Sorokyne Сорокинe (Ukrainian) | |
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| Sorokyne / Krasnodon | |
 Sorokyne skyline | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Interactive map of Sorokyne | |
  Sorokyne Location of Sorokyne/Krasnodon Show map of Luhansk Oblast Sorokyne Sorokyne (Ukraine) Show map of Ukraine | |
| Coordinates:48°18′0″N39°44′0″E / 48.30000°N 39.73333°E /48.30000; 39.73333 | |
| Country |  Ukraine |
| Oblast | Luhansk Oblast |
| Raion | Dovzhansk Raion |
| Hromada | Sorokyne urban hromada |
| Founded | 1914 as Sorokino |
| Renamed | 1938 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Yuri Borisovich Baklagov[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 77.33 km2 (29.86 sq mi) |
| Population (2022) | |
• Total | 42,315 |
| • Density | 547.2/km2 (1,417/sq mi) |
| Postal code | 94400 |
| Area code | +380 6435 |
| Climate | Dfa |
| Website | krasnodon |
Krasnodon (Ukrainian andRussian:Краснодон) orSorokyne (Ukrainian:Сорокине;Russian:Сорокино,romanized: Sorokino) is acity inDovzhansk Raion (district) ofLuhansk Oblast inUkraine. Residence ofSorokyne urban hromada. Its population is approximately42,315 (2022 estimate).[2]
Krasnodon came under control of pro-Russian separatists in early 2014, and was incorporated into theLugansk People's Republic (LNR). Since then, it has been continually controlled by the LNR, and since 2022, explicitly byRussia.
In the early 1910s, rich coal deposits were discovered in the area of theDonbas around modern Krasnodon. Entrepreneurs flocked to the area, and a number ofcoal mines were dug. A settlement began to grow along the left bank of the Velyka Kamianka, a tributary of theDonets River, known asSorokyne.[3] In 1914, the first coal was actually mined.[4] This year is usually considered to be the official date of the founding of the settlement, Sorokyne. In 1916, 3,105 people lived in Sorokyne, and 776 miners worked at the mines.[3]
Sorokyne saw fighting during theRussian Civil War, and changed hands several times.[4] The intense fighting destroyed the mines and most of the settlement.[3] Eventually, it was captured by theBolsheviks in December 1919, who established stable control over Ukraine and established the communistSoviet Union on much of the former territory of theRussian Empire.[4]
The Soviet regime restored and modernized the destroyed mines, and began construction on new mines.[3] A local newspaper has been published in the city since September 1930.[5] Sorokyne became a major center ofcoal mining in the Donbas. On 28 October 1938, by a decision of thePresidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, the mining settlement of Sorokyne was renamed toKrasnodon and given city status. By 1939, 22,220 people lived in Krasnodon.[4]
DuringWorld War II, Krasnodon was occupied byNazi Germany from 20 July 1942 to 14 February 1943.[3] The Germans operated a Nazi prison in the town.[6] The Soviet resistance organizationYoung Guard operated in the city during the occupation. The Nazis would capture the Young Guardsmen and murder them by throwing them down mineshafts. Fifty-eight guardsmen in total are known to have been killed. After the end of the war,Young Guard have been commemorated with monuments and amemorial complex in Krasnodon.[3] On 27 September 1942, according to Soviet sources, the Nazis committed a particularly brutal massacre byburying alive 32 patriotic Soviet miners in the city park.[7] The Nazis also attempted to use the coal mines of Krasnodon, bringing in machines to harvest its natural resources.[4]
After the liberation of the city by theRed Army, the mines were once again reconstructed.[7]
Since 2014, Krasnodon has been controlled by the breakawayLugansk People's Republic (LNR), and not by the Ukrainian authorities.[8]NATO released satellite data from 21 August 2014 and confirmed it showed a large column of armoured vehicles crossing into Ukraine from Russia through Krasnodon.[9]
In 2016, the city was renamedSorokyne by Ukraine as part ofdecommunization reforms.[10] However, the name change was largely symbolic due to Ukraine not controlling the city. Since 2022, Russia has claimed the city as part of the LNR, a federal subject of Russia, following theannexation of the region.[citation needed]
In February 2023, LNR HeadLeonid Pasechnik and Russian-installed mayor of Sorokyne Sergey Kozenko, and head ofKrasnoyarsk Vladislav Loginov signed an agreement establishing Krasnodon and Krasnoyarsk assister cities. Pasechnik said that the relationship will include "youth exchanges, infrastructure restoration, urban development, and sports development". Analysts see this as part of "wider government initiatives to erase Ukrainian identity among youth". The "youth exchanges" may be related to Russia's youth camps, in which Ukrainian children are allegedly "indoctrinate[d] with Russian political ideology".[11] On 25 September 2023, it was reported by both Ukrainian and Russian military sources that Ukrainian forces struck industrial facilities in Sorokyne.[12]
Krasnodon has historically been important for the mining ofbituminous coal.[13] There is also ameat processing plant and a sewing factory today.[3]
The population of Krasnodon was 70,400 in 1972, 53,000 in 1989, and 49,921 in 2001.[14]
As of theUkrainian Census of 2001, the city was majority (66.3%)Russians, with a large minority (33.2%) ofUkrainians and small minorities ofBelarusians (1.3%) and other ethnic groups (2.2%).[15]
Linguistically, the city is overwhelminglyRussophone, with 90.75% natively speaking theRussian language. The largest linguistic minority are native Ukrainian speakers, who make up 8.46% of the population. There are then several small linguistic minorities, with 0.17% natively speakingRomani, 0.15% speakingArmenian, and 0.12 speakingBelarusian.[15]
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