Volnovakha
 | This article may be affected by the following current event: 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. 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. (March 2022) |
Volnovakha
Волноваха | |
|---|---|
 Local history museum | |
 Flag  Seal | |
  Volnovakha  Volnovakha | |
| Coordinates: 47°36′08″N 37°29′31″E / 47.60222°N 37.49194°ECoordinates: 47°36′08″N 37°29′31″E / 47.60222°N 37.49194°E | |
| Country |  Ukraine |
| Oblast |  Donetsk Oblast |
| Raion | Volnovakha Raion |
| Founded | 1881 |
| City status | 1938 |
| Control | Occupied by Russia |
| Area | |
| • Total | 21 km2 (8 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 271 m (889 ft) |
| Population (2021) | |
| • Total | 21,441 |
| Website | www.volnovaha.net (archive) |
Volnovakha (Ukrainian: Волноваха) is a small town in Ukraine. It served as the administrative center of Volnovakha Raion, one of the 18 districts of the Donetsk Oblast. Before the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the population of the town was 21,441 (2021 est.).[1]
During the invasion, much of the town's infrastructure was severely damaged, with some reports describing the town as devastated.[2][3] On 12 March 2022, Governor of Donetsk Oblast Pavlo Kyrylenko stated that the town had been completely destroyed.[4] On March 21, Russia Today reported that the town still existed, although badly damaged, and had been taken by DPR and RF forces. In addition to the town proper, the town municipality includes the villages of Novohryhorivka, Novopavlivka, and Trudove.
History[edit]
World War 2[edit]
During World War II, the Soviet Union reported significant fighting in the area around Volnovka during August and September 1943.[5][6] Several units were given honorary titles after the battle in town.[7][6]
Russo–Ukrainian War[edit]
During the War in Donbas, on 13 January 2015, 12 civilians were killed and 18 injured, after an attack on a passenger bus at a checkpoint in Buhas, a town north-east of Volnovakha.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14] A monument to those killed in the attack was unveiled on 13 January 2017.[15]
During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces engaged in indiscriminate bombing of Volnovakha and Schastia, shelling civilian areas.[16] The terror bombing of the cities violated international law and echoed tactics Russia had previously used on civilian targets in Syria.[17] Volnovakha was reported to be on the verge of humanitarian crisis on February 28, and almost destroyed by March 1,[18][19] with around 90% of its buildings either damaged or destroyed.[20] Surviving residents were cut off from food, water, and electricity.[2] Following the assault, bodies lay uncollected in the streets.[17]
On 11 March, Russia claimed that forces of the "Donetsk People's Republic" had captured Volnovakha.[21]
On 12 March, Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of Donetsk Oblast, stated that the town had been completely destroyed and effectively ceased to exist, but fighting continued there to prevent a Russian encirclement.[22][23] Euronews reported that much of it had been destroyed in the fighting.[3]
On March 15, Illia Ponomarenko, defense reporter with the Kiev Independent, tweeted "My hometown Volnovakha. I was born at this hospital. Now it’s officially denazified and liberated by Russia." https://twitter.com/IAPonomarenko/status/1503773907546955779 . The tweet is accompanied by a photo of an older woman and a dog in front of a damaged building.
A later tweet from March 21 shows a photo of reconstruction efforts at the hospital https://twitter.com/spriter99880/status/1505960826716540929 .
A video of "Driving around Volnovakha" on March 25 shows people and cars on the streets, the town is inhabited and not destroyed, but many buildings are damaged. https://twitter.com/i/status/1507038781588844545
Demographics[edit]
The town had 24,647 inhabitants in 2001. The town had a large Ukrainian Greek population.
Climate[edit]
| Climate data for Volnovakha (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | −1.2 (29.8) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
5.3 (41.5) |
14.5 (58.1) |
21.1 (70.0) |
25.2 (77.4) |
27.8 (82.0) |
27.3 (81.1) |
21.1 (70.0) |
13.4 (56.1) |
4.9 (40.8) |
−0.1 (31.8) |
13.2 (55.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −4.0 (24.8) |
−4.0 (24.8) |
1.1 (34.0) |
9.1 (48.4) |
15.4 (59.7) |
19.5 (67.1) |
21.9 (71.4) |
21.3 (70.3) |
16.4 (61.5) |
8.6 (47.5) |
1.6 (34.9) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
8.6 (47.5) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −6.5 (20.3) |
−6.8 (19.8) |
−2.1 (28.2) |
4.7 (40.5) |
10.2 (50.4) |
14.5 (58.1) |
16.6 (61.9) |
16.0 (60.8) |
10.5 (50.9) |
4.8 (40.6) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
−5.3 (22.5) |
4.6 (40.3) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 52.2 (2.06) |
44.0 (1.73) |
49.0 (1.93) |
45.0 (1.77) |
52.1 (2.05) |
65.4 (2.57) |
55.0 (2.17) |
45.8 (1.80) |
42.9 (1.69) |
35.4 (1.39) |
49.8 (1.96) |
53.8 (2.12) |
590.4 (23.24) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 9.9 | 7.7 | 8.8 | 7.2 | 7.3 | 8.2 | 6.6 | 4.6 | 5.4 | 5.9 | 8.1 | 9.8 | 89.5 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 88.4 | 85.4 | 79.3 | 66.3 | 60.9 | 63.6 | 61.1 | 57.9 | 65.7 | 75.6 | 87.4 | 89.7 | 73.4 |
| Source: World Meteorological Organization[24] | |||||||||||||
Gallery[edit]
World War II liberation monument
Vasily Chapayev monument
Volnovakha train station
References[edit]
- ^ "Чисельність наявного населення України (Actual population of Ukraine)" (PDF) (in Ukrainian). State Statistics Service of Ukraine. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
- ^ a b Diana Hodali, Mariupol and Volnovakha: Besieged cities appeal for help, Deutsche Welle (March 5, 2022).
- ^ a b "Heavy fighting leaves much of Volnovakha in ruins". Associated Press. Euronews. March 12, 2022. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
- ^ "Ukraine war: Zelensky says 1,300 Ukrainian troops killed since invasion". BBC News. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
- ^ Information Bulletin. Embassy of the USSR. 1943.
- ^ a b Loza, Dmitri? Fedorovich (1998-01-01). Fighting for the Soviet Motherland: Recollections from the Eastern Front Hero of the Soviet Union. U of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-2929-7.
- ^ Stalin, Joseph (1984). 1941-1944. Red Star Press.
- ^ "Ten killed, 13 injured after shell hits bus at roadblock near Volnovakha – regional administration". Interfax-Ukraine. 13 January 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
- ^ "Shell hits bus in eastern Ukraine, 10 killed: regional spokesman". Reuters. 13 January 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
- ^ "Ten killed, 13 injured after shell hits bus at roadblock near Volnovakha". Kyiv Post. 13 January 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
- ^ "Расстрел под Волновахой: террористы выпустили 40 снарядов Града". Liga News. 13 January 2015. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
- ^ "Серед загиблих в автобусі під Волновахою - 6 жінок і 4 чоловіків..." Golos.com. 13 January 2015. Archived from the original on 13 January 2015.
- ^ "Кількість загиблих в результаті теракту під Волновахою збільшилася до 12, - МВС". RBK. 13 January 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
- ^ "Список погибших и раненых, пострадавших в результате террористического акта на пункте пропуска под г.Волновахой" (in Russian). ГУ МВД Украины в Донецкой Области. 14 January 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-07-12. Retrieved 2015-01-15.
- ^ "Monument to bus passengers killed in Grad attack unveiled in Volnovakha. PHOTOS". Censor.net. 2017-01-14. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
A monument to 12 bus passengers killed in a Grad attack on Jan. 13, 2015 has been inaugurated in Volnovakha.
- ^ Yaroslav Trofimov, Ukraine, Russia Agreement on Evacuating Mariupol Civilians Collapses, Wall Street Journal (March 5, 2022).
- ^ a b Emma Graham-Harrison & Isobel Koshiw, '90% of houses are damaged': Russia's Syria-honed tactics lay waste Ukraine towns, The Guardian (March 4, 2022).
- ^ "Russian invasion update: Volnovakha town on verge of humanitarian catastrophe". www.ukrinform.net. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
- ^ "Head of Donetsk Regional State Administration: Volnovakha almost destroyed". Interfax-Ukraine. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
- ^ Graham-Harrison, Emma (6 March 2022). "'Nowhere to go and nowhere to go back to': Life under fire in Ukraine". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ Reuters (2022-03-11). "Russian-backed separatists capture Ukraine's Volnovakha - RIA". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
- ^ "Eastern Ukrainian town of Volnovakha destroyed after Russia invasion, local governor says". Reuters. March 12, 2022. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
- ^ Richard Spencer (March 13, 2022). "Putin wipes out entire Ukrainian city of Volnovakha". The Times. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
- ^ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1981–2010". World Meteorological Organization. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
External links[edit]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Volnovakha. |
- Site of town
- Official site of Volnovaha raiderzhadministration
- Official site of Volnovaha town Council
 | This article about a location in Donetsk Oblast is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |