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Soledar

Coordinates: 48°41′43″N 38°04′03″E / 48.69528°N 38.06750°E / 48.69528; 38.06750
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Soledar
Соледар
City
Façade of Sil Railway station
Façade of Sil Railway station
Flag of Soledar
Flag
Coat of arms of Soledar
Coat of arms
Soledar is located in Donetsk Oblast
Soledar
Soledar
Soledar is located in Ukraine
Soledar
Soledar
Coordinates: 48°41′43″N 38°04′03″E / 48.69528°N 38.06750°E / 48.69528; 38.06750
Country Ukraine
Oblast Donetsk
Raion Bakhmut Raion
HromadaSoledar urban hromada
Foundationlast quarter of the 17th Century
City status1965
Area
 • Total14.108 km2 (5.447 sq mi)
Elevation
100 m (300 ft)
Population
 (January 2022)
 • Total10,490
 • Density740/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
Postal code
84545—84548
Area code+380 6274
KOATUU1420910800
Map

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]

  • Railway station
    Railway station
  • Salt mine entrance
    Salt mine entrance
  • Inside the mine
    Inside the mine
  • Underground football field and concert hall in Soledar mine
    Underground football field and concert hall in Soledar mine

References

  1. ^ 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
  2. ^ a b Soledar. Offiicial Site of the Soledar City Council (in Ukrainian)
  3. ^ Ragozin, Leonid (16 April 2014). "Vladimir Putin is Accidentally Bringing Eastern and Western Ukraine Together". The New Republic.
  4. ^ a b "Ukrainian troops take control of three settlements in Donetsk region". Archived from the original on 4 June 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  5. ^ "Recovery of remains 'biggest day': OSCE".
  6. ^ "Malaysia Airlines MH17 crash: More remains recovered from site, says Netherlands". The Straits Times. August 2014.
  7. ^ "MH17 crash mission to be unarmed for now: Dutch PM-World News, Firstpost". 2 August 2014.
  8. ^ "Окупанти завдали удару по заводу Артемсіль" [The occupiers attacked the Artemsil plant] (in Ukrainian). 28 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Russian attacks grind on in eastern Ukraine as Bakhmut is 'destroyed'". CNBC. 10 December 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  10. ^ "Soledar Situation Unclear as Wagner Group's Claims of Control in Dispute". January 11, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
  11. ^ "Ukraine war: Who controls Soledar and why it matters". www.bbc.com. Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ "Ukraine military denies Russian forces have captured Soledar". www.theguardian.com. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ 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)
  16. ^ a b Balmforth, Tom; Smilianets, Vladyslav. "Russian mercenary firm claims strategic Ukrainian town of Soledar, control unclear". Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  17. ^ a b Карло-Либкнехтовск. Great Soviet Encyclopedia
  18. ^ КАРЛО-ЛИБКНЕХТОВСК. Great Encyclopedic Dictionary.
  19. ^ "Розподіл населення за рідною мовою на ukrcensus.gov.ua". Archived from the original on 2014-07-31. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
  20. ^ Чисельність наявного населення України на 1 січня 2022. ukrstat.gov.ua. p. 16
  21. ^ "Databank". All-Ukrainian Population Census.
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