Rovenky ( uk, Ровеньки,
translit. ''Roven’ky'', russian: Ровеньки,
translit. ''Rovenki'') is a
coal mining
Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
in
Luhansk Oblast
Luhansk Oblast ( uk, Луга́нська о́бласть, translit=Luhanska oblast; russian: Луганская область, translit=Luganskaya oblast; also referred to as Luhanshchyna, uk, Луга́нщина) is the easternmost oblast ...
(
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
) of south-eastern
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
. Before 2020 it was incorporated as a
city of oblast significance. Population: , .
Including the surrounding villages, the total population is close to 84,000 (as of 2011).
Rovenky came under control of pro-Russian separatists in early 2014, and was incorporated into the
Lugansk People's Republic
The Luhansk or Lugansk People's Republic (russian: Луга́нская Наро́дная Респу́блика, Luganskaya Narodnaya Respublika, ; abbreviated as LPR or LNR, rus, ЛНР) is a disputed entity created by Russian-backed ...
. After the
2022 annexation referendums in Russian-occupied Ukraine
In late September 2022, in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian-installed officials in Ukraine staged referendums on the annexation of occupied territories of Ukraine by Russia. They were widely described as sham referendum ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
claimed the city as part of Russia.
Geography
Rovenky is located in Luhansk oblast, which is located in the Eastern region of Ukraine and Rovenky is in the southern part of the oblast. It is 60 Kilometers from the region center, Luhansk. There are a number of villages near Rovenky, including the following: Djerzhinskyi, Tasenovskiy, Nagolno-Tarasovskyi, and Bolshekamenskiy. There are numerous coal mines located in the Rovenky, in addition to the steppes. There is also a sizable forest in the center of Rovenky, a few lakes, and a train station. Rovenky is very close to the Ukrainian-Russian border.
History
Rovenky was founded in 1705, and was incorporated as a
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
in 1934. By the order of Peter I, 49 Cossack villages were burned and destroyed in September 1708, including Rovenky. The freed Cossacks fled from Peter I into an area now referred to as the "Wild Field." Some settled in a place near a river and it was named after the abandoned native village - Rovenek. In 1793, Count Vasily Orlor became the owner of the settlement who later became the Cossack chieftain. In 1829, the first literacy school was opened and the first primary school was opened in 1852. At this point, the residents of Rovenky mostly worked the land, raised cattle, and bred sheep.
A local newspaper is published in the city since October 1930.
During the
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Rovenky was occupied by
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
. A group of the underground
anti-fascist
Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were ...
Komsomol
The All-Union Leninist Young Communist League (russian: link=no, Всесоюзный ленинский коммунистический союз молодёжи (ВЛКСМ), ), usually known as Komsomol (; russian: Комсомол, links=n ...
(
Communist
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
youth) organization
Young Guard worked there.
During the 1960s and 1970s, there was much development in Rovenky. Many new buildings were built, including the apartment buildings now called "Shaktyorski," "Gagarin," and "Molodyozh"." In the 1990s, private businesses began to appear - trade, transportation, and customer services. The backbone of the community remained its coal enterprises, which account for 95% of all manufactured goods in the city.
Since early 2014, Rovenky has been controlled by the
Luhansk People's Republic
The Luhansk or Lugansk People's Republic (russian: Луга́нская Наро́дная Респу́блика, Luganskaya Narodnaya Respublika, ; abbreviated as LPR or LNR, rus, ЛНР) is a disputed entity created by Russian-backed ...
and not by Ukrainian authorities. On July 11, 2014, alleged pro-Russia forces attacked a concentration of Ukrainian troops with "Grad" rockets, inflicted heavy damage and casualties to two motorized army brigades at Zelenopyllia south of this place. At least 19 Ukrainian soldiers were reported killed, and around 100 other wounded. Fighting was still ongoing by evening. It was later claimed that the rocket system used in the attack was the newer
9A52-4 "Tornado".
On February 17, 2015
Bellingcat Investigation Team conducted an independent investigation and stated that Zelenopillya had been fired on from the territory of the
Russian Federation
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
.
Demographics
As of the
Ukrainian Census of 2001:
;Ethnicity
* Ukrainians: 63.6%
* Russians: 33.7%
* Belarusians: 1%
;Language
*
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
: 79.8%
*
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
: 19.7%
*
Belarusian: 0.1%
*
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
: 0.1%
Education
There are 27 general secondary schools and gymnasiums in Rovenky and the surrounding villages. There are also three different colleges and two branches of local universities located in Rovenky - one from Luhansk and one from Donetsk. The Donetsk branch is located on the second floor of the technical-economic college. Rovenky also has two city libraries and each school has its own library. In addition, there are two musical schools, two art schools, and one sport school. Rovenky has a sport complex, "Yubilenie" and a house of culture. Both of these buildings have a big influence on the culture and sport education of the residents. Rovenky also has the stadium, "Avantgarde" where the football matches are held. In 2003, the city of Rovenky had their first ever Peace Corps volunteer, Bo Knutson, who would lay the pedagogical foundation for Dara Chesnutt- a Peace Corps teacher volunteer whose methods energized the educational system of Luhansk Oblast for years to come.
Economy
The coal industry makes up the foundation of the economy. The largest enterprise is "DTEK Rovenky Antratsit," which includes seven local mines. The most famous mines are "Frunze," "Dzerzhinkskaya," and "Vakhruseva." There are three factories which focus on processing the coal. DTEK helps Rovenky develop and the miners benefit well from their work.
Rovenky also has light and food industries. There is also a shoe factory and a brewery in town. The production of jewelry from the firm, "Agat" is widely known in many countries.
Culture
There are two television companies, "Nika-TV" and "RTV" and there are three newspapers, "Rovenkovsky Vesty," "Forward Rovenky," and "The Dialogue."
Attractions
There is a ''Pamyati pogibshikh'' museum in the city (''In Memory of Dead'' in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
), which is a branch of the
Krasnodon
Krasnodon (Ukrainian language, Ukrainian, Russian language, Russian: Краснодон) is a city in Luhansk Oblast (Oblast, region) of eastern Ukraine. It is incorporated as a city of regional significance (Ukraine), city of oblast significanc ...
-based
memorial
A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or works of a ...
complex ''Young Guard''. It is located in the basement of the central hospital where the five members of the Young Guard spent their final days before they were killed. There is also the Common Grave of these five members of the ''Young Guard'' and a monument, erected in 1965 on the place where they were shot by the Nazis in 1943. In honor of the liberation of Rovenky, another monument was established in the forest at the place where there were mass executions.
Famous people
* Alexander Fedrovich Burda - Soviet officer during World War II
* Shumilov Gennady Konstantinovich - Head of the enterprise "Rovenkyantratsity" for more than 20 years
*
Fedir Lashchonov - retired Soviet volleyball player, gold medalist at 1980 Olympic Games
*
Andriy Sidelnikov - retired Soviet Union and Ukrainian football player, 1990 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship winner.
References
{{Authority control
Cities in Luhansk Oblast
Don Host Oblast
Populated places established in 1705
Cities of regional significance in Ukraine
1705 establishments in Russia