Soledar
This article may be affected by the following current event: Battle of Soledar. Information in this article may change rapidly as the event progresses. Initial news reports may be unreliable. The last updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (January 2023) |
Soledar
Соледар | |
---|---|
![]() Façade of Sil Railway station | |
Coordinates: 48°41′43″N 38°04′03″E / 48.69528°N 38.06750°E | |
Country | ![]() |
Oblast | ![]() |
Raion | ![]() |
Hromada | Soledar urban hromada |
Foundation | last quarter of the 17th Century |
City status | 1965 |
Area | |
• Total | 14.108 km2 (5.447 sq mi) |
Elevation | 100 m (300 ft) |
Population (January 2022) | |
• Total | 10,490 |
• Density | 740/km2 (1,900/sq mi) |
Postal code | 84545—84548 |
Area code | +380 6274 |
KOATUU | 1420910800 |
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Soledar (Ukrainian: Соледа́р, pronounced [soɫeˈdɑr]; lit. 'gift of salt'), formerly known as Karlo-Libknekhtovsk (Ukrainian: Карло-Лібкнехтівськ, romanized: Karlo-Libknekhtivs'k, 1965–1991), is a city in the Bakhmut Raion, which is located in the Donetsk Oblast of Ukraine. The city lies 18 km (11 mi) from Bakhmut, and its population was 10,490 in January 2022. The city is currently an active theatre of war, as the Battle of Soledar wages, with control of the city disputed.
History
During the second half of the 17th century, the Don Cossacks settled in the region of Donbas.[1] They built a village at the site of Soledar and named it Brіantsіvka (Ukrainian: Брянцівка). In 1924, it was renamed to Karlo-Libknekhtovsk, and in 1965, after merging with nearby villages, received the status of a town. On 5 July 1991, the town changed its name to Soledar, which literally means "a gift of salt" in the Ukrainian and Russian languages, reflecting the long history of salt production in the area.[2]
In mid-April 2014, Russian GRU operatives, led by Igor "Strelkov" Girkin, captured several towns in the Donetsk Oblast[3] including Soledar.[4] On 21 July 2014, Ukrainian forces secured the city from the militants.[4] On 2 August 2014, the identification team and OSCE observers dealing with the MH17 crash set up base in Soledar, because from there it was easier to get to the crash site.[5][6][7]
During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, on 28 May 2022, it was reported that a Russian missile had hit the Artemsil salt plant in the town.[8] The Battle of Soledar began in early August, with Russian forces capturing much of the eastern half of Soledar by September, although being stalled afterward.[9] On January 11 2023, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, leader of the Russian Wagner Group, announced that the Ukrainian defenders of Soledar had been encircled and destroyed and posted a picture of himself and other Wagner officers in the Soledar Salt Mine.[10][11] In response the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense disputed this claim by stating that the Russian assault on the settlement was successfully repelled.[12][13] Satellite imaging of the settlement and battlefield supports Ukraine's claim the assault was repelled.[12][14][15]
Economy
The main enterprises of the city are related to mining[16] and processing industries: State Enterprise Association Artyomsol is mining and processing rock salt in Soledar Salt Mine and Knauf Gips Donbas (a subsidiary of a German gypsum producer Knauf).[citation needed] The Soledar Salt Mine is the largest salt mine in Europe.[16]
Transport
The railway station Dekonska (Ukrainian: Деконська) is located 2 km from the city.[17]
Demographics
The town's population was 14,600 in 1971,[17] 12,200 in 1991,[18] 13,182 in 2001,[19] 11,400 in 2015,[2] and 10,490 in 2022.[20]
Native language as of the Ukrainian Census of 2001: Ukrainian 60.10%, Russian 39.43%, Armenian 0.11%, Belarusian 0.09%, Romani 0.05%, Bulgarian 0.02%, Moldovan 0.02%, Greek 0.01%, Karaim 0.01%, Polish 0.01%, Romanian 0.01%.[21]
Gallery
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Railway station
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Salt mine entrance
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Inside the mine
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Underground football field and concert hall in Soledar mine
References
- ^ Katchanovski, Ivan; Kohut, Zenon E.; Nebesio, Bohdan Y.; Yurkevich, Myroslav. (2013) "Donets Basin" (Donbas), pp. 135–136 in: Historical Dictionary of Ukraine. Lanham : The Scarecrow Press, Inc. ISBN 081087847X
- ^ a b Soledar. Offiicial Site of the Soledar City Council (in Ukrainian)
- ^ Ragozin, Leonid (16 April 2014). "Vladimir Putin is Accidentally Bringing Eastern and Western Ukraine Together". The New Republic.
- ^ a b "Ukrainian troops take control of three settlements in Donetsk region". Archived from the original on 4 June 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
- ^ "Recovery of remains 'biggest day': OSCE".
- ^ "Malaysia Airlines MH17 crash: More remains recovered from site, says Netherlands". The Straits Times. August 2014.
- ^ "MH17 crash mission to be unarmed for now: Dutch PM-World News, Firstpost". 2 August 2014.
- ^ "Окупанти завдали удару по заводу Артемсіль" [The occupiers attacked the Artemsil plant] (in Ukrainian). 28 May 2022.
- ^ "Russian attacks grind on in eastern Ukraine as Bakhmut is 'destroyed'". CNBC. 10 December 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ "Soledar Situation Unclear as Wagner Group's Claims of Control in Dispute". January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ "Ukraine war: Who controls Soledar and why it matters". www.bbc.com. Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
- ^ a b "Inside Soledar, the site of heavy battles between Ukraine and Russia – in pictures". www.theguardian.com. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
- ^ "Ukraine military denies Russian forces have captured Soledar". www.theguardian.com. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
- ^ Rai, Arpan. "Ukraine news – live: Putin demotes 'General Armageddon' as satellite images reveal scale of Soledar damage". www.independent.co.uk. Independent Digital News & Media Ltd. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
- ^ Picheta, Rob. [Why is Russia so keen to capture the town of Soledar? "Why is Russia so keen to capture the town of Soledar?"]. www.cnn.com. Warner Bros. Discovery. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
{{cite web}}
: Check|url=
value (help) - ^ a b Balmforth, Tom; Smilianets, Vladyslav. "Russian mercenary firm claims strategic Ukrainian town of Soledar, control unclear". Retrieved January 10, 2023.
- ^ a b Карло-Либкнехтовск. Great Soviet Encyclopedia
- ^ КАРЛО-ЛИБКНЕХТОВСК. Great Encyclopedic Dictionary.
- ^ "Розподіл населення за рідною мовою на ukrcensus.gov.ua". Archived from the original on 2014-07-31. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
- ^ Чисельність наявного населення України на 1 січня 2022. ukrstat.gov.ua. p. 16
- ^ "Databank". All-Ukrainian Population Census.
External links
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