Kruta Balka ( uk, Крута Балка; russian: link=no, Крутая Балка) is a
rural settlement in
Donetsk Raion (
district) in
Donetsk Oblast
The Donetsk Oblast ( ukr, Донецька область, Donetska oblast, ), also referred to as Donechchyna ( ukr, Донеччина, links=no), is an oblast of eastern Ukraine. It is Ukraine's most populous province, with around 4.1 mill ...
of eastern
Ukraine, at 17.2 km
NNE from the centre of
Donetsk city.
History
The settlement was taken under control of pro-Russian forces (the
DNR) during the
War in Donbass, that started in mid-April 2014. Since then, the settlement was located in a gray area, with both sides claiming it as theirs, until in March 2016 the
Armed Forces of Ukraine
, imports =
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, history =
, ranks = Military ranks of Ukraine
, country=Ukraine
The Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Збро́йні си́ли Украї́ни), most commonly known ...
reportedly moved in to retake the village. Due to shelling on 6 April 2016, the
water pumping station in the "gray-zone" between the villages of
Vasylivka
Vasylivka ( uk, Васи́лівка, ; rus, links=on, Васильевка, p=vɐˈsʲilʲjɪfkə) is a city in Zaporizhzhia Oblast (province) in southern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Vasylivka Raion. The city is situate ...
and Kruta Balka in South Donbas was de-energized, cutting off the water supply to over 50 settlements. By early-December 2016, according to one source, the insurgents reported in social media that the village might have been retaken by the Ukrainian army and that they were unable to confirm that it was under their control. During a clash on 28 December, one Ukrainian serviceman was killed. BBC's Ukrainian Service, however, still reported Kruta Balka as controlled by separatists in May 2017.
In 2020, Kruta Balka was transferred from
Yasynuvata Raion
Yasynuvata Raion ( uk, Ясинуватський район, ) was one of the administrative raions (a ''district'') of Donetsk Oblast, located in southeastern Ukraine. The administrative center of the district was the city of Yasynuvata, whic ...
to newly-created
Donetsk Raion as part of the reform of administrative districts in Ukraine.
During the
Prelude to the Russian invasion of Ukraine
In March and April 2021, prior to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Armed Forces began massing thousands of personnel and military equipment near Russia's border with Ukraine and in Crimea, representing the largest mobili ...
, on 10 January 2022 two Ukrainian servicemen - Lieutenant Illya Suprun and PFC Vitaliy Petrenko - were killed by an unknown explosive device.
Until the 2022
Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kruta Balka was the only locality of Donetsk Raion under at least partial control of the Ukrainian government.
Demographics
Native language as of the
Ukrainian Census of 2001:
*
Ukrainian 9.51%
*
Russian 90.49%
References
Villages in Donetsk Raion
Yasynuvata urban hromada
{{Donetsk-geo-stub