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Vuhledar | |
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 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Vuhledar Vuhledar shown within Donetsk Show map of Donetsk Oblast Vuhledar Vuhledar shown within Ukraine Show map of Ukraine | |
| Coordinates:47°46′45″N37°14′54″E / 47.77917°N 37.24833°E /47.77917; 37.24833 | |
| Country |  Ukraine |
| Oblast | Donetsk Oblast |
| Raion | Volnovakha Raion |
| Hromada | Vuhledar urban hromada |
| Founded | 1964 |
| Area | |
• Total | 5.3 km2 (2.0 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 187 m (614 ft) |
| Population (2023)[1] | |
• Total |  <100 |
| In January 2022, prior to the Russian invasion, it was14,144.[2] | |
| Postal code | 85670-85671 |
| Area code | +380-6273 |
| Climate | Warm summer subtype |
| KOATUU | 1414800000 |
| Website | vugledar-rada.gov.ua (archived) |
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Vuhledar (Ukrainian:Вугледар,IPA:[wʊɦleˈdɑr]ⓘ;Russian:Угледар,romanized: Ugledar,IPA:[ʊɡlʲɪˈdar]), is acity inVolnovakha Raion,Donetsk Oblast, easternUkraine. It is the administrative center ofVuhledar urban hromada.[3] At the beginning of 2022, its population was14,144.[2]
Vuhledar is acoal mining city in the cultural and economicDonbas region ofeastern Ukraine, with its origins in the 1960s development of the coal industry in the region. It was planned to be a major economic center, but failed to meet expectations, and has remained a minor economic node in the 21st century.
For more than two years beginning in March 2022 during theRussian invasion of Ukraine, Vuhledar was the site offighting. The battle for the city almost completely destroyed and depopulated it, with reportedly less than 500 civilians remaining in the city in early 2023. The city has been underRussian occupation since October 2024.
Vuhledar is located on an elevated plain that is by far the highest point in the area. It is located close to the administrative border whereDonetsk Oblast ends.[4]
Vuhledar is located 57 km (35 mi) from the city ofDonetsk, the administrative centre of Donetsk Oblast,[5] and 20 km (12 mi) south ofMarinka.[6]
In the 1960s, during theSoviet era, theDonbas coal basin south of the major industrial city ofDonetsk was beginning to be developed.[5] The settlement that would later be known as Vuhledar was founded around thePivdennodonbaska 1 coal mine[6] in 1964. It was originally anurban-type settlement namedPivdennyi Donetsk, meaning "South Donetsk".[5]
Young people were brought to Pivdennyi Donetsk from cities all over the country to work on the new coal industry.[6] There were plans to transform Pivdennyi Donetsk into a huge industrial center, but the plans were not fulfilled. Rather than the goal of achieving a population of 100,000, it only reached 15,000–17,000. Rather than ten mines being built, only two were built. A local has described Vuhledar as an "unfinished project".[7]
In 1969, Pivdennyi Donetsk was renamed Vuhledar, which means "gift of coal".[5] However, even as late as 2023, there were still some older residents who referred to Vuhledar as "Pivdenne", or "Southern", as they were still accustomed to the old name.[7] In 1991, Vuhledar received city status, and became acity of regional significance.[5]
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During thewar in Donbas, many miners from Vuhledar enlisted in theUkrainian Armed Forces, fought and died during the war. However, the city did not see any actual fighting until 2022.[7]
On 24 February 2022, Russia launched afull-scale invasion of Ukraine. On the day the invasion began, Vuhledar was hit by a Russian ballistic missile carrying acluster munition. The missile struck outside a hospital and killed four civilians and injured another 10.[8][9]
In early 2023, Russian forcesattacked Vuhledar anew.[10] A major Russian attempt to take Vuhledar in February 2023 ended in disaster with "heavy losses and humiliation";[11] GeneralRustam Muradov was dismissed after the failed offensive.[12]
The battle has had a severe humanitarian impact on Vuhledar.[7] Vuhledar's deputy mayor Maksym Verbovsky stated that Vuhledar "was destroyed", with "one hundred percent of the buildings damaged;"[10] fewer than 500 civilians, and only one child, remained in the city once populated with 15,000 residents.[13][14][15]
In September 2024, a renewed offensive to capture Vuhledar led to its semi-encirclement and a Russian assault on the city.[16]On 1 October, the city was captured by Russian forces.[17]
ThePivdennodonbaska 1 coal mine in Vuhledar is one of the largest coal reserves in Ukraine, having estimated reserves of 69.3 million tonnes.[18] ThePivdennodonbaska 3 coal mine, also in Vuhledar, is even larger, with estimated reserves of 156.9 million tonnes.[18] Due to the crisis after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the growth of the city stopped, and eight planned mines were cancelled, including Pivdennodonbaska 2 coal mine.[7]
The majority of people in the town work in one of the coal mines or nearby factories.[4]
Prior to 2023, the city contained threesecondary schools.[5]
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As of the2001 Ukrainian census, Vuhledar's population was 17,440. Ethnically, the city has a majority ofUkrainians (63.1%), with a large minority ofRussians (33.1%) and a small minority ofBelarusians (1.0%). Linguistically, the majority of the city's population speaksRussian as a native language (70.8%), with minorities natively speakingUkrainian (28.2%) andBelarusian (0.1%).[24] The exact ethnic and linguistic composition was as follows:
| percent | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ukrainians | 63.14% | |||
| Russians | 33.05% | |||
| Belarusians | 0.96% | |||
| Ukrainian Greeks | 0.53% | |||
| Tatars | 0.37% | |||
| Moldovans | 0.22% | |||
| Georgians | 0.17% | |||
| Azerbaijanis | 0.13% | |||
| Armenians | 0.11% | |||
| percent | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russian | 70.8% | |||
| Ukrainian | 28.2% | |||
| Belarusian | 0.1% | |||
| others | 0.3% | |||
The city has multiple religious communities, includingUkrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) followers,Jehovah's Witnesses,Pentecostals, andEvangelical Baptist Christians [uk].[5]
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