Izium has a population of44,979 (2022 estimate),[5] making it the second-most populous city in Kharkiv Oblast behind Kharkiv proper. It has held economic significance for centuries due to its position as a transportation link between Kharkiv and theDonbas region to the southeast.
The area around Izium has been periodically inhabited since ancient times, but the modern city has its origins in a 17th-century fortress defending againstTatar raids. Izium was the site of several battles duringWorld War II, but still grew rapidly during the 20th century due to its importance as a transport hub. During theRussian invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces occupied the city in April 2022 aftera battle that destroyed much of the city. However, the city was recaptured by Ukrainian forces in the2022 Kharkiv counteroffensive.
The area that is now Izium has been inhabited since ancient times. Archeologists have discovered remnants ofMesolithic settlements from the 13th- to 6th-century BC, andNeolithic settlements from the fifth- to third-century BC. These finds include ceramic implements and flint tools.[6][7] The "Bondarisi" archeological tract near Izium gives its name to theBondarikha culture.[6]
Settlement of the region by Slavs did not resume until the late 15th century, after the creation of a new centralized East Slavic state in the form of thePrincipality of Moscow, more intensified settlement took place on the banks of theDonets river. As the Principality of Moscow evolved into theTsardom of Russia, there was an effort to secure the southern border of the East Slavic lands, to stop the "devastating"attacks by theCrimean Tatars.[6] TheIzium Trail, one of the branches of theMuravsky Trail, was a warpath of the Crimeans in the area in the 16th and 17th centuries before the official founding of the city, passing near the future location of Izium.[9]
In response, Muscovy built fortifications in theSloboda Ukraine region, like theBelgorod line [ru] (1635–1658) and theIzium line [uk] (1679–80), causing the Izium Trail to fall into disuse and easing invader pressure on Muscovy's border.[9] In 1681, a fortress named Izium was built by theKharkiv Sloboda Cossack Regiment within a small settlement on the location of Izium. This is generally regarded as the foundation date of Izium.[10][11]
The origin of the name "Izium" is uncertain. It may originate from aTurkic-language word "huzun", meaning "a crossing", or from theMokryi Iziumets [uk] (also simply Iziumets) river that the city was built on the banks of, or from a Tatar word "izzun" meaning "long", or "elongated".[8] According to historical materials, it is likely that a Tatar settlement existed on nearbyMount Kremenets [uk] as early as the 14th century, which makes it likely that the name of the town has some sort of Tatar origin.[12] InUkrainian andRussian, the town's name is spelled the exact same way as the word for "raisin",[13] but historian V. V. Markin argues that this is a coincidence, and any connection to a supposed Turkic word meaning "raisin" isfalse etymology. Markin notes that it would have probably been impossible to growgrapes in the area, making such a name illogical, and argues that such a word "huzun" meaning "raisin" does not exist in any Turkic language.[12]
Izium grew to be an important defense against Tatar invasions of the region. In 1684, Izium's Transfiguration Cathedral was built. Starting in 1685, Izium served as the seat of theIzium Regiment [uk] withinSloboda Ukraine Governorate.[14]
In 1809, construction began on Saint Nicholas's church in Izium. Construction was finished in 1823, and today the church is one of Izium's most notable architectural features. In 1835, Izyumsky Uyezd was transferred again, this time toKharkov Governorate.[14]
By the 18th and 19th centuries, Izium was considered one of the largest economic centers in theSloboda Ukraine region. By the 1880s, factories producing bricks, vodka, butter, lard, and wax operated in Izium.[15] By 1884, the city's main exports were wool, sold toKharkiv andPoltava, and building materials sold toTaganrog. It had a population of 14,761 people.[16]
In 1910, the Kharkiv-Donbas railway that passed through the city was built.[15] In 1916, in accordance with an edict by TsarNicholas II, the construction of an optical glass plant began in Izium.[8] This was the first optical glass plant to be built in the Russian Empire.[17]
Izium changed hands several times during theRussian Civil War between 1918 and 1920, before finally being taken by the victoriousBolsheviks, who established theSoviet Union on the territory of the former Russian Empire.[8] In 1923, Izium became the administrative center of the newly formedIzium Okruha [uk] inside theUkrainian SSR. In 1930, in accordance with republic-wide abolition of theokruha system in the Ukrainian SSR, Izium Okruha was abolished and replaced withIzium Raion, which was subordinated directly to the federal government of Soviet Ukraine.[18] In 1932, Izium and Izium Raion were assigned to the newly createdKharkiv Oblast of the Ukrainian SSR.[8] Izium was incorporated as acity of oblast significance; while Izium served as the administrative center of the raion, it did not belong to it, being subordinated directly to Kharkiv Oblast.[19][20]
Izium suffered underthe repressions of Soviet dictatorJoseph Stalin. As a result of theHolodomor, a manmade famine in Soviet Ukraine between 1932 and 1933, 2,761 people from Izium are documented to have died.[8]
DuringWorld War II, Izium was the site of numerous important battles. ARed Army salient was cut off by counterattacking German forces during theSecond Battle of Kharkiv and was eliminated in one of the most expensive learning errors for the Red Army.[21] Izium was occupied by theGerman Army starting on 24 June 1942.[18] The Germans operated a Nazi prison in the city.[22] Izium was liberated by the Red Army on 5 February 1943.[18] In mid-March 1943, German troops attacked Izium again, but were unsuccessful, according to Soviet sources. There were more clashes near the city in summer 1943, during theIzyum–Barvenkovo offensive. Soviet Lieutenant GeneralPyotr Volokh [ru], commander of the18th Mechanized Corps [ru] that fought on the Izium bridgehead, died in combat in the southern outskirts of the city. On 13 September 1950, after the end of the war, a monument toVolokh was unveiled in Izium.[18] Until 2022, there was also a street named after Volokh.[23]
Izium's population grew rapidly in the 20th century due to its importance as a junction between Kharkiv and theDonbas.[14] In January 1989 the population was 64,334 people, up from 12,000 in 1926.[24][25]
Deutsche Welle (DW) reported in April 2014 that during the2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine, there was only one attempt to hoist theRussian flag on any government buildings in Izium. Many of the people who had voted for Yanukovych in 2010 still supported him amidst theEuromaidan protests that ousted him. Most of the people DW interviewed supported some kind offederalization of Ukraine, or united Ukraine, and did not support the idea of joining theRussian Federation. A local government official said that out of the approximately 50,000 inhabitants, Izium had "a maximum of 200 activepro-Russian people".[26]
Izium was the site of sporadic fighting during the beginning of thewar in Donbas in 2014. The Sloviansk-Izium highway was referred to as the "highway of death" by locals during the summer of 2014 due to constant shelling from pro-Russian separatists.[28] Izium was seen as an important link between separatist-heldSloviansk and Kharkiv, which also had active pro-Russian movements, and there were fears that separatists would move in that direction.[26] During Ukraine'sSiege of Sloviansk to reclaim it from the separatists, Izium was used as a base for operations by theUkrainian military.[29] Large-scale fighting in the proximity of Izium halted once Ukrainian forces liberated Sloviansk in July 2014.[28]
Izium urban hromada [uk] was formed on 14 June 2019, as anamalgamated hromada with its administrative center in Izium by uniting theIzium city council [uk] with a nearby village council.[32] On 12 June 2020, the hromada was expanded to include several other local councils, and, along with all other amalgamated hromadas in the country, was converted into a plainhromada.[33] On 18 July 2020, the city of Izium, along with the rest of the hromada, was subordinated to Izium Raion, as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine. The area of Izium Raion was also significantly expanded to include the area of several other raions, which reduced the number of raions of Kharkiv Oblast to seven.[19][20]
Russia gained control over Izium on 1 April 2022.[34] Russian soldiers used the "Lyceum No. 2" school as a base. The director of the school was one of the residents of Izium accused ofcollaborating with Russia, and would later be put on trial in Kharkiv by Ukraine after the end of occupation.[37] On 3 April 2022, the Ukrainian government stated that two Russian soldiers were killed and 28 others hospitalized after Ukrainian civilians handed out poisoned cakes to Russian soldiers of the Russian3rd Motor Rifle Division in Izium.[38][39] In May 2022, Russian forcesattempted to cross the Siverskyi Donets River and advance south. According to theBritish Ministry of Defense, Ukrainian forces rebuffed the attempted river crossing with substantial Russian losses.[40] Residents of Izium said they were imprisoned, and tortured by Russian soldiers during the occupation.[37] The June 2022shooting of Andrii Bohomaz by Russian soldiers in Izium during the occupation was featured inLubomir Levitski's documentaryFollow Me.[41][42]
Ukraine began acounteroffensive in the Kharkiv region in early September 2022, during which Izium was liberated.[43] During the frantic Russian retreat, the Russian soldiers "completely gutted" the school that served as their base,looting "anything of possible value", including water heaters and small sinks from each classroom.[37] After Ukrainian troops secured the liberated city, local police officers foundmass graves of 440 bodies in Izium.[43] According to city officials, by the end of the occupation, more than 80% of the city's infrastructure was destroyed; about 70% of multi-storey buildings are destroyed. The city administration estimates that all in all, about 1,000 people lost their lives under the Russian occupation.[44]
In December 2022, Izium decided to rename 22 street names in the city that previously held names affiliated withcommunism and withRussia. Among others, the street named after Pyotr Volokh was renamed to honor HetmanPavlo Polubotok.[23]
Unexploded ordnance has posed a major threat to Izium's population, even months after the battle. In March 2023, a local doctor said that on average, the hospital received a person with wounds from landmines every week.[45] In September 2023, a year after the end of Russian occupation, Izium was still scarred and its people traumatized by war. Most of the city's schools were destroyed in the battles, and were planned to open by the start of 2024, so most students had to attend throughonline school technology. The hospital still bore heavy damage from a missile strike, and urgent surgeries were held in a "small, dank room in the basement" due to fear ofShahed drone attacks. One resident said, "People still haven’t recovered from this psychological trauma[.] This feeling of total fear that came with the occupation — it hasn’t disappeared."[37]
The Polovetsian statues on Kremenets, after war damage
Izium is located at the foot of theKremenets [uk] Mountain, on the right bank of theDonets river.[14] On top of the mountain, there are several ancient Polovtsian (Cuman) stone statues known as "stone babas", dating from the ninth- to the thirteenth-century. The statues were heavily damaged during thebattle of Izium in 2022, with one being completely destroyed.[46][47]
The factories of Izium produce optical equipment, mechanical components, concrete products, building materials, and foodstuffs.[14][3] Other industries include railroad repair and brewing.[3]
According to the2001 Ukrainian census, the native languages of Izium residents were 74.22%Ukrainian, 23.77%Russian, and 2.01% other/undecided.[51] The same census data concluded that over 80% of the city's population were ethnicUkrainians and roughly 13% wereRussians. Other significant minorities wereBelarusians andArmenians. The exact ethnic composition was as follows:[52]
Deutsche Welle, reporting in 2014, said that most of the people in Izium were ethnicUkrainians, but the Russian language was the most common language of communication on the streets.[26]
^Изюм // Большая Советская Энциклопедия. / редколл., гл. ред. Б. А. Введенский. 2-е изд. том 17. М., Государственное научное издательство «Большая Советская энциклопедия», 1952. стр.522
^Изюм // Украинская Советская Энциклопедия. том 4. Киев, «Украинская Советская энциклопедия», 1980. стр.231
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