| Pokrovsk | |||||||||
| Settlement Type: | City | ||||||||
| Pushpin Map: | Ukraine Donetsk Oblast#Ukraine | ||||||||
| Pushpin Relief: | 1 | ||||||||
| Coordinates: | 48.2828°N 37.1828°W | ||||||||
| Subdivision Type: | Country | ||||||||
| Subdivision Type1: | Oblast | ||||||||
| Subdivision Name1: | Donetsk Oblast | ||||||||
| Subdivision Type2: | Raion | ||||||||
| Subdivision Name2: | Pokrovsk Raion | ||||||||
| Subdivision Type3: | Hromada | ||||||||
| Subdivision Name3: | Pokrovsk urban hromada | ||||||||
| Established Title: | Established | ||||||||
| Established Date: | c. 1880 | ||||||||
| Established Title1: | City status | ||||||||
| Established Date1: | 1938 | ||||||||
| Area Total Km2: | 29.57 | ||||||||
| Elevation M: | 181 | ||||||||
| Population As Of: | 1 January 2022 | ||||||||
| Population Footnotes: | [1] | ||||||||
| Population Total: | 60,127 | ||||||||
| Population Density Km2: | auto | ||||||||
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code | ||||||||
| Postal Code: | 85300—85309 | ||||||||
| Area Code Type: | Area code | ||||||||
| Area Code: | +380-6239 | ||||||||
| Blank Name Sec1: | Climate | ||||||||
| Blank Info Sec1: | Warm summer subtype | ||||||||
| Blank1 Name Sec1: | KOATUU | ||||||||
| Blank1 Info Sec1: | 1413200000 | ||||||||
| Blank2 Name Sec1: | KATETTO | ||||||||
| Blank2 Info Sec1: | UA14160210010099403 | ||||||||
| Module: |
| ||||||||
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Pokrovsk shown within Donetsk##Pokrovsk shown within Ukraine | ||||||||
Pokrovsk (Ukrainian: Покровськ, pronounced as /uk/; Russian: Покровск), formerly known as Krasnoarmiisk (until 2016) and Grishino (until 1934), is a city and the administrative center of Pokrovsk Raion in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. It is located northwest of Donetsk. Prior to 2020, it was incorporated as a city of oblast significance. Its population was approximately
Pokrovsk was founded as Grishino in 1875 by a decision of the Ministry of Railways of the Russian Empire authorizing a railway station. The village had two thousand inhabitants.
In 1881, a locomotive depot which became one of the main locomotive repair companies, Ekaterinoslavskaya railway, was built in the town. Two years later, in 1883, there was an enlargement to the station building; the central portion survives to this day. In May 1884, trains finally began transiting the rail station in Grishino.
With the development of the railway station, Grishino grew and there were new businesses, in particular for exploitation of underground minerals, starting with coal. By 1913, the population around Grishino station had more than doubled to about 4.5 thousand people.
After the Russian Civil War ravaged Russia as a whole, Grishino station continued its growth and by 1925 had a locomotive depot, a brick factory, and six mines. The name of the station was changed to Postyshevo in 1934 to honor Pavel Postyshev, and in 1938, the name of the city became Krasnoarmeyskoe, commemorating the Soviet Red Army, after Postyshev was repressed during the Great Purge.
World War II heavily impacted the population of the city. The first Axis forces to arrive were Italians, followed by the Germans who occupied it on 19 October 1941. German forces proceeded to forcibly transfer many civilians by train to labor camps in Austria. Many residents defended their hometown. 8295 Soviet soldiers perished on the battlefield, and 4788 residents of the town were killed in World War II. The city witnessed an atrocity when its remaining Jewish community was massacred by the German Nazi army in midwinter 1942.[6] Furthermore, in February 1943, the Red Army perpetrated the Massacre of Grischino. On 7 September 1943, the town was liberated for good by Red Army troops.
In the 1950s, in the post-war period, the city renewed its industrial and residential construction.
In the War in Donbas, that is, since the spring of 2014, the city is near the frontline with the separatist Donetsk People's Republic.[7]
In May 2016, the city was renamed following decommunization laws[8] to Pokrovsk, honoring the Intercession of the Theotokos known as Pokrova in Ukrainian.
See also: Pokrovsk offensive.
On 7 August 2023 during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian missiles struck the city twice.[9] Nine people were reported killed from the strike, and 82 wounded.[10]
In July 2024, Russia renewed efforts to reach and capture Pokrovsk in a new offensive.[11] This axis being the main attack direction,[12] Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi noted the disparity of forces in terms of equipment and manpower, and high pressure on Ukrainian lines in this area.[13] [14] According to Syrskyi, Russian forces are able to fire 12,000 shells per day while Ukrainian forces are only able to respond with 2,000-4,000 shells per day in this area of the front.[15] On 11 August 2024, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that 71 combat clashes occurred on the Pokrovsk axis and that Russian forces were "most actively advancing".[16] On 15 August 2024, Serhii Dobriak, the head of the Pokrovsk City Military Administration reported that Russian forces were only 10 km from the city,[17] [18] [19] and urged all citizens, especially the elderly and families with young children, to evacuate.[20] On 16 August, a police officer in the city estimated that 40,000 people remained in Pokrovsk.[21] On 19 August 2024, Ukrainian officials announced that families with children living in Pokrovsk and surrounding villages would be forced to leave.[22] [23] Donetsk governor Vadym Filashkin said: "We are starting the forced evacuation of families with children from the Pokrovsk community."[24] Serhii Dobriak told residents that they have 1 to 2 weeks to evacuate at most.[25] [26]
The population of Pokrovsk as of 1 August 2017 was 75,205 people.[27]
According to 2001 census data, the breakdown by ethnicity is:[28]
| Population | Percentage, % | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 62,158 | 75.0 | ||
| 18,299 | 22.1 | ||
| 558 | 0.7 | ||
| 307 | 0.4 | ||
| 215 | 0.3 |
Native language per 2001 Ukrainian census:[29]