The oblast is acoal-mining region and has a long association with the industry. From its creation in 1938 until November 1961, it bore the nameStalino Oblast, in honour ofJoseph Stalin. As part ofde-Stalinization, it was renamed after theDonets, the main river of eastern Ukraine, and theDonets Ridge.
At the last censusin 2001, the population of Donetsk Oblast was 57%ethnic Ukrainian and 38%ethnic Russian.[10] Meanwhile, 75% of people in Donetsk Oblast had Russian as their mother tongue and 24% had Ukrainian, although most Ukrainian citizens could speak both.[11]
Sviatohirsk Lavra, one of the oldest historical landmarks of Donetsk Oblast
Donetsk Oblast is located within the historic regions ofZaporizhzhia (western and central part),Sloboda Ukraine (northern part) andPryazovia (southern part). In the mid-18th-century, the north-eastern outskirts formed part ofSlavo-Serbia with its capital inBakhmut.
Before the establishment of Donetsk Oblast, three districts (okruhas) existed on its territory from 1923 to 1930. TheDonets Governorate was terminated in 1925. As part ofSoviet Ukraine, Donetsk Oblast was established on 2 July 1932 out of theKharkiv Oblast, theDnipropetrovsk Oblast, and a number of raions that were under the direct administration ofKharkiv (then-capital of theUkrainian Soviet Socialist Republic). Artemivsk (todayBakhmut) served as the oblast's administrative center for two weeks until 16 July 1932, when the city of Stalino (todayDonetsk) took on the role. Until 1938, the Donetsk Oblast included the territories of the modernLuhansk Oblast. In June 1938 it was split into the Stalino Oblast (modern Donetsk Oblast) and the Voroshylovhrad Oblast (modern Luhansk Oblast).
During theNazi German occupation from fall 1941 to fall 1943, Donetsk Oblast was known as Yuzivka Oblast (after the original name of Donetsk). DuringWorld War II, it was the site of several war crimes, including the German-perpetratedArtemivsk massacre and Soviet-perpetratedMassacre of Grischino.
As part ofde-Stalinization in theSoviet Union, in 1961 Stalino and Stalino Oblast were renamed Donetsk and Donetsk Oblast.
In the mid-1990s, the region became known for its heightened criminal activity, including the killings of high-profile business people such asAkhat Bragin andYevhen Shcherban. Donetsk Oblast was also a base for Ukraine's main pro-Russian political faction,Party of Regions, which became part of the Ukrainian government in 2002 and paved a way into Ukrainian politics for the powerful "Donetsk Clan".
In late 2004, the Party of Regions was involved in the creation of a political project, theSouth-East Ukrainian Autonomous Republic, which was intended to include Donetsk Oblast. Having close ties with the Russian government, the Party of Regions, along with local communists and other pro-Russian activists, instigated thepro-Russian unrest which escalated into thewar in Donbas. In May 2014, the Ukrainian government lost control over its border with Russia in Donetsk Oblast.
Donetsk Oblast is located in southeastern Ukraine. The area of the oblast (26,517 km2) comprises about 4.4% of the total area of the country. The oblast borders theDnipropetrovsk andZaporizhzhia Oblasts to the southwest, theKharkiv Oblast to the north, theLuhansk Oblast to the northeast, theRostov Oblast in Russia to the east, and theSea of Azov to the south.
Its extent from north to south is 270 km, from east to west – 190 km. The extreme points of the oblast's borders are:Bilosarayska Kosa (spit) in the south, Shevchenko of Volnovakha Raion in the west, Verkhnii Kut of Horlivka Raion in the east, and Lozove of Kramatorsk Raion in the north.
Map showing the percentage of Russian speakers (red) and Ukrainian speakers (blue) in Donetsk Oblast at the last censusMap showing the percentage of ethnic Russians in Donetsk Oblast at the last census
In 2013, the population of Donetsk Oblast was 4.43 million, which constituted 10% of the overall Ukrainian population, making it the most populous and most densely populated region of the country, except for thecities with special status (Kyiv andSevastopol). Its large population is due to the presence of several big industrial cities and numerous villages agglomerated around them.
At the 2001 census, the languages spoken within the oblast were: Russian (spoken by 98.6% of Russians living there, 58.7% of Ukrainians, 91.3% of Greeks, and 85.5% of Belarusians) andUkrainian (spoken by 41.2% of Ukrainians, 1.3% of Russians, 3.2% of Greeks, and 3.9% of Belarusians).[20] Overall, 74.9% of residents spoke Russian, while 24.1% spoke Ukrainian.[20]
Donetsk Oblast accounts for more than one half of the coal, finished steel, coke, cast iron and steel production in Ukraine. Ferrous metallurgy, fuel industry and power industry are in demand in the structure of industry production. There are about 882 industry enterprises that are on independent balance, and 2,095 small industry enterprises in the oblast.[21]
The oblast has a developed transport infrastructure which includes the Donetsk railway (covers 40% of national transportation), the Mariupol Port, theDonetsk International Airport, passenger airports inMariupol andKramatorsk, and dense road systems. In Donetsk Oblast twospecial economic zones have been created,Donetsk andAzov, which have a privileged tax regime.[21]
Agriculture
In 1999, the gross grain yield in the oblast was about 999.1 thousand tons, sugar beets – 27.1 thousand tons, sunflower seeds – 309.4 thousand tons, and potatoes – 380.2 thousand tons.[21] Also, 134.2 thousand tons of meat, 494.3 thousand tons of milk and 646.4 million eggs have been produced. At the beginning of 1999 there were 2108 farms within the oblast.[21]
Donetsk Oblast's climate is mostly continental, which is characterized by hot summers and relatively cold winters with changeable snow surfaces. East and southeast strong winds, high temperatures and heavy rain showers are typical in the summer. The average annual rainfall is 524 mm.
The basic minerals found here are: coal (reserves – 25 billion tons),rock salt, lime carbonate,potassium,mercury,asbestos, andgraphite. The area is also rich in fertile black earth.
Important resources for recreation within the area are: the mild climate, theSea of Azov coast, curative mud, sources of minerals, and radon and table water. Due to these numerous recreation resources, many resort hotels and camps are located here. There are about 26 health centers and pensions, 52 rest homes and boarding houses, and rest camps for children in the oblast.[21]
The curative[clarification needed] areas in the oblast include the Slovyansk salt lakes and mineral water sources. The oblast also contains many park zones, some of which are of great national value. They include the Khomutivsky steppe and the Azov sea coast. Overall, Donetsk Oblast contains about 70 protected park and nature attractions including branches of the Ukrainian steppe park, six state reserves, ten memorials of nature, landscapes, and six park tracts.[21]
Polls
During the1991 referendum, 83.90% of votes in Donetsk Oblast were in favor of theDeclaration of Independence of Ukraine, fourth lowest in the country after Crimea, Sevastopol and Luhansk Oblast. A survey conducted in December 2014 by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found 18.5% of the oblast's population supported their region joining Russia, 53.8% did not support the idea, 22.5% were undecided, and 5.2% did not respond; insurgent-controlled areas (which hold over 50% of the population)[22] were not polled.[23]
^Kalatur, Anastasia (22 April 2022)."Donetsk Region: Almost three quarters of the population left – regional head".Pravda. Ukrainia Pravda. Retrieved20 February 2023.Almost three quarters of the population have left the Ukrainian-controlled territory of Donetsk Region – currently there are about 430 thousand people left. – Head of the Donetsk Regional State Administration, Pavlo Kyrylenko, during the joint 24/7 national news broadcast, quoted by Ukraine's Centre for Strategic Communications and Information Security.
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