Verkhniokamianske

Not to be confused with Verkhniokamianka.

Verkhniokamianske (Ukrainian: Верхньока́м'янське) is a village (selo) in Ukraine, in Bakhmut Raion, Donetsk Oblast. It had a population of 960 at the 2001 Ukrainian census.

Verkhniokamianske Верхньокам'янське
Flag Coat of arms
Verkhniokamianske Show map of Donetsk Oblast Verkhniokamianske Show map of Ukraine
Coordinates: 48°51′37″N 38°11′48″E
Country	Ukraine
Oblast	Donetsk Oblast
Raion	Bakhmut Raion
Hromada	Zvanivka rural hromada
Population  (2001)[1]
• Total	960

Geography

The Kamianka River [uk], a tributary of the Bakhmutka river,^[2] flows through the village.

History

20th century

As a result of the Holodomor, a manmade famine in Soviet Ukraine from 1932 to 1933, 18 residents of the village died.^[3]

After World War II, Verkhniokamianske was one of the destinations for Boykos deported from regions that were transferred to Poland from the Soviet Union in 1951.^[4]

21st century

In 2014, during the opening stages of the Russo-Ukrainian War, Verkhniokamianske was seized by forces of the separatist, pro-Russian Donetsk People's Republic, led by Russian army veteran and former FSB officer Igor Girkin.^{[5][failed verification]} On July 24, the village was announced to have been recaptured by Ukrainian security forces.^[6][5]

During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Verkhniokamianske saw fighting again.^[7] On 7 August 2022, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces claimed that Russian forces conducted assaults to try to improve its position near Verkhniokamianske, but "was unsuccessful and retreated."^[8] By late 2022, the population of the village had decreased to around 20.^[9] On 5 February 2023, Ukrainian forces reportedly repelled Russian assaults on the village.^[7]

On 7 October 2024, Verkhniokamianske was captured by Russia.^[10]

Demographics

In 2001, it had 960 inhabitants, of whom 918 spoke Ukrainian and 42 spoke Russian.^[1]

Culture

The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church operates a Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in the village.^[11]

References

1. "Linguistic composition of Ukraine 2001" (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 7 February 2023.
2. Каталог річок України (PDF) (in Ukrainian). Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR. 1957. p. 148.
3. "Мартиролог. Донецька область" (PDF) (in Ukrainian). pp. 453–454.
4. "Росіяни знищують нашу пам'ять". Історична правда. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
5. "Українські силовики оголосили про взяття північних районів Лисичанська" (in Russian). РБК. 2014-07-24. Archived from the original on 2014-07-25. Retrieved 2014-07-23.
6. "Сили АТО зайшли в Лисичанськ". BBC News Україна. 24 July 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
7. "Триста сорок седьмой день войны России против Украины. Онлайн RFI" (in Russian). 5 February 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
8. Knight, Mariya (7 August 2022). "Ukrainians say multiple Russian assaults resisted in Donetsk". CNN. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
9. "Верхньокам'янське: в якому стані село та скільки там людей". Вільне радіо. 2022-10-14. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
10. "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
11. "РОЗПОРЯДЖЕННЯ ГОЛОВИ ОБЛАСНОЇ ДЕРЖАВНОЇ АДМІНІСТРАЦІЇ: КЕРІВНИКА ОБЛАСНОЇ ВІЙСЬКОВО-ЦИВІЛЬНОЇ АДМІНІСТРАЦІЇ" (PDF) (in Ukrainian). 30 October 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 January 2021.