Early history

The presence of nomadic peoples in the area of Avdiivka dates back to at least the ninth to thirteenth centuries, as evidenced by a stone sculpture (or baba) that was discovered in a mound.^[5]

The first settlement on the territory of the modern city was founded c. 1770,^[6] by fugitive serfs from the Kursk, Voronezh and Poltava Governorates. It was named after the name of the first settler, Avdiivka.^[6][5] In 1778, by order of the Novorossiysk governor, the newly established village became state property.^[5] The way of life of the early Avdiivka settlers was agricultural farming of crops, mainly cereals. In 1798, it had a population of about 500 people. The fertile land attracted more settlers over time, and Avdiivka was located near a postal route connecting Mariupol and Bakhmut. By 1861, 2,300 people lived there.^[5]

In the late 19th century, the Catherine Railway was built. It passed through a newly built railway station at Avdiivka, spurring on further development.^[6][5] According to the 1897 census, the number of residents decreased to 2,153 (1,282 males and 871 females), of whom 2,057 were of the Orthodox faith. A brick factory was built in the village in 1900. The factory expanded its output to include tiles in 1905.^[5] In 1908, 5,475 people (2,736 males and 2,739 females) lived in the village and there were 865 farm households.

20th century and early 21st century

In April 1920, a detachment of the Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine attacked the Avdiivka railway station, where they destroyed railway property and telephone sets. In November 1920, Nestor Makhno ordered the detachment of Fyodor Shuss to occupy Avdiivka and the village near it.

Between 1923 and 1931, Avdiivka served as the administrative center of Avdiivka Raion of Stalino Okruha.^[6]

It served again as district center of Avdiivka Raion starting in 1938.^[6] During World War II, Avdiivka was occupied by Nazi Germany between October 21, 1941 and September 8, 1943, when it was recaptured by detachments of the 40th Rifle Division and the 127th Rifle Division of the Red Army.^[5]

Avdiivka received city status in 1956.^[6] In October 1959, construction on the Avdiivka Coke Plant began. The plant became operational on 30 November 1963. It became the largest coke-chemical producer in Ukraine.^[6][5] Also in 1963, Avdiivka was removed from Avdiivka Raion again,^[6] to briefly become a city of oblast significance.^[5] From 1965 it was included as part of Yasynuvata Raion, until 1990 when it became a city of oblast significance again.^[6]

In 2001, its population was 37,200.^[7]

Russo-Ukrainian War

Starting Mid-April 2014 pro-Russian separatists captured several towns in Donetsk Oblast;^[8][9] including Avdiivka. On 21 July 2014, Ukrainian forces reportedly secured the city from separatists.^[10] This claim was repeated the next day.^[11] Ukrainian forces kept control of Avdiivka, which became a frontline city and frequently shelled.^[12][13] According to the OSCE, the area between Avdiivka and neighboring separatist-controlled Yasynuvata is one of the hotspots of the Russo-Ukrainian War.^[14]

In March 2016 the Ukrainian army set up its fortifications in the area's "Industrial Zone", until then a buffer zone between the Donetsk People's Republic controlled territories and government-held territory in the eastern part of Avdiivka.^[15] This meant that the pro-Russian separatists no longer had full control of the highway that connected Donetsk and Horlivka (two major cities under their control), and that it became more difficult for them to fire at Avdiivka even with weapons that Minsk II did not prohibit.^[15] After March 2016, fighting for Avdiivka's "Industrial Zone" greatly intensified.^[15]

In 2017, the city was embroiled in a battle from 29 January until 4 February, which left the city without electricity and heating for several days.^[16][17][18] During the most violent part of the fighting, the population dropped to only 5,000. However, as the fighting died down, people returned to Avdiivka.^[19] In 2018, the New York Times estimated that between 20,000 and 34,000 people were still living in Avdiivka.^[20]

As part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces fired rockets towards Avdiivka, most notably the coke plant in the city.^[21] Much of the civilian population has fled due to the battle.^[22] On 24 October 2023, BBC News reported that 'just over 1,000' people, or 3% of the city's pre-war population, were still living in Avdiivka.^[2] On 22 February 2023 Governor of Donetsk Oblast Pavlo Kyrylenko declared that Avdiivka was almost completely destroyed.^[23] As of late October 2023, the city remained under Ukrainian control.^[2][23] In March, Russian troops were attempting to encircle the city while also attempting to capture Bakhmut.^[24] Beginning on October 14, 2023, Russia made a general push to attempt to encircle the city once more, with very limited success and high losses of soldiers, armour and other important assets.^[25][26]