Luhansk Oblast

File:Lugansk province physical map.svg

Luhansk Oblast is in far eastern Ukraine. Its north–south length is 250 km, and east–west width 190 km. It covers an area of 26,700 km², 4.42% of the total area of Ukraine.

The oblast has the longest segment of Ukraine's international border with Russia among other regions (see State Border of Ukraine), consisting of {{convert |746|km|mi|abbr=on}}. The abutting Russian oblasts are Belgorod Oblast to the north, Voronezh Oblast to the northeast, Rostov Oblast to the east. Abutting Ukrainian oblasts are Kharkiv Oblast to the west, and Donetsk Oblast to the south.

The region is located in the valley of the Siversky Donets river, which flows west to east through the oblast and splits it approximately in half. The southern portion of the region is elevated by the Donetsk Ridge, which is close to the southern border. The highest point is Mohyla Mechetna ({{convert|367|m|ft|abbr=on}}), the highest point of Donetsk Ridge. The left bank of the Siversky Donets is part of the Starobilsk Plain. To the north this transforms into the Central Russian Upland.

{{recentism|date=January 2023}}

The territory was formerly part of the Wild Fields, and former administrative units in the territory of the current oblast included Sloboda Ukraine, Slavo-Serbia, Yekaterinoslav Governorate, Donets Governorate and Donetsk Oblast.

{{See also|Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic}}File:Don Cossacks monument Luhansk.JPG in Luhansk. "To the sons of glory and freedom", 2012]]

The oblast originated in 1938 as Voroshylovhrad (Russian: Voroshilovgrad) Oblast ({{Langx|uk|Ворошиловградська область|translit=Voroshylovhradska oblast}}) after the Donetsk Oblast was split between Voroshylovhrad and Stalino (today Donetsk Oblast) oblasts. Following the Soviet invasion of Poland, Starobilsk was the location of a prisoner of war camp for Poles, who were then massacred in the Katyn massacre in 1940. After the invasion by Nazi Germany in 1941, the region came under a German military administration, due to its proximity to frontlines. It was occupied at the end of 1942 as part of Case Blue German offensive directed towards Stalingrad.

Soon after the battle of Stalingrad, the Luhansk (at that time Voroshilovgrad in honor of Kliment Voroshilov) region again became the center of military operations during the Soviet counter-offensive operation Little Saturn in the spring of 1943. In the summer of 1943, the region was liberated from the Nazi Germany Armed Forces. During the Soviet era, the Oblast bore its current name between 1958 and 1970.

In the December 1991 referendum, 83.86% of votes in the oblast were in favor of the Declaration of Independence of Ukraine.

{{See also|Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine}}

On 8 April 2014, following the annexation of Crimea by Russia, pro-Russian separatists occupying the Luhansk Oblast administrative building planned to declare the independence of the region as the Luhansk Parliamentary Republic,{{Clarify|reason=It's unclear whether this "Luhansk Parliamentary Republic" was a theoretical project ("planned") or instead briefly existed before being abolished.|date=July 2022}} after other pro-Russian separatists declared Donetsk People's Republic in the Donetsk Oblast (7 April 2014). When the Luhansk Parliamentary Republic ceased to exist, the separatists declared the Luhansk People's Republic on 27 April 2014. They held a disputed referendum on separating from Ukraine on 11 May 2014. The legitimacy of the referendums was not recognized by any government.{{cite web|title= Ukraine's Eastern Region Of Luhansk May Now Hold Referendum On Joining Russia |url= http://www.businessinsider.com/ukraines-luhansk-may-now-hold-referendum-on-joining-russia-2014-5|work=Business Insider|access-date=12 May 2014}} Ukraine does not recognize the referendum, while the EU and US said the polls were illegal and fraudulent.BBC News 12 May 2014 Subsequently, the war in Donbas began.

As a result of the war in Donbas, Luhansk insurgents control the southern third of the oblast, which includes the city of Luhansk, the region's most populous city and the capital of the oblast. Due to this, most oblast government functions have moved to Sievierodonetsk, which forces of the Government of Ukraine recaptured in July 2014. Many universities located in the occupied areas have moved to government-controlled cities such as Sievierodonetsk, Starobilsk or Rubizhne.{{cite web |url=http://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/31372.html |title=In Severodonetsk, Petro Poroshenko presented Luhansk RSA Head Hennadiy Moskal – Official web-site of President of Ukraine |access-date=21 January 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318021609/http://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/31372.html |archive-date=18 March 2015 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.luganskukraine.info/lugansk-university.aspx|title=Lugansk University. Location, phone, address, contacts.|work=luganskukraine.info|access-date=16 October 2014|archive-date=7 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807111428/http://www.luganskukraine.info/lugansk-university.aspx|url-status=dead}} A survey conducted in December 2014 by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found that 5.7% of the oblast's population supported their region joining Russia, 84.1% did not support the idea, and the rest were undecided or did not respond. Insurgent-controlled areas were not polled.{{cite news |url= http://dt.ua/UKRAINE/lishe-3-ukrayinciv-hochut-priyednannya-yih-oblasti-do-rosiyi-160641_.html |script-title=uk:Лише 3% українців хочуть приєднання їх області до Росії |language= uk |trans-title= Only 3% of Ukrainians want their region to become part of Russia |work= Dzerkalo Tyzhnia |date= 3 January 2015 }}

{{Expand section|date=July 2022}}

{{Further information|Battle of Donbas (2022)|Luhansk Oblast campaign}}

During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian ground forces entered the occupied territory of Luhansk Oblast by crossing the Russian border on 22 February 2022. They invaded government-controlled territory across the line of contact and the Russian border on 24 February. As of 26 May 2022 they had occupied all but 5% of the region.{{Cite web |date=26 May 2022 |title=Russian forces have 'upper hand' in Donbas fighting, Ukrainian officials say |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/26/ukraine-burying-civilians-mass-graves-russia-advances |access-date=2022-05-27 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}

During the mid-2022 battle of Donbas, Russian troops attacked and eventually captured the cities of Sieverodonetsk and Lysychansk during May and June 2022 in two of the most significant and most intense battles of the Eastern Ukraine offensive. By 3 July 2022, Russian and allied troops controlled all cities in the oblast.{{cn|date=September 2023}} On 4–5 July 2022, during the international Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2022) in Lugano, Finland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic pledged to support the postwar rebuilding of the Luhansk region.{{Cite web |title=Провідні країни Європи відбудовуватимуть Україну, – Гайдай |url=https://lb.ua/economics/2022/07/05/522198_providni_kraini_ievropi.html |access-date=2022-07-11 |website=LB.ua|date=5 July 2022 }} On 11 September 2022, there were unconfirmed reports that Bilohorivka near Lysychansk, was recaptured. On 19 September 2022, Ukrainian forces confirmed this.{{cn|date=September 2023}}

In late September 2022, an annexation referendum was held in Luhansk on joining the Russian Federation, although Ukraine along with the United Nations and most observers declared the referendum to be illegitimate and fraudulent.{{cite web |date=27 September 2022 |title=So-called referenda in Russian-controlled Ukraine 'cannot be regarded as legal': UN political affairs chief |url=https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/09/1128161}} Following the staged victory in the voting, the region and the so-called Luhansk People's Republic were absorbed into Russia.{{Cite news |last1=Trevelyan |first1=Mark |date=30 September 2022 |title=Putin signs treaties to annex Ukrainian lands |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/putin-declare-annexation-ukrainian-lands-major-escalation-war-2022-09-29/ |access-date=2022-09-30}} The United Nations General Assembly subsequently passed a resolution calling on countries not to recognise what it described as an "attempted illegal annexation" and demanded that Russia "immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw".{{Cite web |title=Ukraine: UN General Assembly demands Russia reverse course on 'attempted illegal annexation' |date=12 October 2022 |url=https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/10/1129492}}

{{As of|2022|10|05}}, nearly all of the oblast is occupied by Russia, which claims the oblast as the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), a self-declared state turned Russian federal subject. The war in Donbas and the subsequent 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine saw heavy fighting in the oblast, with Sievierodonetsk captured in June by Russian and LPR forces{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-forces-ordered-withdraw-key-battleground-city-2022-06-25/ |title=Sievierodonetsk falls to Russia after one of war's bloodiest fights|first1=Tom|last1=Balmforth|first2=Marko|last2=Djurica|work=Reuters|date=25 June 2022|access-date=25 June 2022}} after an assault lasting several weeks,{{Cite web |title=Ukrainian troops told to leave Severodonetsk: governor |url=https://polskieradio.pl/art9766_2986846 |access-date=2022-06-24 |website=PolskieRadio.pl}}{{Cite news |title=Ukrainians Retreat From Key Areas Of Eastern Region As Fighting Enters Fifth Month |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainians-leave-severodonetsk-fighting-luhansk/31913067.html |access-date=2022-06-24 |newspaper=Radiofreeeurope/Radioliberty |language=en}} and the oblast's last major settlement under Ukrainian control, Lysychansk, captured by Russian and Russia-backed forces on 2 July.{{Cite web |title=Institute for the Study of War |url=http://dev-isw.bivings.com/ |access-date=2022-07-03 |website=Institute for the Study of War |language=en |archive-date=25 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220325065358/https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-24 |url-status=dead }} The next day, Russia's Minister of Defence announced that the entire territory of the oblast had been "liberated",{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/zelenskiy-adviser-concedes-key-bastion-could-fall-eastern-ukraine-2022-07-03/ |title=Zelenskiy vows to regain Lysychansk after Ukrainian withdrawal|first1=Tom|last1=Balmforth|first2=Max|last2=Hunder|work=Reuters|date=3 July 2022 |access-date=2022-07-04}} but three weeks later the governor of the oblast reported heavy fighting was still ongoing.{{Cite web |last=Roshchina |first=Olena |date=25 July 2022 |title=Russian forces attempt to advance to Luhansk Oblasts administrative borders from 3 directions but retreated |url=https://news.yahoo.com/russian-forces-attempt-advance-luhansk-052633642.html |access-date=2022-07-26 |website=news.yahoo.com |language=en-US}} On 4 September, Ukrainian forces launched a counteroffensive in eastern Ukraine and recaptured small parts of Donetsk Oblast and, on 1 October, Lyman. Ukrainian forces also pushed through the stalemate at the Luhansk Oblast border and, most notably, recaptured Bilohirivka while engaging LPR forces in Lysychansk. Since then, there has been continued fighting in the western parts of the region in a renewed Luhansk Oblast campaign.{{cn|date=September 2023}}

{{update section|date=April 2023}}

{{main|Administrative divisions of Luhansk Oblast}}

Like the other provinces of Ukraine, Luhansk Oblast has a double jurisdiction. The oblast is predominantly administrated by the Luhansk Oblast State Administration, headed by the governor of the oblast, who is appointed by the President of Ukraine. The province has a representative body, the provincial council, which is headed by its chairman and elected by popular vote.

The province is primarily divided into 18 raions (districts), and 37 cities, including 14 cities of regional significance. The administrative center is Luhansk. These raions are listed below with their areas and populations.State Statistics Committee of Ukraine, Kyiv.

The province's secondary division consists of various municipalities. Those municipalities may consist of one or more populated places. The municipalities are administratively subordinate to the raion in which they are located, with the exception of 14 cities subordinated directly to the oblast. The city of Luhansk is subdivided into its own four city-districts (boroughs).

All subdivisions are governed by their respective councils (radas).

{{Further|List of villages in Luhansk Oblast}}

{{Largest cities

| country = Luhansk Oblast

| list_by_pop =

| div_name =

| div_link = Raions of Ukraine{{!}}Raion

| city_1 = Luhansk{{!}}Luhansk

| div_1 = Luhansk Raion{{!}}Luhansk

| pop_1 = 425,848

| img_1 =East Spire House.jpg

| city_2 = Alchevsk{{!}}Alchevsk

| div_2 = Alchevsk Raion{{!}}Alchevsk

| pop_2 = 114,624

| img_2 = Donbass State Technical University main building.jpg

| city_3 = Sievierodonetsk{{!}}Sievierodonetsk

| div_3 = Sievierodonetsk Raion{{!}}Sievierodonetsk

| pop_3 = 121,000

| img_3 = Северодонецк, 2021 год, 30.jpg

| city_4 = Lysychansk{{!}}Lysychansk

| div_4 = Sievierodonetsk Raion{{!}}Sievierodonetsk

| pop_4 = 103 459

| img_4 = Кінотеатр «Октябрський».jpg

| city_5 = Khrustalnyi{{!}}Khrustalnyi

| div_5 = Rovenky Raion{{!}}Rovenky

| pop_5 = 82,765

| city_6 = Kadiivka{{!}}Kadiivka

| div_6 = Alchevsk Raion{{!}}Alchevsk

| pop_6 = 76,492

| city_7 = Sverdlovsk, Luhansk Oblast{{!}}Sverdlovsk

| div_7 = Dovzhansk Raion{{!}}Dovzhansk

| pop_7 = 64,503

| city_8 = Rubizhne{{!}}Rubizhne

| div_8 = Sievierodonetsk Raion{{!}}Sievierodonetsk

| pop_8 = 63,474

| city_9 = Antratsyt{{!}}Antratsyt

| div_9 = Rovenky Raion{{!}}Rovenky

| pop_9 = 54,640

| city_10 = Rovenky{{!}}Rovenky

| div_10 = Rovenky Raion{{!}}Rovenky

| pop_10 = 47,852

}}

File:City Day Lisichansk.JPG, 2010]]

File:LuhanskRussianLang2001.PNG

{{historical populations|1970|2750566|1979|2786697|1989|2862734|2001|2546178|2011|2291271|2022|2102921|align=right|cols=1|source={{cite web|title=Division of Ukraine|url=http://pop-stat.mashke.org/ukraine-division.htm}}{{cite web|title=Ukraine: Provinces and Major Cities|url=https://citypopulation.de/en/ukraine/cities/}}}}The population is largely Russian-speaking, although ethnic Ukrainians constitute a majority (58.0%). Among the minorities are native Russians (39.1%), Belarusians (0.8%), and others (1.4%). Ukrainians constitute the majority in all raions except for Stanytsia-Luhanska Raion and Krasnodon Raion, both of which are east of Luhansk. Ethnic Russians also constitute the majority in regionally significant cities, such as Krasnodon, Sverdlovsk, Khrustalnyi and Kadiivka.

In the 2001 Ukrainian Census, more than 68.8% of the population considered themselves Russian speakers, while 30.0% considered themselves Ukrainian speakers. The Russophone population predominates in the southern portion of the region and around the city of Luhansk, while the northern region is less populated, mostly agricultural and Ukrainophone.

Its population (as of 2004) of 2,461,506 constitutes 5.13% of the overall Ukrainian population. The Luhansk Oblast rates fifth in Ukraine by the number of its inhabitants, having an average population density of 90.28/km². About 87% of the population lives in urban areas, while the remaining 13% reside in agricultural areas.

Age structure

: 0–14 years: 12.3% {{increase}} (male 143,272/female 134,803)

: 15–64 years: 71.4% {{decrease}} (male 768,544/female 838,639)

: 65 years and over: 16.3% {{steady}} (male 117,782/female 248,914) (2013 official)

Median age

: total: 42.1 years {{increase}}

: male: 38.2 years {{increase}}

: female: 45.9 years {{increase}} (2013 official)

Economically the region is connected with the Donets Basin.

Extractive industry

• Lysychansk Coal
• Luhansk Coal
• Sverdlov Anthracite
• Anthracite
• Pervomaisk Coal
• Rovenky Anthracite
• Donbas Anthracite

Machine building

File:СО17-1000.JPG

• Luhanskteplovoz
• Khrustalnyi Machine building Factory
• Pervomaisk Power mechanical Factory
• Stakhanov Railcar Plant

Metallurgy

• Alchevsk Metallurgy Combine
• Alchevsk Coke-chemical Factory

Chemicals and oil refining

• Sievierodonetsk Association Azot
• Association Skloplastyk
• Lysynchansk Oil Refinery

Agriculture

The oblast has post industrial sites which run off building material into surrounding land. Yakymchuk 2018 finds feral stands of Triticum aestivum have colonised several of these sites.{{cite journal | last1=Kobetičová | first1=Klára | last2=Černý | first2=Robert | title=Terrestrial eutrophication of building materials and buildings: An emerging topic in environmental studies | journal=Science of the Total Environment | publisher=Elsevier | volume=689 | year=2019 | issn=0048-9697 | doi=10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.423 | pages=1316–1328| pmid=31466168 | bibcode=2019ScTEn.689.1316K | s2cid=198365229 }}

• Derkul Horse Factory

Power generation

• Sievierodonetsk Power Station
• Luhansk power station
• Shteriv power station (decommissioned in 1983)

Through the region pass two major European routes {{jct|country=EUR|E|50 }} and {{jct|country=EUR|E|40 }}. There are 24 Russo-Ukrainian international border checkpoints of various entry.

• {{jct|country=EUR|E|50 }} within the Luhansk Oblast uses highway {{Jct|country=UKR|M|03}} that starts from Debaltseve (Donetsk Oblast), passes through the city of Khrustalnyi, and enters the Russian Federation at the border checkpoint "Dovzhansky" (settlement Dovzhanske, town of Biryukove).
• {{jct|country=EUR|E|40 }} within the Luhansk Oblast uses highway {{Jct|country=UKR|M|04}} that starts from Debaltseve (Donetsk Oblast), passes through the city of Luhansk, and enters the Russian Federation at the border checkpoint "Izvaryne" (town of Izvaryne).
• There is also another highway {{Jct|country=UKR|H|21}} that runs from north to south and connects Starobilsk, Luhansk, and Khrustalnyi with Donetsk.

Rail transportation is administered by the Donetsk Railway.

There is also its regional airport Luhansk International Airport with its own carrier.

• East Ukrainian National University
• University of Luhansk
• Donbas State Technical University

Specialized

• Luhansk State Medical University
• Luhansk National Agrarian University
• Luhansk State University of Internal Affairs

The following sites were nominated for the Seven Wonders of Ukraine.

• The house of Dal's birth (Luhansk)
• Fighters for the Revolution monument
• Derkul horse factory
• Royal Rocks (Luhansk State Preserve)
• Chasm Steppe (Sverdlovsk Raion)
• Ram Foreheads (limestone rocks)
• Mścichowski Palace ({{lang|uk|Палац Мсциховського}})

• Oleksiy Danilov (born 1962), Ukrainian politician
• Dov Markus (born 1946), Israeli-American soccer player, born in Ukraine.
• Serhiy Zhadan (born 1974), writer.

File:Seleznivka.jpg|Mścichowski Palace, Seleznivka

File:Vladimir Dal's house in Luhansk.jpg|Dal's house in Luhansk

File:Syevyerodonetsk 22.jpg|Palace of Culture, Sievierodonetsk

File:MQA-VS.jpg|Dovzhenka Street, Lysychansk

File:Donec near shepilovo.JPG|Siverskyi Donets near Shepilivka

File:Mist over a river in Luhansk.jpg|Luhanka River in mist

File:2010-10-22-iljenko-with-leonas 014.jpg|Landscape in the Derkulskyi

File:2010-perevalsk-reserve.jpg|Perevalsk General Zoological Reserve

• 2014 Donbas status referendums

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20040405072641/http://www.loga.gov.ua/ Official site of Luhansk Oblast Administration] {{in lang|uk}}
• [http://www.kmu.gov.ua/control/en/publish/article?art_id=117278&cat_id=32596 Information Card of the Region] – official site of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine

{{Luhansk Oblast}}

{{Administrative divisions of Ukraine}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Oblasts of Ukraine

Category:States and territories established in 1938

Category:Donbas

Category:1938 establishments in Ukraine