Izium

{{stack|File:Monomakh-Ihor sign.JPG}}

The area that is now Izium has been inhabited since ancient times. Archeologists have discovered remnants of Mesolithic settlements from the 13th- to 6th-century BC, and Neolithic settlements from the fifth- to third-century BC. These finds include ceramic implements and flint tools.{{Cite book |last=Залізняк |first=Л. Л. |date=2011 |title=Ізюмські стоянки |volume=11 |url=https://esu.com.ua/article-13870 |access-date=2023-10-26 |publisher=Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine |isbn=9789660220744 |language=Ukrainian}} The "Bondarisi" archeological tract near Izium gives its name to the Bondarikha culture.

The territory was later part of the ancient East Slavic state Kievan Rus. In the 12th century AD Kievan Rus began to disintegrate, leading to increased incursions by Cuman nomads. In the year 1111, the territory that is now modern Izium was the site of the {{ill|Battle of the Salnytsia River|uk|Битва на Сальниці}}, in which the East Slavs, led by Vladimir II Monomakh and Sviatopolk II of Kiev, defeated a Cuman army on the {{ill|Salnytsia (river)|lt=Salnytsia|ru|Сальница (летописная река)}} river. The larger {{ill|Cuman-Russian Wars|ru|Русско-половецкие войны|lt=conflict between the East Slavs and the Cumans}} continued until the early 13th century. The area around Izium was devastated in the 1240s by the Mongol Empire and its invasion of the already collapsing Kievan Rus.

Settlement of the region by Slavs did not resume until the late 15th century, after the creation of a new centralized East Slavic state in the form of the Principality of Moscow, more intensified settlement took place on the banks of the Donets river. As the Principality of Moscow evolved into the Tsardom of Russia, there was an effort to secure the southern border of the East Slavic lands, to stop the "devastating" attacks by the Crimean Tatars. The Izium Trail, one of the branches of the Muravsky Trail, was a warpath of the Crimeans in the area in the 16th and 17th centuries before the official founding of the city, passing near the future location of Izium.{{Cite web |title=ІЗЮМСЬКИЙ ШЛЯХ |url=http://resource.history.org.ua/cgi-bin/eiu/history.exe?&I21DBN=EIU&P21DBN=EIU&S21STN=1&S21REF=10&S21FMT=eiu_all&C21COM=S&S21CNR=20&S21P01=0&S21P02=0&S21P03=TRN=&S21COLORTERMS=0&S21STR=Izjumsky_shljakh |access-date=2023-10-26 |website=resource.history.org.ua}}

In response, Muscovy built fortifications in the Sloboda Ukraine region, like the {{ill|Belgorod line|ru|Белгородская черта}} (1635–1658) and the {{ill|Izium line|uk|Ізюмська лінія}} (1679–80), causing the Izium Trail to fall into disuse and easing invader pressure on Muscovy's border. In 1681, a fortress named Izium was built by the Kharkiv Sloboda Cossack Regiment within a small settlement on the location of Izium. This is generally regarded as the foundation date of Izium.Изюм // Большая Советская Энциклопедия. / редколл., гл. ред. Б. А. Введенский. 2-е изд. том 17. М., Государственное научное издательство «Большая Советская энциклопедия», 1952. стр.522Изюм // Украинская Советская Энциклопедия. том 4. Киев, «Украинская Советская энциклопедия», 1980. стр.231

The origin of the name "Izium" is uncertain. It may originate from a Turkic-language word "huzun", meaning "a crossing", or from the {{ill|Mokryi Iziumets|uk|Мокрий Ізюмець}} (also simply Iziumets) river that the city was built on the banks of, or from a Tatar word "izzun" meaning "long", or "elongated". According to historical materials, it is likely that a Tatar settlement existed on nearby {{ill|Kremenets (Izium)|lt=Mount Kremenets|uk|Кременець (Ізюм)}} as early as the 14th century, which makes it likely that the name of the town has some sort of Tatar origin.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mQ4aAQAAIAAJ |title=Linhvistychni studiï |date=2000 |publisher=Donetsk State University |language=uk |page=191}} In Ukrainian and Russian, the town's name is spelled the exact same way as the word for "raisin",{{Cite news |date=2023-09-16 |title=Ukraine: The stigma of Izium, one year after being freed from Russian occupation |language=en |work=Le Monde.fr |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/en/europe/article/2023/09/16/ukraine-the-stigma-of-izium-one-year-after-being-freed-from-russian-occupation_6136571_143.html |access-date=2023-10-26}} but historian V. V. Markin argues that this is a coincidence, and any connection to a supposed Turkic word meaning "raisin" is false etymology. Markin notes that it would have probably been impossible to grow grapes in the area, making such a name illogical, and argues that such a word "huzun" meaning "raisin" does not exist in any Turkic language.

Izium grew to be an important defense against Tatar invasions of the region. In 1684, Izium's Transfiguration Cathedral was built. Starting in 1685, Izium served as the seat of the {{ill|Izium Regiment|uk|Ізюмський полк}} within Sloboda Ukraine Governorate.

Residents of Izium took part in the Bulavin Rebellion of 1707-1708. On 7 October 1707, not far from Izium, a detachment of salt workers from Bakhmut and Cossacks led by Kondraty Bulavin defeated a Tsarist punitive expedition heading to Bakhmut. In summer 1708, Bulavin sent a squad to Izium, but this was defeated by the Tsarist authorities, and the rebellion overall ended in defeat. In 1708, due to the 1708 Russian administrative reform, Izium was assigned to Azov Governorate. In 1718, it was reassigned to Belgorod Province inside Kiev Governorate.

File:Собор Пребраження Господнього. Ізюм. Sobor Prebraženńa Hospodńoho. Iźum.png

In 1765, after the Izium Regiment was converted into a regular Russian hussar regiment as part of the abolition of the Cossack system in Sloboda Ukraine, Izium received city status and was assigned to Sloboda Ukraine Governorate of the recently-proclaimed Russian Empire.{{Cite web |title=Ізюм, Ізюмський район, Харківська область |url=https://ukrssr.com.ua/khark/izyumskiy/izyum-izyumskiy |access-date=2023-10-25 |website=Історія міст і сіл Української РСР |language=uk}} Starting in 1780, Izium was the administrative center of Izyumsky Uyezd. Izyumsky Uyezd was originally a subdivision of Kharkov Viceroyalty in 1780, but was transferred to the reformed Sloboda Ukraine Governorate in 1796.

In 1809, construction began on Saint Nicholas's church in Izium. Construction was finished in 1823, and today the church is one of Izium's most notable architectural features. In 1835, Izyumsky Uyezd was transferred again, this time to Kharkov Governorate.

By the 18th and 19th centuries, Izium was considered one of the largest economic centers in the Sloboda Ukraine region. By the 1880s, factories producing bricks, vodka, butter, lard, and wax operated in Izium.{{Cite web |title=ІЗЮМ |url=http://resource.history.org.ua/cgi-bin/eiu/history.exe?&I21DBN=EIU&P21DBN=EIU&S21STN=1&S21REF=10&S21FMT=eiu_all&C21COM=S&S21CNR=20&S21P01=0&S21P02=0&S21P03=TRN=&S21COLORTERMS=0&S21STR=Izjum |access-date=2023-10-26 |website=resource.history.org.ua}} By 1884, the city's main exports were wool, sold to Kharkiv and Poltava, and building materials sold to Taganrog. It had a population of 14,761 people.{{cite book|author= |title=Słownik geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów słowiańskich, Tom III|year=1882|language=pl|location=Warszawa|page=336|url=http://dir.icm.edu.pl/pl/Slownik_geograficzny/Tom_III/}}

In 1910, the Kharkiv-Donbas railway that passed through the city was built. In 1916, in accordance with an edict by Tsar Nicholas II, the construction of an optical glass plant began in Izium. This was the first optical glass plant to be built in the Russian Empire.{{Cite book |last=Проскурний |first=В. П. |date=2011 |title=Ізюмський казенний приладобудівний завод |volume=11 |url=https://esu.com.ua/article-13864 |access-date=2023-10-26 |publisher=Інститут енциклопедичних досліджень НАН України |isbn=9789660220744 |language=Ukrainian}}

File:Пам'ятник генерал-лейтенанта П.В. Волоха.JPG

Izium changed hands several times during the Russian Civil War between 1918 and 1920, before finally being taken by the victorious Bolsheviks, who established the Soviet Union on the territory of the former Russian Empire. In 1923, Izium became the administrative center of the newly formed {{ill|Izium Okruha|uk|Ізюмська округа}} inside the Ukrainian SSR. In 1930, in accordance with republic-wide abolition of the okruha system in the Ukrainian SSR, Izium Okruha was abolished and replaced with Izium Raion, which was subordinated directly to the federal government of Soviet Ukraine. In 1932, Izium and Izium Raion were assigned to the newly created Kharkiv Oblast of the Ukrainian SSR. Izium was incorporated as a city of oblast significance; while Izium served as the administrative center of the raion, it did not belong to it, being subordinated directly to Kharkiv Oblast.

Izium suffered under the repressions of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. As a result of the Holodomor, a manmade famine in Soviet Ukraine between 1932 and 1933, 2,761 people from Izium are documented to have died.

During World War II, Izium was the site of numerous important battles. A Red Army salient was cut off by counterattacking German forces during the Second Battle of Kharkiv and was eliminated in one of the most expensive learning errors for the Red Army.[https://books.google.com/books?id=fYraAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA60 The Second World War on the Eastern Front] by Lee Baker, Routledge, 2009, {{ISBN|9781405840637}} (page 60) Izium was occupied by the German Army starting on 24 June 1942. The Germans operated a Nazi prison in the city.{{cite web|url=https://www.bundesarchiv.de/zwangsarbeit/haftstaetten/index.php?action=2.2&tab=7&id=753|title=Gefängnis Izjum|website=Bundesarchiv.de|access-date=18 September 2022|language=de}} Izium was liberated by the Red Army on 5 February 1943.{{Cite web |title=Ізюм, Ізюмський район, Харківська область (продовження) |url=https://ukrssr.com.ua/khark/izyumskiy/izyum-izyumskiy-2 |access-date=2023-10-25 |website=Історія міст і сіл Української РСР |language=uk}} In mid-March 1943, German troops attacked Izium again, but were unsuccessful, according to Soviet sources. There were more clashes near the city in summer 1943, during the Izyum–Barvenkovo offensive. Soviet Lieutenant General {{ill|Pyotr Volokh|ru|Волох, Пётр Васильевич}}, commander of the {{ill|18th Mechanized Corps (Soviet Union)|lt=18th Mechanized Corps|ru|18-й механизированный корпус}} that fought on the Izium bridgehead, died in combat in the southern outskirts of the city. On 13 September 1950, after the end of the war, a monument to Volokh was unveiled in Izium. Until 2022, there was also a street named after Volokh.

Izium's population grew rapidly in the 20th century due to its importance as a junction between Kharkiv and the Donbas.{{cite encyclopedia | url=http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pagesI%5CZ%5CIzium | title=Izium |encyclopedia=Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine}} In January 1989 the population was 64,334 people, up from 12,000 in 1926.{{Cite web|url=http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng89_reg2.php|title=Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей.|website=www.demoscope.ru|accessdate=Sep 11, 2022}}Изюм // Большой энциклопедический словарь (в 2-х тт.). / редколл., гл. ред. А. М. Прохоров. том 1. М., "Советская энциклопедия", 1991. стр.481

During the 2010 Ukrainian presidential election, more than 85% of people in Izium voted for Victor Yanukovych. In January 2013, Izium's population was 51,511 people.{{Cite web |url=http://database.ukrcensus.gov.ua/PXWEB2007/ukr/publ_new1/2013/sb_nnas_2012.pdf |title=Чисельність наявного населення України на 1 січня 2013 року. Державна служба статистики України. Київ, 2013. стор.96 |access-date=2019-07-16 |archive-date=2013-10-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012013028/http://database.ukrcensus.gov.ua/PXWEB2007/ukr/publ_new1/2013/sb_nnas_2012.pdf |url-status=dead }}

File:MAZ-537, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Izium, 2014.jpgs in Izium, October 2014]]

Deutsche Welle (DW) reported in April 2014 that during the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine, there was only one attempt to hoist the Russian flag on any government buildings in Izium. Many of the people who had voted for Yanukovych in 2010 still supported him amidst the Euromaidan protests that ousted him. Most of the people DW interviewed supported some kind of federalization of Ukraine, or united Ukraine, and did not support the idea of joining the Russian Federation. A local government official said that out of the approximately 50,000 inhabitants, Izium had "a maximum of 200 active pro-Russian people".{{Cite news |title=Сможет ли Украина остановить сепаратизм на востоке страны? – DW – 25.04.2014 |language=ru |url=https://www.dw.com/ru/%D1%81%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%B6%D0%B5%D1%82-%D0%BB%D0%B8-%D1%83%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%82%D1%8C-%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%BF%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B7%D0%BC-%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BA%D0%B5-%D1%81%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%8B/a-17591398 |access-date=2023-10-26}}

Izium was the site of sporadic fighting during the beginning of the war in Donbas in 2014. The Sloviansk-Izium highway was referred to as the "highway of death" by locals during the summer of 2014 due to constant shelling from pro-Russian separatists. Izium was seen as an important link between separatist-held Sloviansk and Kharkiv, which also had active pro-Russian movements, and there were fears that separatists would move in that direction. During Ukraine's Siege of Sloviansk to reclaim it from the separatists, Izium was used as a base for operations by the Ukrainian military.{{Cite news |last1=Williams |first1=Carol J. |last2=Loiko |first2=Sergei L. |date=2014-07-11 |title=In eastern Ukraine, separatist rocket attacks, bus ambush kill 30 |language=en-US |url=https://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-ukraine-russia-rocket-attack-20140711-story.html |access-date=2023-10-26}} Large-scale fighting in the proximity of Izium halted once Ukrainian forces liberated Sloviansk in July 2014.{{cite web |title=Дорога смерти Изюм – Славянск: как это было |url=http://sprotyv.info/ru/news/kiev/doroga-smerti-izyum-slavyansk-kak-eto-bylo-video |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180624035918/http://sprotyv.info/ru/news/kiev/doroga-smerti-izyum-slavyansk-kak-eto-bylo-video |archive-date=2018-06-24 |access-date=2015-08-10 |publisher=Information Resistance}}

On 30 September 2014, a monument to Vladimir Lenin in Izium was destroyed by unknown persons. This came as part of a larger trend of demolition of monuments to Vladimir Lenin in Ukraine.{{cite news|url=http://www.radiosvoboda.org/content/article/26614069.html|title=На Харківщині зруйнували ще одного Леніна|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112212256/http://www.radiosvoboda.org/content/article/26614069.html|archive-date=12 November 2014|work=Radio Svoboda|date=30 September 2014}} To comply with nationwide decommunization laws enacted in 2016, the local "Lenin Square" was renamed "John Lennon Square" in February 2016.[http://uatoday.tv/society/not-back-to-the-ussr-beatles-star-john-lennon-gets-a-street-named-after-him-in-ukraine-602740.html Not Back in the USSR! Beatles star John Lennon gets a street named after him in Ukraine], Ukraine Today (2 March 2016)
[http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2015/05/15/7068057/ Poroshenko signed the laws about decomunization]. Ukrayinska Pravda. 15 May 2015
[http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/265988.html Poroshenko signs laws on denouncing Communist, Nazi regimes], Interfax-Ukraine. 15 May 20
[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32267075 Goodbye, Lenin: Ukraine moves to ban communist symbols], BBC News (14 April 2015)

{{ill|Izium urban hromada|uk|Ізюмська міська громада}} was formed on 14 June 2019, as an amalgamated hromada with its administrative center in Izium by uniting the {{ill|Izium city council|uk|Ізюмська міська рада}} with a nearby village council.{{Cite web |title=Потреби внутрішньо переміщених осіб: в Ізюмській міській об'єднаній територіальній громаді Харківської області |url=https://rm.coe.int/survey-results/16809f43db |page=12 |language=uk |quote=Ізюмська міська об’єднана територіальна громада створена 14 червня 2019 року. У складі громади місто Ізюм, яке є центром, та села Кам’янка, Синичено, Суха Кам’янка, Тихоцьке.}} On 12 June 2020, the hromada was expanded to include several other local councils, and, along with all other amalgamated hromadas in the country, was converted into a plain hromada.{{Cite web |title=Про визначення адміністративних центрів та затвердження територій територіальних громад Харківської області |url=https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/go/725-2020-%D1%80 |access-date=2023-10-26 |website=Офіційний вебпортал парламенту України |language=uk}} On 18 July 2020, the city of Izium, along with the rest of the hromada, was subordinated to Izium Raion, as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine. The area of Izium Raion was also significantly expanded to include the area of several other raions, which reduced the number of raions of Kharkiv Oblast to seven.{{Cite news|title=Про утворення та ліквідацію районів. Постанова Верховної Ради України № 807-ІХ.|url=http://www.golos.com.ua/article/333466|access-date=2020-10-03|date=2020-07-18|website=Голос України|language=uk}}{{cite web |title=Нові райони: карти + склад |url=https://www.minregion.gov.ua/press/news/novi-rajony-karty-sklad/ |publisher=Міністерство розвитку громад та територій України |language=Ukrainian}}

{{Further info|Battle of Izium|2022 Kharkiv counteroffensive|Izium mass graves}}

File:3 Khlibozavodska Street, Izium (2023-08-01) 01.jpg

During the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia began trying to take Izium in March 2022, beginning the battle of Izium. Its importance as a rail hub made it an important target for the invading Russian military.{{Cite web |title=Bombed Out and Occupied |url=https://humanrightsfirst.org/library/bombed-out-and-occupied-russias-invasion-of-izyum/ |access-date=2023-10-26 |website=Human Rights First |language=en-US}} On 9 March, Russian forces used a large airborne munition on a civilian apartment building in Izium, killing at least 44 civilians in what Human Rights Watch called one of the deadliest attacks on civilians during the war.{{Cite web |date=2023-03-22 |title=Ukraine: Izium Apartment Victims Need Justice | work=Human Rights Watch |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/03/22/ukraine-izium-apartment-victims-need-justice |access-date=2023-10-26 |language=en}}

Russia gained control over Izium on 1 April 2022.{{cite web|url=https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-april-1|access-date=25 October 2023|title=RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, APRIL 1|date=1 April 2022}} Russian soldiers used the "Lyceum No. 2" school as a base. The director of the school was one of the residents of Izium accused of collaborating with Russia, and would later be put on trial in Kharkiv by Ukraine after the end of occupation. On 3 April 2022, the Ukrainian government stated that two Russian soldiers were killed and 28 others hospitalized after Ukrainian civilians handed out poisoned cakes to Russian soldiers of the Russian 3rd Motor Rifle Division in Izium.{{Cite web|url = https://thehill.com/policy/international/3257737-two-russian-soldiers-killed-28-in-hospital-after-being-poisoned-by-ukrainian-civilians-officials/|title = Two Russian soldiers killed, 28 in hospital after being poisoned by Ukrainian civilians: Officials|date = 3 April 2022|access-date = 27 April 2022|archive-date = 3 April 2022|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220403210618/https://thehill.com/policy/international/3257737-two-russian-soldiers-killed-28-in-hospital-after-being-poisoned-by-ukrainian-civilians-officials/|url-status = live}}{{cite news |last1=Cook |first1=Pip |title=Putin's army mocked after Ukrainian pie poisoning of Russian soldiers |url=https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1590887/putin-news-russian-army-mocked-ukraine-pie-poisoning |access-date=15 April 2022 |publisher=Express |date=4 April 2022 |archive-date=8 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408221201/https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1590887/putin-news-russian-army-mocked-ukraine-pie-poisoning |url-status=live }} In May 2022, Russian forces attempted to cross the Siverskyi Donets River and advance south. According to the British Ministry of Defense, Ukrainian forces rebuffed the attempted river crossing with substantial Russian losses.{{cite news |author1=Marc Santora |title=Ukraine decimated Russian forces trying to cross a river in the east, Britain's defense ministry says. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/13/world/europe/ukraine-russian-forces-pontoon-bridges-river.html |access-date=May 17, 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=May 13, 2022}} Residents of Izium said they were imprisoned, and tortured by Russian soldiers during the occupation. The June 2022 shooting of Andrii Bohomaz by Russian soldiers in Izium during the occupation was featured in Lubomir Levitski's documentary Follow Me.{{Cite web |date=2023-03-22 |title=Ægtepar drejede forkert ved frontlinjen - nu er optagelse blevet vigtigt bevis - TV 2 |url=https://nyheder.tv2.dk/udland/2023-03-21-aegtepar-drejede-forkert-ved-frontlinjen-nu-er-optagelse-blevet-vigtigt-bevis |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322155802/https://nyheder.tv2.dk/udland/2023-03-21-aegtepar-drejede-forkert-ved-frontlinjen-nu-er-optagelse-blevet-vigtigt-bevis |archive-date=2023-03-22 |access-date=2023-03-22 |website=TV 2 (Denmark) |language=da-DK}}{{Cite web |last=Agapiou |first=Gina |date=24 Feb 2023 |title=Protests and events in Cyprus to mark one year since Russia's invasion of Ukraine |url=https://cyprus-mail.com/2023/02/24/protests-and-events-in-cyprus-to-mark-one-year-since-russias-invasion-of-ukraine/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304005313/https://cyprus-mail.com/2023/02/24/protests-and-events-in-cyprus-to-mark-one-year-since-russias-invasion-of-ukraine/ |archive-date=2023-03-04 |access-date=2023-03-22 |website=Cyprus Mail |language=en-GB}}

Ukraine began a counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region in early September 2022, during which Izium was liberated. During the frantic Russian retreat, the Russian soldiers "completely gutted" the school that served as their base, looting "anything of possible value", including water heaters and small sinks from each classroom. After Ukrainian troops secured the liberated city, local police officers found mass graves of 440 bodies in Izium.{{Cite news |last1=Kramer |first1=Andrew E. |last2=Santora |first2=Marc |date=2022-09-16 |title=Mass Grave With 440 Bodies Found in Izium, Ukraine Says |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/09/16/world/ukraine-russia-war |access-date=2022-09-16 |issn=0362-4331}} According to city officials, by the end of the occupation, more than 80% of the city's infrastructure was destroyed; about 70% of multi-storey buildings are destroyed. The city administration estimates that all in all, about 1,000 people lost their lives under the Russian occupation.{{cite web | url=https://www.moscowtimes.ru/2022/09/16/oon-napravit-sledovatelei-na-mesta-massovih-zahoronenii-v-izyume-a24356 | title=ООН направит следователей на места массовых захоронений в Изюме | date=16 September 2022 }}

In December 2022, Izium decided to rename 22 street names in the city that previously held names affiliated with communism and with Russia. Among others, the street named after Pyotr Volokh was renamed to honor Hetman Pavlo Polubotok.{{cite news |first=Roman|last=Petrenko|title=У звільненому Ізюмі з'явилася вулиця Бандери|trans-title=Bandera Street appeared in the liberated Izium|url=https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2022/12/3/7379110/|website=Ukrayinska Pravda |date=3 December 2022|access-date=3 December 2022|language=uk}}

Unexploded ordnance has posed a major threat to Izium's population, even months after the battle. In March 2023, a local doctor said that on average, the hospital received a person with wounds from landmines every week.{{Cite news |date=2023-03-06 |title=In liberated Ukraine city, civilians still pay price of war |language=en |url=https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-izium-land-mines-kharkiv-aec1fb4de0914cc01eb6db12e33d4a9c |access-date=2023-10-26}} In September 2023, a year after the end of Russian occupation, Izium was still scarred and its people traumatized by war. Most of the city's schools were destroyed in the battles, and were planned to open by the start of 2024, so most students had to attend through online school technology. The hospital still bore heavy damage from a missile strike, and urgent surgeries were held in a "small, dank room in the basement" due to fear of Shahed drone attacks. One resident said, "People still haven’t recovered from this psychological trauma[.] This feeling of total fear that came with the occupation — it hasn’t disappeared."{{Cite news |last1=Hopkins |first1=Valerie |last2=Pinchuk |first2=Dzvinka |last3=Ducke |first3=Emile |date=2023-09-29 |title=Russian Forces Left This City a Year Ago. The Scars Remain. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/29/world/europe/ukraine-russia-izium.html |access-date=2023-10-25 |issn=0362-4331}}

File:Polovtsian babas on Mount Kremenets after Russian shelling (02).jpg

Izium is located at the foot of the {{ill|Kremenets (Izium)|lt=Kremenets|uk|Кременець (Ізюм)}} Mountain, on the right bank of the Donets river. On top of the mountain, there are several ancient Polovtsian (Cuman) stone statues known as "stone babas", dating from the ninth- to the thirteenth-century. The statues were heavily damaged during the battle of Izium in 2022, with one being completely destroyed.{{Cite news |last1=Oliphant |first1=Roland |last2=Simmonds |first2=Julian |date=2022-10-03 |title=Izyum's ancient guardians fall victim to Russia's assault |language=en-GB |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/10/03/izyums-ancient-guardians-fall-victim-russias-assault/ |access-date=2023-10-26 |issn=0307-1235}}{{Cite news |date=2022-09-21 |title=Ukrainian stone statues—likened to Easter Island's Moai—destroyed during Russian invasion |url=https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2022/09/21/ukrainian-stone-statueslikened-to-easter-islands-moaidestroyed-during-russian-invasion |access-date=2023-10-26}}

The Köppen climate classification subtype for this climate is "Dfb", warm summer continental climate.{{Cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=51443&cityname=Izyum,+Ukraine&units=|title=Izyum, Ukraine Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)|website=www.weatherbase.com|accessdate=Sep 11, 2022}}

{{Weather box

|location = Izium (1981–2010, extremes 1949–2011)

|single line = Yes

|metric first = Yes

|Jan record high C = 13.1

|Feb record high C = 16.3

|Mar record high C = 24.0

|Apr record high C = 31.0

|May record high C = 36.7

|Jun record high C = 38.9

|Jul record high C = 39.1

|Aug record high C = 39.4

|Sep record high C = 34.4

|Oct record high C = 31.1

|Nov record high C = 22.0

|Dec record high C = 20.0

|year record high C = 39.4

|Jan high C = -1.9

|Feb high C = -1.2

|Mar high C = 5.0

|Apr high C = 14.7

|May high C = 21.6

|Jun high C = 25.1

|Jul high C = 27.4

|Aug high C = 26.8

|Sep high C = 20.6

|Oct high C = 12.9

|Nov high C = 4.3

|Dec high C = -0.7

|year high C = 12.9

|Jan mean C = -4.1

|Feb mean C = -4.0

|Mar mean C = 1.3

|Apr mean C = 9.5

|May mean C = 15.6

|Jun mean C = 19.5

|Jul mean C = 21.5

|Aug mean C = 20.1

|Sep mean C = 14.4

|Oct mean C = 8.0

|Nov mean C = 1.6

|Dec mean C = -2.9

|year mean C = 8.4

|Jan low C = -6.9

|Feb low C = -7.2

|Mar low C = -2.2

|Apr low C = 4.5

|May low C = 10.2

|Jun low C = 14.3

|Jul low C = 16.0

|Aug low C = 14.9

|Sep low C = 9.9

|Oct low C = 4.4

|Nov low C = -1.3

|Dec low C = -5.7

|year low C = 4.2

|Jan record low C = -35.0

|Feb record low C = -36.1

|Mar record low C = -29.7

|Apr record low C = -9.0

|May record low C = -2.8

|Jun record low C = 1.1

|Jul record low C = 3.0

|Aug record low C = 1.1

|Sep record low C = -6.7

|Oct record low C = -17.0

|Nov record low C = -22.6

|Dec record low C = -33.2

|year record low C = -36.1

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 47.9

|Feb precipitation mm = 43.3

|Mar precipitation mm = 44.0

|Apr precipitation mm = 37.9

|May precipitation mm = 48.3

|Jun precipitation mm = 62.8

|Jul precipitation mm = 58.8

|Aug precipitation mm = 38.2

|Sep precipitation mm = 48.9

|Oct precipitation mm = 43.0

|Nov precipitation mm = 46.0

|Dec precipitation mm = 46.2

|year precipitation mm = 565.3

|Jan humidity = 84.9

|Feb humidity = 81.8

|Mar humidity = 77.3

|Apr humidity = 67.5

|May humidity = 64.9

|Jun humidity = 68.2

|Jul humidity = 68.2

|Aug humidity = 67.5

|Sep humidity = 73.4

|Oct humidity = 79.2

|Nov humidity = 85.1

|Dec humidity = 85.5

|year humidity = 75.3

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

|Jan precipitation days = 10.4

|Feb precipitation days = 8.8

|Mar precipitation days = 8.4

|Apr precipitation days = 7.0

|May precipitation days = 7.2

|Jun precipitation days = 8.5

|Jul precipitation days = 7.5

|Aug precipitation days = 5.2

|Sep precipitation days = 6.7

|Oct precipitation days = 6.5

|Nov precipitation days = 7.7

|Dec precipitation days = 9.2

|year precipitation days = 93.1

|source 1 = World Meteorological Organization{{cite web

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210717143555/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1981-2010/RA-VI/Ukraine/12.6.%20WMO_Normals_Excel_Template%20%282%29.xls

| archive-date = 17 July 2021

| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1981-2010/RA-VI/Ukraine/12.6.%20WMO_Normals_Excel_Template%20(2).xls

| title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1981–2010

| publisher = World Meteorological Organization

| access-date = 18 July 2021}}

|source 2 = Climatebase.ru (extremes)

{{cite web

| url = http://climatebase.ru/station/34415/?lang=en

| title = Izmium, Ukraine Climate data (Period supervision: 1949–2011)

| publisher = Climatebase

| access-date = April 6, 2015}}

|date=May 2013

}}

The factories of Izium produce optical equipment, mechanical components, concrete products, building materials, and foodstuffs. Other industries include railroad repair and brewing.

{{Historical populations

| title= Population census

| percentages = pagr

| 1884 |14761

| 1897 |24300

| 1926 |12000

| 1989 |64334

| 2013 |51511

| 2022 |44979

}}

According to the 2001 Ukrainian census, the native languages of Izium residents were 74.22% Ukrainian, 23.77% Russian, and 2.01% other/undecided.{{cite web | url=https://socialdata.org.ua/projects/mova-2001/ | title=Рідні мови в об'єднаних територіальних громадах України }} The same census data concluded that over 80% of the city's population were ethnic Ukrainians and roughly 13% were Russians. Other significant minorities were Belarusians and Armenians. The exact ethnic composition was as follows:{{cite web|title=Національний склад міст за переписом 2001 року|url=https://datatowel.in.ua/pop-composition/ethnic-cities|language=uk}}

{{bar box|title=Ethnic groups in Izium|titlebar=#ddd|left1=|right1=percent|bars={{bar percent|Ukrainians|dodgerblue|83.57}}

{{bar percent|Russians|purple|13.36}}

{{bar percent|Armenians|brown|0.47}}

{{bar percent|Belarusians|red|0.42}}

{{bar percent|others|gray|0.24}}}}

Deutsche Welle, reporting in 2014, said that most of the people in Izium were ethnic Ukrainians, but the Russian language was the most common language of communication on the streets.

It is the second most populous city in Kharkiv Oblast behind the oblast center Kharkiv.{{Cite book |last=Махортова |first=О. В. |date=2011 |title=Ізюм |volume=11 |url=https://esu.com.ua/article-13859 |access-date=2023-10-26 |publisher=Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine |isbn=9789660220744 |language=Ukrainian}}

• Serhii Vasylkivsky (1854–1917), artist
• Denys Kulakov (born 1986), footballer

On April 17, 2023, Izium formed a Sister City partnership with Greenwich, Connecticut, USA.{{Cite web |date=April 17, 2023 |title=Greenwich officials, Ukrainian leaders meet to formalize sister city relationship with Izyum |url=https://connecticut.news12.com/greenwich-officials-ukrainian-leaders-meet-to-formalize-sister-city-relationship-with-izyum |access-date=2023-04-18 |website=News 12 - Connecticut}}

File:Izyum central square.jpg|Izium City Hall

File:Soborna, 6 (Izium).JPG|A historical building in Izium

File:Spartak cinema.JPG|The Spartak cinema

File:Церква Вознесіння (Ізюм) 2.JPG|The Ascension Church

File:Спасо-Преображенський собор, Ізюм (3).JPG|The Transfiguration Church

File:Izium Church.jpg|The Holy Cross Church

File:Криниця у Ізюмі.jpg|A holy well in Izium

File:Izium railway station.jpg|Izium railway station

{{reflist}}

• {{Commonscatinline}}
• {{in lang|en}} [http://ukrainian.su/goroda-kharkovskoy-oblasti/izyum-istoriya-goroda.html / History of the city] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513171850/http://ukrainian.su/goroda-kharkovskoy-oblasti/izyum-istoriya-goroda.html |date=2019-05-13 }}

{{Kharkiv Oblast}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1681 establishments in Ukraine

Category:Cities in Kharkiv Oblast

Category:Izyumsky Uezd

Category:Donets

Category:Cities of regional significance in Ukraine

Category:Cities and towns built in the Sloboda Ukraine

Category:Populated places established in 1681

Category:Populated places destroyed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine