flows through the southern part of the city, the length of the river within the city is 7.7 km.

Climate

Lysychansk has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

(''Dfb'') according to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

system. Summers are warm and sometimes humid with average high temperatures of 26–27 °C (78.8–80.6 °F) and lows of 14–15 °C (57.2–59 °F). Winters are relatively cold with average high temperatures of −1 °C (30.2 °F) and lows of −8 to −6 °C (17.6 to 21.2 °F). Spring and autumn are generally chilly to mild. The highest ever temperature recorded in the city was 41.0 °C (105.8 °F) in June 1984. The coldest temperature ever recorded in the city was −34.0 °C (−29.2 °F) in February 1954. Annual precipitation is 480 millimeters (18.9 in) with moderate rainfall throughout the year. Light snowfall mainly occurs from December through March, but snow cover does not usually remain for long.

Population

* the population of Lyscychansk was 103,459. * According to the 2001 Census the population of the city proper was 115,229 people, while the population of the total area governed by the city council was 133,258 people.

ImageSize = width:auto height:250 barincrement:27 PlotArea = left:50 bottom:20 top:30 right:20 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = late Colors = id:linegrey2 value:gray(0.9) id:linegrey value:gray(0.7) id:cobar value:rgb(0.0,0.7,0.8) id:cobar2 value:rgb(0.6,0.9,0.6) DateFormat = yyyy Period = from:0 till:130000 ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:25000 start:0 gridcolor:linegrey ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:50 start:0 gridcolor:linegrey2 PlotData = color:cobar width:15 bar:1923 from:0 till:4122 bar:1926 from:0 till:6624 bar:1939 from:0 till:26181 bar:1959 from:0 till:37878 bar:1970 from:0 till:117752 bar:1979 from:0 till:119487 bar:1989 from:0 till:126503 bar:1992 from:0 till:126500 bar:1998 from:0 till:119000 bar:2001 from:0 till:115229 bar:2003 from:0 till:113842 bar:2004 from:0 till:112570 bar:2005 from:0 till:111451 bar:2006 from:0 till:110344 bar:2007 from:0 till:109334 bar:2008 from:0 till:108334 bar:2009 from:0 till:107621 bar:2010 from:0 till:106557 bar:2011 from:0 till:105689 bar:2012 from:0 till:105119 bar:2013 from:0 till:104314 bar:2014 from:0 till:103459 TextData= fontsize:10px pos:(80,245) text:

As of 2006, the ethnic populations were:Дністрянський М. Етнополітична географія України: проблеми теорії, методології, практики. — Львів: ЛНУ імені Івана Франка, 2006. — 490 с. *

Ukrainians Ukrainians ( uk, Українці, Ukraintsi, ) are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. They are the seventh-largest nation in Europe. The native language of the Ukrainians is Ukrainian. The majority of Ukrainians are Eastern Ort ...

— 66.7% *

Russians , native_name_lang = ru , image = , caption = , population = , popplace = 118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 '' Winkler Prins'' estimate) , region1 = , pop1 ...

— 30.5% *

Belarusians , native_name_lang = be , pop = 9.5–10 million , image = , caption = , popplace = 7.99 million , region1 = , pop1 = 600,000–768,000 , region2 = , pop2 ...

— 1% * Others — 1.8% File:Carnival-Maslenica.JPG, Carnival- Maslenitsa File:Carnival-Maksim Park.JPG, Carnival-Maksim Park File:War veterans.JPG, War veterans File:City Day Lisichansk.JPG, City Day File:City Day Lisichansk1.JPG, City Day

Industry

Before 2010, Lysychansk was among the biggest industrial centres in

. Since 2010, many plants have closed, with massive lay-offs.The Looming Revolt in Lysychansk

The Ukrainian Week ''The Ukrainian Week'' ( uk, Український Тиждень, translit=Ukrainskyi Tyzhden) is an illustrated weekly magazine covering politics, economics and the arts and aimed at the socially engaged Ukrainian-language reader. It provides ...

(22 July 2013) The city and the surrounding area has five coal mines owned by Lysychanskvuhillia. Coal reserves amount to 179.7 million tons. Production capacity is 2.8 million tons of coal per year. File:Lysychanskiy Refinery TNK-BP.JPG, Lysychansk Oil Refinery File:Coal mine.JPG, Coal mine File:Descend into the mine.jpg, Descent into a mine File:MQA-LSP.jpg, Lysychansk Soda Plant (under construction)

Media

* Newspaper "Новый путь" (New Path) * Television and Radio Company "Акцент" (Accent) * Publishing house "Час Пик" (Rush Hour)

Education

Institutes of higher education in Lysychansk include the Donbas State Technical University and Luhansk State University of Internal Affairs.

Attractions

* Fox Beam – "the cradle of

." * Pereiznianska Church. * National History Museum and the Polovtsian stone images (center, Lenin). * Monument to the first mine in the Donbas Region. * Monument Rudoznavtsiu Gregory Kapustin (the central market). * Monument to Marshal of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

Kliment Voroshilov Kliment Yefremovich Voroshilov (, uk, Климент Охрімович Ворошилов, ''Klyment Okhrimovyč Vorošylov''), popularly known as Klim Voroshilov (russian: link=no, Клим Вороши́лов, ''Klim Vorošilov''; 4 Februa ...

(Pereizna District). * House-Museum of Marshal of the

(St. Pereizna, the former switch tower) – destroyed. * T-34 Tank – a monument to the defenders and liberators of Lysychansk. * Monument Lysychanam – pilots of the

WWII World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

(District RTI, on a former airfield). *

Memorial * Chernobyl Monument * Monument to the Ukrainian poet

Volodymyr Sosiura Volodymyr Mikolayovich Sosiura ( uk , Володимир Сосюра; January 6, 1898, in Debaltseve, Yekaterinoslav Governorate (today Donetsk Oblast) of the Russian Empire – January 8, 1965, in Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR of the Soviet Union) was a U ...

(Glass District, Square at DC). * Sosiura Palace of Culture. * Claw lake and Recreation area * City Park "Water Station" * Gresovsky Recreation Park: in the woods on the left bank of the Siverskyi Donets River opposite of the Mount of Kirov. The park is now under repair. Between 1940 and 1960 the recreation park of the city, "Lyssoda" and Power Plant was full of attractions and a large stadium for sporting events.

Transportation

Bus

Trolleys and buses run to and from Lysychansk as well as within the city. Most of the buses running in and out of the city start running after 6 am. until 7–9 pm. for different routes. Direct regular bus service is available to other Ukrainian cities, including

Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest city and municipality in Ukraine.

, Berdiansk, and

Mariupol Mariupol (, ; uk, Маріу́поль ; russian: Мариу́поль) is a city in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. It is situated on the northern coast ( Pryazovia) of the Sea of Azov, at the mouth of the Kalmius River. Prior to the 2022 Russia ...

Railway

Lysychansk has a central railway station and three other railway stations: Nasvitevych, Pereizna, Volcheiarska. Almost all transit distance trains stop at Stations Pereizna and Volcheiarska, allowing residents of Southern Lysychansk not to be dependent on the central railway station (not actual from 2014). As of 2021, the non-central stations are only used for short-destination interurban trains (diesel commuter trains). Lysychansk Central Railway Station has the following train routes: *138 – Khmelnytsky – Lysychansk *20 –

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...

– Popasna *46 – Lysychansk – Uzhhorod Since the

Russo-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War; uk, російсько-українська війна, rosiisko-ukrainska viina. has been ongoing between Russia (alongside Russian separatists in Ukraine) and Ukraine since February 2014. Following Ukraine's Rev ...

, there is no railway route available from Luhanska Oblast to

Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

. In most cases, Lysychansk Central Railway Station became the final destination for long-destination trains.

Airport

The nearest airport is located 12 kilometers from the city center, located in

Sievierodonetsk russian: Северодоне́цк , other_name = Severodonetsk , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_flag = Severodoneck prapor.png , image_shield ...

. Built in 1968 the airport is to serve residents and workers of the surrounding cities. The airport is administered by the Lysychansk District pipeline OAO

Ukrtransnafta UkrTransNafta ( uk, УкрТрансНафта) is an open joint-stock company established by the government of Ukraine in June 2001. The company exists to manage oil transportation operations through the Ukrainian pipeline network. The company over ...

Politics

In the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election, Viktor Yanukovych won 92.51% of the vote in Lysychansk. Runner-up

Viktor Yushchenko Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko ( uk, Віктор Андрійович Ющенко, ; born 23 February 1954) is a Ukrainian politician who was the third president of Ukraine from 23 January 2005 to 25 February 2010. As an informal leader of th ...

received 5.08% of the vote. In the

2010 Ukrainian presidential election Presidential elections were held in Ukraine on 17 January 2010. As no candidate received a majority of the vote, a run-off election was held between Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych on 7 February. On 14 ...

, Viktor Yanukovych won 90.95% of the vote in Lysychansk. Runner-up Yulia Tymoshenko received 5.91% of the vote.

Notable people

* Fedir Abramov (1904–1982), Ukrainian geologist and mining specialist * Nikolai Chuzhikov (born 1938), Olympic canoeist * (born 1966) Ukrainian theater and film actor * Sergey Piskunov (born 1989), Ukrainian

hyperrealism Jean Baudrillard ( , , ; 27 July 1929 – 6 March 2007) was a French sociologist, philosopher and poet with interest in cultural studies. He is best known for his analyses of media, contemporary culture, and technological communication, as ...

painter * Igor Sergeyev (1938–2006),

Minister of Defense of Russia The Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation (russian: Министр обороны Российской Федерации) is the minister responsible for the Russian Armed Forces. Marshal of Aviation Yevgeny Shaposhnikov was the last ...

and Marshal of the Russian Federation *

(1898–1965), Ukrainian lyric poet and writer *

(1881–1969), Marshal of the Soviet Union and Chairman of the

Presidium of the Supreme Soviet The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet (russian: Президиум Верховного Совета, Prezidium Verkhovnogo Soveta) was a body of state power in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). File:MQA-PW.jpg, Polovtsian women File:MQA-VS.jpg, Dovzhenka Street File:MQA-Park.jpg, Park File:Sosiury Street in Lysychansk.jpg, Sosiury Street File:MQA-KS.jpg, Hrushevsky Street File:Lisichansk streets 08.JPG, Next to the SBU building File:MQA-Lpr.jpg, Peremohy Avenue

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cities in Luhansk Oblast Bakhmutsky Uyezd Donets Sievierodonetsk Raion Populated places established in 1795