 | You can helpexpand this article with text translated fromthe corresponding article in Ukrainian. (September 2022)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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| You can helpexpand this article with text translated fromthe corresponding article in Russian. (September 2022)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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Polohy Пологи | |
|---|---|
 Polohy railway station | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Interactive map of Polohy | |
  Polohy  Polohy | |
| Coordinates:47°29′N36°15′E / 47.483°N 36.250°E /47.483; 36.250 | |
| Country | Ukraine |
| Oblast | Zaporizhzhia Oblast |
| Raion | Polohy Raion |
| Hromada | Polohy urban hromada |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Yuriy Konovalenko |
| Population (2022) | |
• Total | 18,111 |
| Climate | Dfa |
Polohy (Ukrainian:Пологи,IPA:[poˈlɔɦɪ];Russian:Пологи,romanized: Pologi) is acity inZaporizhzhia Oblast,Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center ofPolohy urban hromada andPolohy Raion within the oblast. Population:18,111 (2022 estimate).[1] It is a significant railway junction. Since March 2022, it has been underRussian occupation.
Polohy is located on the left bank of theKonka river, at the intersection of several railways, making it a significant railway junction.[2] ThePolohy railway station [uk] is located there.
Across the Konka river is a village, also calledPolohy [uk].
Polohy was established in 1887 after the construction of a railway that connectedBerdiansk withYekaterinoslav.[3] The city specifically celebrates 17 September as the date of the city's founding.[4]
By 1890, houses for workers had been built in the area. In 1894, the railway station was built, contributing to the growth of the village. By 1904, when a second railway line was built that crossed through the village, Polohy became a railway hub. In 1905, there were "about a hundred thatched huts and dugouts" in the village, and it had a total population of around 700.[2] The population of the village took part in theRussian Revolution of 1905, demonstrating for workers' rights andgoing on strike.[2]
TheBolsheviks took over the village in January 1918 during theRussian Civil War. However, in March the same year, Polohy was easily captured by theCentral Powers during the1918 Central Powers invasion of Ukraine. Local partisans resisted the occupation, and the occupying forces left the village in November 1918. It was captured by the anti-communistWhite Army in late December, before being recaptured by theRed Army on 5 February 1919. Continued fighting took place over Polohy throughout the war, involvingMakhnovites, theArmy of Wrangel, andSouth Russia, until an eventual Bolshevik victory in August 1920.[2]
On 7 October 1923, theAll-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee declared the establishment ofPolohy Raion insideBerdiansk Okruha [uk] ofYekaterinoslav Governorate, with its administrative center in Polohy.[5] Polohy received the status ofurban-type settlement in October 1928. From 1928 to 1937, Polohy carried the name ofChubarivka,[2] after the Soviet politicianVlas Chubar.[5] Polohy received city status in 1938.[6]
DuringWorld War II, Polohy was occupied byNazi Germany beginning 5 October 1941. Oppressions against the localJewish population - who had comprised 3.2% of the population prewar - began immediately.[3] In December 1941, a large number of Jews - either 70 families or 100 Jews, according to different reports - were murdered at Polohy as part of theHolocaust. There are some reports of subsequent mass killings of Jews and non-Jews at the same site over the following months.[7] Polohy was liberated by theRed Army on 17 September 1943.[3]
Acannery was opened in Polohy in 1967, which processed agricultural products.[2]
Polohy urban hromada, ahromada (low-level administrative division) ofUkraine with its center in Polohy, was formed on 30 March 2018 from the union of several local councils.[citation needed]
On 3 March 2022, Polohy was captured byRussian forces during theRussian invasion of Ukraine.[8] The city was shelled withGrad rockets and other weapons, heavily damaging many houses. Locals have accused Russian forces of deliberately destroying the city's critical infrastructure. Eyewitness reports from the city have also detailed accounts of Russian soldiersmurdering civilians,sacking, abducting local activists, and torturing people in the city.[8] Water and electricity infrastructure has stopped working, as well as internet access and cellular communication. Food insecurity has become a problem for residents. While exact population estimates are uncertain, theUkraine Crisis Media Center said that it was certain at least half of the pre-invasion population had fled by May 2022.[8]
Russian forces heavily fortified areas near the city in anticipation of the2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive.[9] In May 2023, reports from ordinary residents of Polohy as well as the exiled mayor Yuriy Konovalenko said that Russia was forcibly removing civilians from the city to be transferred toBerdiansk, deeper within Russia-controlled territory.[10] In July 2023, a three-man Ukrainiandrone team used an explosive-carrying drone to blow up a Russianelectronic warfare system mounted on a tower in Polohy.[11]
On 8–10 September 2023, the2023 Russian elections took place in theoccupied Ukrainian territories,[12] whichMelitopol mayorIvan Fedorov described as "hellish pseudo-elections". During this period, on 9 September, Fedorov reported that the headquarters ofUnited Russia - the Russian ruling party - in Polohy had been blown up.[13] Fedorov alluded to casualties among the occupation authorities, stating onTelegram that "Some went to the hospital, and some went straight to the morgue".[13]
Distribution of ethnic groups according to the2001 Ukrainian census:[14]
| percent | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ukrainians | 91.25% | |||
| Russians | 7.23% | |||
| Belarusians | 0.28% | |||
| Azerbaijani | 0.23% | |||
| Armenians | 0.20% | |||
| Bulgarians | 0.18% | |||
| Germans | 0.14% | |||
