Toretsk

Toretsk Торецьк
Church of St. Macarius in Toretsk
Flag Coat of arms
Toretsk Show map of Donetsk Oblast Toretsk Show map of Ukraine
Coordinates: 48°23′30″N 37°52′24″E / 48.39167°N 37.87333°E / 48.39167; 37.87333
Country	Ukraine
Oblast	Donetsk Oblast
Raion	Bakhmut Raion
Hromada	Toretsk urban hromada
Founded	1806
City rights	1938[1]
Government
• Type	Civil-military administration
• Head	Vasil Chynchyk
Area
• Total	62 km2 (24 sq mi)
Elevation	179 m (587 ft)
Population  (2022)
• Total	30,914
• Density	500/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Postal code	85200—85279
Area code	+380-6247
Climate	Dfb
Website	http://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

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

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

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

As of the

• Ukrainians: 61.4%
• Russians: 36.1%
• Belarusians: 1%
• Tatars: 0.3%
• Romani: 0.3%

First language

• Russian: 87.1%
• Ukrainian: 12.2%
• Romani: 0.2%
• Belarusian: 0.1%
• Armenian: 0.1%

Notable people

• Nikolai Ryzhkov (1929–2024), former Premier of the Soviet Union
• Raisa Azarh (1897–1971), Soviet physician
• Ihor Voronkov (born 1981), Ukrainian footballer

Gallery

• 
  Town entrance in 2008 when it was called Dzerzhynsk
• 
  Toretsk Avanhard Stadium
• 
  An apartment block in Toretsk
• 
  Ukraine Palace of Culture
• 
  Ukraine Palace of Culture interior
• 
  Buildings in downtown
• 
  Toretsk phenol factory club
• 
  Phenol factory building
• 
  Toretsk railway station
• 
  Crying mother monument

References