Boikivske ( uk, Бойкiвське; russian: Бойковское) or Telmanove ( uk, Тельманове; russian: Тельманово) is a
rural settlement
The definition of a rural settlement depends on the country, in some countries, a rural settlement is any settlement in the areas defined as rural by a governmental office, e.g., by the national census bureau. This may include even rural towns. ...
in
Donetsk Oblast
The Donetsk Oblast ( ukr, Донецька область, Donetska oblast, ), also referred to as Donechchyna ( ukr, Донеччина, links=no), is an oblast of eastern Ukraine. It is Ukraine's most populous province, with around 4.1 mill ...
,
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 invas ...
. It is located in the industrial
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 ...
region of eastern Ukraine. Its population is
The settlement has its roots in the German colony of Ostheim, founded in the mid-1800s at the invitation of the government of the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...
. It received the name Telmanove in 1935 for ideological reasons after becoming part of the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
. After
World War II
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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, the German population was expelled by the Soviet government and the village was repopulated by
Boykos
The Boykos ( uk, Бойки, Boiky; pl, Bojkowie; sk, Pujďáci), or simply Highlanders (верховинці, ''verkhovyntsi''), are an ethnolinguistic sub-group of Ukrainians located in the Carpathian Mountains of Ukraine, Slovakia, Hunga ...
.
After becoming part of independent
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 invas ...
in 1991, the town was taken over by the
Donetsk People's Republic
The Donetsk People's Republic ( rus, Донецкая Народная Республика, Donetskaya Narodnaya Respublika, dɐˈnʲetskəjə nɐˈrodnəjə rʲɪˈspublʲɪkə; abbreviated as DPR or DNR, rus, ДНР) is a disputed en ...
(DPR), a Russian puppet state, in August 2014. The town has seen the curtailing of
religious freedom
Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freedom ...
for minority faiths under the DPR administration. The Ukrainian parliament renamed Telmanove to ''Boikivske'' in 2016, though it is still sometimes referred to by the old name.
History
Founding
After the 1783
annexation of the Crimean Khanate by the Russian Empire
The territory of Crimea, previously controlled by the Crimean Khanate, was annexed by the Russian Empire on .
The period before the annexation was marked by Russian interference in Crimean affairs, a series of revolts by Crimean Tatars, a ...
, the government of the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...
invited foreign colonists to settle Russia's newly acquired lands along the coast of the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, ...
and of the
Azov Sea
The Sea of Azov ( Crimean Tatar: ''Azaq deñizi''; russian: Азовское море, Azovskoye more; uk, Азовське море, Azovs'ke more) is a sea in Eastern Europe connected to the Black Sea by the narrow (about ) Strait of Kerch, ...
. In one wave of colonization in 1835-1852, 145 ethnic
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
families were granted land. They founded numerous colonies, including the settlement Ostheim, which would later become Telmanove/Boikivske.
The name "Ostheim" can be translated to English as "Eastern Home".
[
According to the ]1897 Russian Empire census
The first general census of the population of the Russian Empire in 1897 ( pre-reform Russian: ) was the first and only nation-wide census performed in the Russian Empire (the Grand Duchy of Finland was excluded). It recorded demographic data as ...
, there were 43 households and 358 inhabitants in Ostheim. Of these, 273 were Germans, and 85 were ethnic Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
and Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* Som ...
laborers who migrated to the colony from other villages and regions.[
]
20th century
According to official Soviet sources, by the time immediately preceding World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
, most inhabitants of the village were illiterate
Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, hum ...
, especially the non-Germans. During the war itself, and the subsequent Russian Civil War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Russian Civil War
, partof = the Russian Revolution and the aftermath of World War I
, image =
, caption = Clockwise from top left:
{{flatlist,
*Soldiers ...
, Ostheim was taken over by the Central Powers
The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,german: Mittelmächte; hu, Központi hatalmak; tr, İttifak Devletleri / ; bg, Централни сили, translit=Tsentralni sili was one of the two main coalitions that fought in ...
in April 1918 during their invasion of Ukraine
The territory of present-day Ukraine has been invaded or occupied a number of times throughout its history.
List
See also
* List of invasions
*List of wars involving Ukraine
References
{{Europe topic, List of wars involving, title=Lists ...
. The Central Powers were forced out of the village in November the same year, and Ostheim was captured by forces loyal to the anti-communist White movement. Eventually, the Bolsheviks
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
took over Ostheim in January 1920. The Bolsheviks went on to win the entire civil war, and established the communist Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
on much of the territory of the former Russian Empire.[
In late 1934, ]Ostheim Raion
Boikivske Raion ( uk, Бойківський район) or Telmanove Raion ( uk, Тельманівський район, Telmanivskyi raion) was one of the administrative raions (a ''district'') of Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine from 1934 until 2020. ...
was formed inside Soviet Ukraine
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...
, with Ostheim as its center. In 1935, Ostheim was renamed Telmanove after the German Communist Ernst Thälmann
Ernst Johannes Fritz Thälmann (; 16 April 1886 – 18 August 1944) was a German Communism, communist politician, and leader of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) from 1925 to 1933.
A committed Marxism–Leninism, Marxist-Leninist and Stalini ...
, reflecting the village's German population. Ostheim Raion was also renamed to ''Telmanove Raion'' to match.[
During ]World War II
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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, Telmanove was occupied by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
on 13 October 1941. The Nazis massacred many of the town's residents, and expelled numerous ethnic Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
and Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* Som ...
families. Telmanove was liberated by the Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...
on 9 September 1943.[ After the end of the war, in another campaign of ]ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing is the systematic forced removal of ethnic, racial, and religious groups from a given area, with the intent of making a region ethnically homogeneous. Along with direct removal, extermination, deportation or population trans ...
, the Germans of Telmanove were expelled from the village by the Soviet government. The village was resettled by Boykos
The Boykos ( uk, Бойки, Boiky; pl, Bojkowie; sk, Pujďáci), or simply Highlanders (верховинці, ''verkhovyntsi''), are an ethnolinguistic sub-group of Ukrainians located in the Carpathian Mountains of Ukraine, Slovakia, Hunga ...
deported from territories that were transferred by Soviet Union to Poland in 1951 (see 1951 Polish–Soviet territorial exchange
Events
January
* January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950).
* January 9 – The Government of the United ...
). These Boykos were specifically from an area around what is now Drohobych
Drohobych ( uk, Дрого́бич, ; pl, Drohobycz; yi, דראָהאָביטש;) is a city of regional significance in Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Drohobych Raion and hosts the administration of Drohobych urban h ...
.[
In 1971, Telmanove was granted ]urban-type settlement
Urban-type settlementrussian: посёлок городско́го ти́па, translit=posyolok gorodskogo tipa, abbreviated: russian: п.г.т., translit=p.g.t.; ua, селище міського типу, translit=selyshche mis'koho typu, ab ...
status. In 1999, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP; uk, Украї́нська Правосла́вна Це́рква – Ки́ївський Патріарха́т (УПЦ-КП), Ukrainska Pravoslavna Tserkva — Kyivskyi Patr ...
(UOC-KP) opened a "House of Mercy" in Telmanove, for treating the elderly and disabled.[
]
21st century
During the war in Donbas
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regula ...
, in August 2014, Telmanove was seized by the Donetsk People's Republic
The Donetsk People's Republic ( rus, Донецкая Народная Республика, Donetskaya Narodnaya Respublika, dɐˈnʲetskəjə nɐˈrodnəjə rʲɪˈspublʲɪkə; abbreviated as DPR or DNR, rus, ДНР) is a disputed en ...
(DPR), a Russian puppet state, backed by Russian military forces. In late 2014 and early 2015, the UOC-KP church of Telmanove was shelled several times and eventually destroyed.
Telmanove was renamed Boikivske by the Verkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ( uk, Верхо́вна Ра́да Украї́ни, translit=, Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy, translation=Supreme Council of Ukraine, Ukrainian abbreviation ''ВРУ''), often simply Verkhovna Rada or just Rada, is the ...
in 2016 as part of decommunization in Ukraine
Decommunization in Ukraine started during and after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. With the success of the Revolution of Dignity in 2014, the Ukrainian government approved laws that outlawed communist symbols.
On 15 May 2015, Pr ...
, in honor of the Boyko deportees. Telmanove Raion was also renamed ''Boikivske Raion'' in turn. The settlement is still occasionally referred to by the old name "Telmanove" by Russian government
The Government of Russia exercises executive power in the Russian Federation. The members of the government are the prime minister, the deputy prime ministers, and the federal ministers. It has its legal basis in the Constitution of the Russ ...
-affiliated sources and even by Ukrainian government officials in less formal contexts.[
The Donetsk People's Republic oppressed religious minorities in Telmanove. In an announcement from 29 August, Jehovah’s Witnesses representatives reported that Boikivske was one of the settlements in which separatist authorities had seized their buildings. The ]United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is a U.S. federal government commission created by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998. USCIRF Commissioners are appointed by the President and the lead ...
reported that, in October and November 2018, after the complete banning of Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved ...
by the DPR, DPR police in Boikivske had warned local Jehovah's Witnesses during home visits about the ban on their activity and collected signatures as acknowledgement. In 2019, the DPR continued to crack down on religious freedom, specifically against the UOC-KP, due to refusal of their clergy to endorse the DPR government. Among other punishments, the DPR threatened to confiscate the House of Mercy in Boikivske. UOC-KP Bishop of Donetsk and Mariupol said there was "constant persecution, insults and intimidation of all our priests."[
Ukrainian authorities abolished Boikivske Raion in 2020 and merged its territory into the newly created ]Kalmiuske Raion
Kalmiuske Raion ( uk, Кальміуський район, Kalmiuskyi raion, russian: Кальмиусский район, Kalmiussky rayon) is a prospective raion (district) of Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. It was formally created in July 2020 as part ...
.
On 26 October 2021, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched an attack on DPR artillery near Boikivske using a Bayraktar TB2
The Bayraktar TB2 is a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations. It is manufactured by the Turkish company Baykar Makina Sanayi ve Ticaret A.� ...
drone, in response to DPR shelling of Ukrainian positions and of the settlement Hranitne. This was the first time Ukrainian forces ever used a Bayraktar drone against pro-Russian separatists in 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 ...
. Representatives of the DPR as well as 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 ...
protested this use, claiming it violated the clause in the Minsk agreements
The Minsk agreements were a series of international agreements which sought to end the Donbas war fought between armed Russian separatist groups and Armed Forces of Ukraine, with Russian regular forces playing a central part. The first, known ...
banning the use of foreign unmanned aerial vehicles along the contact line. Other analysts said the attack was not along the contact line. Ukrainian commentators reacted to the strike with enthusiasm, predicting that the drones would be "change the rules of the game" of the war. Russian government figures gave contradictory responses to the strike, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov (russian: Сергей Викторович Лавров, ; born 21 March 1950) is a Russian diplomat and politician who has served as the Foreign Minister of Russia since 2004.
Lavrov served as the Permanent Represe ...
expressing doubt that there had even been a drone used, whereas Vladimir Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov
Dmitry Sergeyevich Peskov ( rus, Дмитрий Сергеевич Песков, p=pʲɪˈskof; born 17 October 1967) is a Russian diplomat and the press secretary for Russian President Vladimir Putin.[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. ...]
, the advisor to the exiled mayor of 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 Russi ...
, Petro Andriushchenko
Petro is a masculine given name, a surname and an Ancient Roman cognomen. It may refer to:
Given name
* Petro Balabuyev (1931-2007), Ukrainian airplane designer, engineer and professor, lead designer of many Antonov airplanes
* Petro Doroshenko ...
, announced that Ukrainian forces had successfully struck a Russian headquarters in Telmanove, metaphorically stating that Ukrainian forces "surgically entered the building of the former House of Culture
Palace of Culture (russian: Дворец культуры, dvorets kultury, , ''wénhuà gōng'', german: Kulturpalast) or House of Culture (Polish: ''dom kultury'') is a common name ( generic term) for major club-houses ( community centres) in ...
and nearby, where the operational headquarters of the occupiers was located. The result is that the occupiers have decreased by ten or even eleven." He accompanied the announcement with pictures of the attack.
Demographics
References
{{Authority control
Rural settlements in Kalmiuske Raion
Former German settlements in Donetsk Oblast
Boikivske settlement hromada