Yampil (; ) is a

rural settlement The definition of a rural settlement depends on the country, in some countries, a rural settlement is any settlement in the areas defined as rural by a governmental office, e.g., by the national census bureau. This may include even rural towns. ...

Lyman urban hromada Lyman urban hromada () is a hromada of Ukraine, located in Kramatorsk Raion, Donetsk Oblast. Its administrative center is the city Lyman. It has an area of and a population of 41,066, as of 2020. The hromada contains 40 settlements: 1 city ( L ...

Kramatorsk Raion Kramatorsk Raion (; ) is a Raions of Ukraine, raion (district) of Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. It was created in July 2020 as part of the reform of administrative divisions of Ukraine. The center of the raion is the town of Kramatorsk. Population: ...

Donetsk Oblast Donetsk Oblast, also referred to as Donechchyna (, ), is an Oblasts of Ukraine, oblast in eastern Ukraine. It is Ukraine's most populous province, with around 4.1 million residents. Its capital city, administrative centre is Donetsk, though d ...

, eastern

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. It is located to the southeast of Lyman, lying north of local road T05-13. Previously, it was administered as part of Lyman Raion. It is also home to Yampil railway station.

History

Yampil's history is documented as early as 1665.Материалы для истории колонизации и быта Харьковской и отчасти Курской и Воронежской губ. / �. И. Багалей – Харьков: Тип. К. П. Счасни, 1890. - с. 148, 170 Historical records indicate that the lands of present-day Yampil belonged to the

Sviatohirsk Lavra The Holy Mountains Lavra of the Holy Dormition (, Sviatohirsk Lavra or the Sviatohirsk Cave Monastery) is a major Monastery#Orthodox Christian monasteries, Orthodox Christian monastery on the steep right bank of the Donets, Siverskyi Donets River ...

monastery, which was established under the protection of the settlements of , Repin

Yurt A yurt (from the Turkic languages) or ger (Mongolian language, Mongolian) is a portable, round tent covered and Thermal insulation, insulated with Hide (skin), skins or felt and traditionally used as a dwelling by several distinct Nomad, nomad ...

, and Khrestovskyi ( Raihorodok). These lands later came under the control of the Torsk and

Mayak The Mayak Production Association (, , from 'lighthouse') is one of the largest nuclear facilities in the Russian Federation, housing Production reactor, production reactors (''non'' electricity) and a reprocessing plant. The closest settlement ...

Cossacks The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic languages, East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borde ...

. A survey conducted in 1703 identified 117 Cossack yards associated with the

Izyum Izium or Izyum (, ; ) is a city on the Donets River in Kharkiv Oblast, eastern Ukraine that serves as the administrative center of Izium Raion and Izium urban hromada. It is about southeast of the city of Kharkiv, the oblast's administrative c ...

Cossack Regiment in Yampil. During this period, a chapel and a prayer house were constructed in the village. It is also likely that Pavlo Ruban served as the village head at that time. In 1712, Yampil was designated as an outpost for Russian imperial

dragoons Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...

tasked with guarding the Torsk

Bakhmut Bakhmut is a city in eastern Ukraine. It is officially the administrative center of Bakhmut urban hromada and Bakhmut Raion in Donetsk Oblast. The city is located on the Bakhmutka River, about north of Donetsk, the administrative center ...

salt works A salt evaporation pond is a shallow artificial salt pan designed to extract salts from sea water or other brines. The salt pans are shallow and expansive, allowing sunlight to penetrate and reach the seawater. Natural salt pans are formed throu ...

. In 1718, the village faced a devastating plague outbreak. The inhabitants, led by Yampil's priest Maxim, reached out to the monks of the Sviatohirsk Lavra for assistance. During the 1720s, severe flooding from 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 ...

caused significant damage, prompting the village to relocate to higher ground nearby. By 1729, this new settlement was referred to as "Old Village," as it was situated near where the Repin Yurt monastery had once stood. In 1729, a

fortress A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...

was constructed in Yampil, complete with a powder cellar and cannons. However, during Catherine II's reign, this fortress was dismantled. When Emperor

Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon from 495 to 454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Alexander I Theopator Euergetes, surnamed Balas, ruler of the Seleucid Empire 150-145 BC * Pope Alex ...

ascended to the throne in 1801, all military equipment, including cannons, was removed from Yampil. After the abolition of the in 1765 and the establishment of the

Kharkov Governorate Kharkov Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit (''guberniya'') of the Russian Empire founded in 1835. It embraced the historical region of Sloboda Ukraine. From 1765 to 1780 and from 1796 to 1835 the governorate was called Sloboda Uk ...

, Yampil became part of the

Izyumsky Uyezd Izyumsky Uyezd (; ) was one of the subdivisions of the Kharkov Governorate of the Russian Empire. It was situated in the southeastern part of the governorate. Its administrative centre was Izium (Izyum). Demographics At the time of the Russian Em ...

within this province. The village narrowly escaped a

cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...

outbreak in 1831, which claimed only five lives. However, in 1833, a significant bread crop failure led to famine among residents. Cholera returned in 1847 and 1848, resulting in 26 deaths. In 1848, cattle disease devastated local farms, and

scurvy Scurvy is a deficiency disease (state of malnutrition) resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, fatigue, and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, anemia, decreased red blood cells, gum d ...

also affected Yampil in 1849, causing five deaths among non-locals. In 1938, Yampil was officially classified as an

urban-type settlement Urban-type settlement, abbreviated: ; , abbreviated: ; ; ; ; . is an official designation for lesser urbanized settlements, used in several Central and Eastern Europe, Central and Eastern European countries. The term was primarily used in the So ...

.Українська радянська енциклопедія : у 12 т. / гол. ред. М. П. Бажан ; редкол.: О. К. Антонов та ін. — 2-ге вид. — К. : Головна редакція УРЕ, 1974–1985.

Russo-Ukrainian War

On June 19, 2014, the

Armed Forces of Ukraine The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are the Military, military forces of Ukraine. All military and security forces, including the Armed Forces, are under the command of the president of Ukraine and subject to oversight by a permanent Verkhovna Rad ...

reportedly secured the settlement from pro-Russian separatists during the

war in Donbas The war in Donbas, or the Donbas war, was a phase of the Russo-Ukrainian War in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine. The war Timeline of the war in Donbas (2014), began in April 2014, when Russian separatist forces in Ukraine, Russian para ...

On April 28, 2022, the town was occupied by Russia as part of its invasion of Ukraine during the battle of Donbas. On September 30, during the second battle of Lyman in the Kharkiv counteroffensive, the town was liberated by the 214 Separate Rifle Battalion of the SOF and

103rd Territorial Defense Brigade The 103rd Territorial Defense Brigade named after Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky () is a military formation of the Territorial Defense Forces (Ukraine), Territorial Defense Forces of Ukraine. It is part of Operational Command West. The brigade pa ...

. The town succumbed heavy shelling by the Russian forces, even after the town was liberated, with apparently not a single building left undamaged. As a result, several inhabitants got killed and wounded. As of 2024 the town still is subjected to shelling by the Russians.Friday, 15 March 2024, Anthony Borden
Holding on in the Magical Forest
The Institute for War & Peace Reporting

Demographics

According to the census of 1762, there were 350 male residents in the village. In 1750, there were 450 men and 405 women. In 1790, there were 1,364 men and 1,475 women. In 1810, there were 1710 men and 1733 women. In 1830, there were 1,090 men and 1,200 women. In 1850, there were 1170 men and 1248 women. In 1970, there were 3100 inhabitants. In 2001, there were 2,302 residents.

Language

Distribution of the population by native language according to

2001 Ukrainian census The 2001 Ukrainian census is to date the only census of the population of independent Ukraine. It was conducted by the State Statistics Committee of Ukraine on 5 December 2001, twelve years after the last Soviet Union census in 1989.Philaret Gumilevsky, most likely there was a chapel there. In 1718, the village already had its own priest named Maxim. By order of 1724 year, it was allowed to build the Mykolaiv Church in Yampil. It is unknown whether there was a church in the village before that, or whether the

parishioners A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

were content with a chapel with a priest. In 1725, Yampil already had its own, Mykolaiv Church, whose priest was ordained, at the request of the parishioners, Athanasius Pavlov (in 1744 he transferred to the Khotmyzhsk monastery). In 1731, as a result of the request of

sotnik Sotnik or sotnyk (; ; ) was a military rank among the Cossack starshyna (military officers), the Russian ''streltsy'' and Cossack cavalry, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, the Ukrainian Galician Army, and the Ukrainian People's Army. Administrative ...

Stepan Gukovsky with the foreman, and priest Athanasius Pavlov, it was allowed to move the Polish Mykolaiv Church to a new place, in the "Old Village". Among the

who were brought to Yampol from all over the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

(Filaret calls them a "rabble"),

schism A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...

spread. For this, an imperial decree was issued from 11 August 1732 year, which was ordered to search for schismatics and bring their hiders to trial. In response to this, on February 17, 1733, priest Athanasius replied that there were 13 schismatic families in the village. The

Consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church *Consistor ...

demanded that schismatics be brought in for investigation. The schism remained in place, but already in 1858, there were no more schismatics in Yampil. In 1733,

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

issued an

antimins The antimins (from the Greek , ''Antimension'': "instead of the table"), is a special corporal required to be on the altar in many Eastern Christian liturgical traditions. It was originally used as a portable version of an altar. It is a rectang ...

to the church of St. Nicholas in Yampil. From 1745, Yakiv Luchynskyi became a priest. In 1798, a new church was built to replace the old one. The

iconostasis In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis () is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church (building), church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere withi ...

and other things came from the previous temple. Yampil belonged to the and was part of the fourth district Izyumsky Uyezd. In 1871, the wooden church of St. Nicholas was renovated.

Landmarks and infrastructure

School (Yampilʹsʹkyy Nvk)

Most of the towns children go to the Yampil educational complex ().
''School website:'' https://yampnvk2018.e-schools.info

Church

In the centre of the town stands the Tserkva Mykoly Chudotvortsya, an old orthodox church.

Railway

The towns railway station is important to the town and acts as logistical node. It was opened in 1911 by the North-Donetsk-Railway.

Ostrich farm

To the north of the town, there is a privately owned petting zoo, owned by Olga Mesha. Though, after the occupation by Russian forces most of the animals were dead and the farm is mostly destroyed. Reportedly, Russian soldiers had eaten some of the animal in the zoo, including a kangaroo and a bison. The zoo also housed ostriches, raccoons, rabbits, squirrels and a bear.

Lisove Namysto (Forest necklace) trail

Lisove Namysto () is a forestry and trail, was built in 2011 and is located near the ostrich farm. It was utterly destroyed by the Russian forces and requires rebuilding. ''Melody of the Forest Arboretum'' Melody of the Forest () is an

Arboretum An arboretum (: arboreta) is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees and shrubs of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, many modern arbor ...

and part of the Lisove Namysto trail.

Economy

The majority of the population works in the factories of the city Lyman. Yampil is known in the region as a place where strawberries are grown en masse, because the climate and sandy soils are the most favorable for this berry. During the season, dealers from the surrounding towns and districts gather for it, who then sell it in

, Lyman,

Soledar Soledar (, ; , ; ) is a destroyed city in Bakhmut Raion, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. Situated in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, the city was formerly highly important for its salt mining industry, from which its name Soledar is derived. The ...

and others. Close to the station is a large pine forest of Liman Forestry, which stretches from Lyman through Yampil to the next railway station .

Notable people

* (1971–2022) was a Ukrainian master

wood carver Wood carving (or woodcarving) is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ...

and teacher, a

sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a participant in the

Russian-Ukrainian War The Russo-Ukrainian War began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia Russian occupation of Crimea, occupied and Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, annexed Crimea from Ukraine. It then ...

who was not from Yampil but died during the battle for the town on 29 September, Honored Master of

Folk Art Folk art covers all forms of visual art made in the context of folk culture. Definitions vary, but generally the objects have practical utility of some kind, rather than being exclusively decorative art, decorative. The makers of folk art a ...

of Ukraine (2017), associate professor (2018).
Yampil-fsz-3-800x400

* "Yampil" was the name of a 12-year-old Asiatic black bear who was rescued from the ostrich farm. He was brought to the

Five Sisters Zoo Five Sisters Zoo is a privately owned zoological park located in Polbeth, West Calder. The zoo was founded by Brian and Shirley Curran and originally operated as an attraction within their garden centre on the same site. The zoo officially opened ...

West Calder West Calder (, ) is a village in the council area of West Lothian, Scotland, located four miles west of Livingston. Historically it is within the County of Midlothian. The village was an important centre in the oil shale industry in the 19th a ...

, Scotland after a short stay in Belgium. In his new home he died after an anaesthetic procedure. This was due to him suffering a head trauma in Ukraine.

References

{{Authority control Rural settlements in Kramatorsk Raion Lyman urban hromada