Svitlodarsk
CountryUkraine
OblastDonetsk Oblast
RaionBakhmut Raion
Coordinates48°26′N 38°13′E
Population total11127
Population as of2022
Area total2.12 km²
Foundation1968
City rights1992
Elevation172 m
Postal code84792
Area code+380-6249
Government address84792, Донецька область, Бахмутський район, м. Світлодарськ, пр. Миру, 5
HromadaSvitlodarsk urban hromada

Svitlodarsk (Ukrainian: Світлодарськ, s⁽ʲ⁾witloˈdɑrsʲk; Russian: Светлодарск) is a city in Bakhmut Raion, Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. The city has a population of

It is an industrial town, built as the home for the Vuhlehirska power station.

During the war in Donbas that began in 2014, the city was near the frontline with the separatist Donetsk People's Republic.[1] Because of the conflict, the number of residents shrank to a few thousand by 2015.[1] In 2016, it was the site of the bloody battle of Svitlodarsk. It was a city of district significance until that designation was abolished in 2020.

On 24 May 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the city was captured by Russian forces as part of the battle of Donbas.[2]

Demographics

As of the Ukrainian national census in 2001, 13,203 people were residing in the city. Accounting for over 60% of the population, ethnic Ukrainians make up the majority of the local population, while almost 37% of the population claims to have a Russian background. The exact ethnic composition was as follows:[3]

In terms of languages, Svitlodarsk is predominantly Russian-speaking. Three out of four persons claimed to use Russian as their primary language, while the remaining quarter, with only very few exceptions, spoke Ukrainian as their first language. The exact lingual composition as of the Ukrainian Census of 2001 was:[4]

References

  1. ^ Ukraine forces in Svitlodarsk try to learn what's coming next in Russia's war, Kyiv Post (23 August 2015)
  2. ^ "Donetsk region: occupying forces capture Svitlodarsk". Yahoo News. 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  3. ^ "Національний склад міст"
  4. ^ ukrcensus.gov.ua