Strilkove Стрілкове | |
|---|---|
 Compressor station of Strilkove | |
  Strilkove Strilkove (Kherson Oblast) Show map of Kherson Oblast Strilkove Strilkove (Ukraine) Show map of Ukraine | |
| Coordinates:45°53′47″N34°52′52″E / 45.89639°N 34.88111°E /45.89639; 34.88111 | |
| Country |  Ukraine |
| Oblast | Kherson Oblast |
| Raion | Henichesk Raion |
| Hromada | Henichesk urban hromada |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Oleksander Petrovych Ponomarov |
| Area | |
• Total | 2.05923 km2 (0.79507 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 2 m (6.6 ft) |
| Population (2013) | |
• Total | 1,415[1] |
| • Density | 6.66/km2 (17.2/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 75583[1] |
| Area code | (+380) 5534[1] |
 | |
Strilkove (Ukrainian:Стрілкове;Russian:Стрелковое;Crimean Tatar:Çoqraq) is aUkrainian village inHenichesk urban hromada,[2]Henichesk Raion,Kherson Oblast. In 2013 its population was 1,415.[1]
The village is located on theArabat Spit and is geographically part ofCrimea, however it falls under the administration of Kherson Oblast. It was partially and temporarily occupied by Russian forces during the2014 Russian military intervention in Ukraine, the first time Russian troops moved into the Kherson Oblast. It was reoccupied by Russian forces at the onset of the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The village lies on the northern portion of Crimean peninsula's Arabat Spit, though neither Strilkove nor the neighboring village ofShchaslyvtseve are claimed as part of the Crimean Autonomous Republic. It is located 8 kilometers to the north of the border of the Crimean Republic, between theAzov Sea to the east, and LakeSivash in the west; and is 32 km south from the town ofHenichesk.
Strilkove was founded under theRussian Empire in 1835[1][3] and, until 1945, was namedÇoqraq orChokrak (Чокрак).
In 1944, unlike other Crimean Tatars, inhabitants of Çoqraq were notdeported to Middle Asia. The reason is unknown, but there is a popular thought that the village was simply forgotten. However, in June 1945 the whole village population (including people of Slav origin) were put on a barge which was later sunk in Azov sea.[4][unreliable source?] "However, in June 1945, the authorities drew attention to this 'flaw' (and Stalin had already been informed about the complete 'purification' of the peninsula), so the villagers (mostly Crimean Tatars, but also some Ukrainians) were loaded onto a barge and taken to the Sea of Azov, where in the middle of the sea the barge was flooded along with all the people... 413 soldiers and commanders received combat orders and medals for the deportation of Crimean Tatars."
During theRussian occupation of Crimea, on 15 March 2014 at about 13:30,Russian Airborne Troops (40 riflemen) advanced on the village.[5][6][7] The village is located on the Arabat Spit and is geographically a part of Crimea, however administratively it is in the Kherson Oblast. This marked the first timeRussian forces advanced into mainland Ukraine as prior to this Russian troops operated only within theAutonomous Republic of Crimea. The soldiers stated that they missed their landing zone and landed in the village by accident. Also for the first time during the conflict, Ukraine placed itsair forces on alert and air lifted its own unit of paratroopers to the area. In response, Russian forces retreated from the center of the village to a nearby gas distribution terminal, claiming that they believed it may be vulnerable to a terrorist attack and needed to be secured.[8][9]
As of October 2014,Ukrainian border guards and a volunteerterritorial defense battalion were stationed in the village. Russian forces maintained a company of 150 troops nearby which were also supported by a gunboat. The area did not experience any fighting after the Russian takeover of theoffshore gas platforms near the village. However, the border guards were instructed to not allow people whose Russian passport had been issued in Crimea to pass, as well as to inspect vehicles for possible Russian contraband. The small force deployed to the village was also designated to slow any potential advance of Russian troops deeper into Kherson, while a larger contingent of Ukrainian forces was stationed atNovooleksiivka and Henichesk, about 20 miles north along the Arabat Spit.[10]
On 9 December 2014, the Ukrainian border guards reported that Russian troops had begun withdrawing from southern Kherson Oblast, ending the 9-month-long occupation. Despite their withdrawal from the mainland, Russian troops still occupied the gas distribution center outside the village. The Arabat Spit and the Syvash areas were the sole remaining territories of the Crimean Peninsula that remained under direct Ukrainian control.[11]
Strilkove was captured by Russian ground forces on the first day of theRussian Invasion of Ukraine when they crossed the nearby border of the Russian-occupiedAutonomous Republic of Crimea, which fell underRussian military control in early 2014.[citation needed] The invasion was the result of the escalatingRusso-Ukrainian War. On 4 July 2025, Ukrainian partisans killed three Russian servicemen in a car bombing in the village.[12]
Media related toStrilkove at Wikimedia Commons
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