Dzerzhynsk, Ukraine

Toretsk (; ) is an industrial city in Bakhmut Raion, Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It served as the administrative center of Toretsk urban hromada. As of January 2022, its population was approximately

It has its origins as the hamlet Shcherbynivka, built during the mid-19th century developments in coal mining in the Donbas region. It developed over the following century with the rise of rail transport. Between 1936–2016, the city was named Dzerzhynsk after Felix Dzerzhinsky, the founder of the Soviet security service Cheka. The city received its current name in 2016, as a result of decommunization laws.

Toretsk has seen fighting and shelling during the War in Donbas, in the first phase of the Russo-Ukrainian War that began in 2014, which has depopulated and heavily damaged the infrastructure of the city over the years. On 7 February 2025, during the months-long Battle of Toretsk, part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia claimed it had fully occupied the city of Toretsk, although this was denied by Ukraine. Due to the fighting, the city was ruined and virtually entirely depopulated. Russia calls Toretsk by its pre-2016 name ''Dzerzhinsk'' and considers it to be part of the Donetsk People's Republic, which it claims to have annexed.

Geography

Toretsk is located on the right bank of the Kryvyi Torets river, which is a tributary of the Kazennyi Torets. It is located in the historical, cultural, and economic Donbas region within eastern Ukraine.

History

Early history

The territory where Toretsk now sits has been inhabited since ancient times, as discovered with archaeological findings. The city itself was founded in 1806 in the Russian Empire, when parts of the town Zaitseve were split off into several minor hamlets, including ''Shcherbynivskyi''. According to local traditions, this name originates from a similarly-named Cossack outpost in the area. In the late 1830s, coal deposits were discovered in the area, and the area was developed for coal mining. Shcherbynivskyi and neighboring villages were united into a village named ''Shcherbynivka'', which became part of Bakhmut uezd.

In 1869, the Kursk-Kharkiv-Azov Railway was built, which passed near Shcherbynivka, significantly contributing to the economic development of the town.

20th century

Shcherbynivka changed hands several times during the Russian Civil War of 1917–1923, before eventually being captured by the Bolsheviks, who established the communist Soviet Union on much of the former territory of the Russian Empire. In 1936, Shcherbynivka was renamed to ''Dzerzhynsk'' after Felix Dzerzhinsky. Dzerzhinsky was the founder of the Cheka secret police in the USSR, and architect of the Red Terror. It also received city status. A local newspaper began being published in the town in September 1936.

During World War II, Dzerzhynsk was occupied by Nazi Germany from 22 October 1941 to 5 September 1943. During the occupation, the Germans killed 150 civilians and deported 1,460 for forced labor to Germany. The Germans operated a subcamp of the Stalag 378 prisoner-of-war camp in the town.

According to the 1989 Soviet census, Dzerzhynsk's population was 50,538 people.Дзержинск // Большой энциклопедический словарь (в 2-х тт.). / редколл., гл. ред. А. М. Прохоров. том 1. М., "Советская энциклопедия", 1991. стр.386

21st century

In the 2001 census, Dzerzhynsk's population was 43,371 and by 2013 had declined to 35,296 people.

Following the 2015 law on decommunization, the city council decided on 16 October 2015 to rename the city to Toretsk. The name was approved by the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian parliament) on 4 February 2016.Decommunisation continues: Rada renames several towns and villages
UNIAN (4 February 2016)

In August 2016, Toretsk mayor Volodymyr Sleptsov was arrested on separatism charges due to his ties to the Donetsk People's Republic in 2014; Serhiy Vinnyk became acting mayor.

In 2020, Toretsk became the center of Toretsk urban hromada within Bakhmut Raion, in accordance with nationwide administrative reforms.

Russo-Ukrainian War

= War in Donbas

=
Starting in mid-April 2014, during the beginning of the war in Donbas, Russia-backed paramilitaries captured several towns in Donetsk Oblast, including Dzerzhynsk. On 21 July, Ukrainian forces recaptured the city. As a result of the conflict, the city had its water supply cut multiple times during the war due to constant shelling by Russian-backed separatists, which prevented repairs as of November 2016.

= Russian invasion of Ukraine

=

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022, Russian forces advanced through Donetsk Oblast towards the city. Half of the pre-war population of 32,000 had fled the city by April 2022, and those that remained were impoverished and lacking in basic resources. Numerous civilians were killed as a result of Russian strikes. Toretsk civil-military administration head Vasyl Chynchyk announced in July 2023 that open-air markets in the city would be closed due to the extreme danger from Russian attacks. The administration continued slowly evacuating people westward. There had been no water or gas supply in a year and a half as of July 2023.

In June 2024, Toretsk came under increased Russian pressure, as part of a renewed campaign to capture the city and its surrounding villages. As of October, Russia fully or almost completely controls Toretsk's eastern outskirt settlements of Pivnichne, Zalizne, Druzhba, and Pivdenne, while also advancing into the center of Toretsk. By that time, Ukrainian military officials estimated the city population to have decreased to around 1,150. By January 2025, Russian forces controlled the urban area of Toretsk, with fighting ongoing around the city and its northern outskirts. Ukrainian forces indirectly admitted that most of the city was no longer controlled by Ukraine. On 7 February, Russia claimed that the city had been fully captured by its forces, although this was denied by Ukraine.

Economy

The industries of the city formerly included coal mining, the production of coke chemical, ceramics, and phenol.

Education

Toretsk had a mining tekhnikum, a music school, and a medical school.

Demographics

As of the 2001 Ukrainian census

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