Rubizhne ( uk, Рубі́жне, Rubížne, ; rus, Рубе́жное, Rubéžnoye, links=1, rʊˈbʲeʐnəjə) is a city located 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 ...

in 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 ...

. Situated on the left bank of the

Donets The Seversky Donets () or Siverskyi Donets (), usually simply called the Donets, is a river on the south of the East European Plain. It originates in the Central Russian Upland, north of Belgorod, flows south-east through Ukraine (Kharkiv, Don ...

river near the cities of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk, Rubizhne was founded in 1895 and incorporated as a city in 1934. Since 2014, Rubizhne has been contested between Ukrainian and pro-Russian separatist forces, and is currently under the ''de'' ''facto'' control of

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 ...

as a result of the

Battle of Rubizhne The battle of Rubizhne was a military engagement that started on 15 March 2022 and ended on 12 May 2022 during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, as part of the eastern Ukraine offensive and the battle of Donbas. Background At around 15:0 ...

. The population of Rubizhne in 2021 was Prior to 2020, it was a city of oblast significance.

History

The city started growing from a railway station built in 1904. A local newspaper is published in the city since March 1931. During

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 ...

, in 1942–1943, the German occupiers operated a Nazi prison in the town. At the outbreak of the War in Donbas in mid-April 2014, pro-Russian forces captured several towns in Luhansk Oblast, including Rubizhne. On 21 July 2014, Ukrainian forces secured the city from the militants.

2022 Russian invasion

During the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

, within the

Eastern Ukraine offensive The eastern Ukraine campaign is a Theater (warfare)#Theatre of operation, theatre of operation in the ongoing 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine that affects three provinces (Oblasts of Ukraine, oblasts) in the Eastern Ukraine, eastern part of U ...

, Rubizhne came under heavy shelling from the Russian military. Some of the most intense strikes occurred late in March 2022, which destroyed dozens of buildings and caused civilian casualties. An attack on a

nitric acid Nitric acid is the inorganic compound with the formula . It is a highly corrosive mineral acid. The compound is colorless, but older samples tend to be yellow cast due to decomposition into oxides of nitrogen. Most commercially available nitri ...

facility in Rubizhne was reported on 9 April 2022. During the Battle of Donbas, on 21 April, Russia reportedly captured the city; Ukraine denied that. Ramzan Kadyrov, the president of

Chechnya Chechnya ( rus, Чечня́, Chechnyá, p=tɕɪtɕˈnʲa; ce, Нохчийчоь, Noxçiyçö), officially the Chechen Republic,; ce, Нохчийн Республика, Noxçiyn Respublika is a republic of Russia. It is situated in the ...

, said that Russia had "liberated" the city on 25 April. On 12 May, it was reported that Ukrainian forces had fully retreated from the settlement to take up new defensive positions near Sievierodonetsk and had destroyed a bridge in order to slow the Russian advance.

Demographics

Rubizhne had 65,322 inhabitants in the Ukrainian Census of 2001. The city's population declined to 59,951 by January 1, 2014.

Economy

Prior to the 2022 war, Rubizhne was known for its chemical and pharmaceutical plants and factories. The headquarters of "Microkhim", the largest Ukrainian producer of substances and medicines for

cardiology Cardiology () is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart d ...

, was situated in Rubizhne. One of Ukraine's biggest plastic pipe plants, , is also located in the town.

Notable residents

Rubizhne is the town of birth of MMA Heavyweight Champion Fedor Emelianenko, and Olympic champion in fencing Vladimir Smirnov.

References

External links

Official site of Rubizhne city council
{{Portal bar, , Ukraine, Geography} Destroyed cities Cities in Luhansk Oblast Sievierodonetsk Raion Yekaterinoslav Governorate Donets Populated places established in the Russian Empire