Balakliia
Балаклія
Zhovtneva street, the main street of Balakliia
Zhovtneva street, the main street of Balakliia
Coat of arms of Balakliia
Coat of arms
Balakliia is located in Kharkiv Oblast
Balakliia
Balakliia
Location of Balakliia
Balakliia is located in Ukraine
Balakliia
Balakliia
Balakliia (Ukraine)
Coordinates: 49°27′57″N 36°52′04″E / 49.46583°N 36.86778°E / 49.46583; 36.86778
Country Ukraine
OblastKharkiv Oblast
RaionIzium Raion
Founded1663[1]
Area
 • Total35 km2 (14 sq mi)
Elevation
79 m (259 ft)
Population
 (2022)
 • Total26,334
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code
64200

Balakliia or Balakliya[2] (Ukrainian: Балаклія IPA: [bɐlɐˈkl⁽ʲ⁾ijɐ] ⓘ; Russian: Балаклея, romanized: Balakleya) is a city in the Izium Raion, Kharkiv Oblast, eastern Ukraine, on the northeast side of the Siverskyi Donets River close to where it is joined by the Balakliika River, which runs through the town. It is an important railroad junction in the oblast. Balakliia hosts the administration of Balakliia urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine.[3] Population: 26,334 (2022 estimate).[4]

Administrative status

Until 18 July 2020, Balakliia was the administrative center of Balakliia Raion. The raion was abolished in July 2020 as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Kharkiv Oblast to seven. The area of Balakliia Raion was merged into Izium Raion.[5][6]

History

Early history and etymology

The land that is now Balakliia has been inhabited since ancient times. Settlements from the Neolithic Age and Bronze Age have been preserved.[7]

The Balakliika River is the basis for the town's name.

The name "Balakliia" is derived from the Balakliia River, a tributary of the Donets. The river's name in turn comes from a Turkic word meaning 'fish river'.[8] The Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary judges from the name of the settlement that the town was originally a Tatar settlement.[9]

Tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union

In 1571, the Moscow government established a watch service on the Seversky Donets and Oskil rivers-seven watches whose task was to report the approach of the Tatars. A third watch was built at the mouth of the Balakliika River.

The modern history of the settlement began in 1663,[10][1] when it became populated by East Slavs and served as a guard post against raids from Crimean Tatars.[9][10] Starting in 1669 or 1670, the settlement served as the center of the Balakliia Regiment, which existed until 1677.[7] Residents of Balakliia took an active part in the Stenka Razin Rebellion (1676—1681), the Bulavin Rebellion (1707–1708), and Pugachev's Rebellion (1773–1775).[7]

From 1817 to 1891, the settlement was known as Novo-Serpukhiv.[lower-alpha 1][7]

By the early 20th century, Balakliia had a population of 5,197.[9] Soviet control was established over Balakliia in December 1917, and it received urban status in 1938.[1] During World War II, the town was occupied by the Wehrmacht between 9 December 1941, and 5 February 1943.[7][11][12]

2017–2019 arms depot explosions

March 2017 explosions in the city

On 23 March 2017, 20,000 inhabitants of Balakliia were evacuated after a series of massive explosions erupted at a nearby arms depot of the Balakliia military installation, which stockpiles missile and artillery ammunition.[13] The disaster led to the death of one woman civilian; five other civilians were injured. There were no casualties among the military.[14][15] Thousands of residents within a 10 km radius around the complex were evacuated in the aftermath. By the end of March, the fires and resulting arms explosions at the ammunition depot in Balakliia had damaged almost 250 buildings. On 18 April, Balakliya and nearby villages were cleared of unexploded ordnance.[16]

On 3 May 2018, there was a new series of explosions at the depot after dry grass caught fire.[17] 1,500 locals were evacuated, and no casualties were reported.[17] On 15 November 2019, another series of explosions killed two Ukrainian soldiers.[18]

Full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine

Russian capture and occupation

On 3 March 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces captured the town.[19] The then-Mayor Ivan Stolbovyy initially stayed in the occupied town and collaborated with the Russian occupation forces. "[I]t’s complicated," he told Balakliya residents, "It’s war." He urged the town's inhabitants not to engage in looting or "terrorist acts".[20] On 28 March, the government of Ukraine began criminal proceedings against Stolbovyy on charges of treason and collaboration with Russia. In early April 2022,[21] Stolbovyy fled with his family to Russia.[22]

The senior military occupation officer in Balakliya was Colonel Ivan Popov,[23]; the commandant charged with "keeping the local civilian population in check" went under the pseudonym "V. Granit" (Granite), and oversaw at least one interrogation center where Ukrainian civilians were "beaten and questioned using electric shocks", according to Balakliya residents and Ukrainian government officials.[23] According to a Reuters investigation published in April 2023, "Granit" was the pseudonym of Valery Sergeyevich Buslov, a lieutenant colonel in the military police.[24]

The occupation force occupied a "run-down vehicle repair complex" on the town's outskirts and used it as their command center for the occupation. Russian soldiers distributed flyers "warning of Ukraine’s descent into Nazi rule" if the Ukrainian government regained control of the town, and "scribbled" on the walls of the military base.[23]

Liberation by Ukraine

Ukrainian flag flying in liberated Balakliia on September 8, 2022

On 6 September 2022, Ukrainian forces launched a counteroffensive towards Balakliia, reportedly retaking adjacent Verbivka and besieging the town.[25] After crossing the Donets River, men of the 71st Jaeger Brigade led an offensive on Balakliia, coming from the direction of Husarivka.[26] On 8 September, the Ukrainian flag was raised over the town after a brief battle,[27] and on 10 September, Ukraine announced it had established control.[28][29]

After recapturing the town, Ukrainian officials said they had discovered torture chambers where Ukrainian prisoners were held. Serhiy Bolvinov, head of the Kharkiv Region National Police Investigation Department, stated that 40 people had been detained there.[30]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that more than ten similar torture chambers had been discovered in the Kharkiv Region.[31] Investigations also began against more alleged collaborators.[32]

Balakliya train station under repair in November after the city's liberation

Electric power was restored to the town on 26 September 2022.[33] On 25 November 2022, the Vinnytsia city council allocated 10 million hryvnias in funds to help rebuild liberated Balaklia. The funds were to be used, specifically, to restore housing and improve heating services ahead of the winter.[34]

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1732 1,186[35]—    
1906 5,197[9]+0.85%
1968 30,200[10]+2.88%
1989 35,737[36]+0.80%
2001 32,117[37]−0.89%
2013 29,499[38]−0.71%
202226,334[4]−1.25%

Notes

  1. ↑ Ukrainian: Ново-Серпухів
    Russian: Ново-Серпухов, romanized: Novo-Serpukhov

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Балаклія". Українська Радянська Енциклопедія [Ukrainian Soviet Encyclopedia] (in Ukrainian). Vol. 1. Kyiv. 1978. p. 339.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ↑ "Russia announces troop pullback from Ukraine's Kharkiv area after surprising offensive".
  3. ↑ "Балаклейская городская громада" (in Russian). Портал об'єднаних громад України.
  4. 1 2 Чисельність наявного населення України на 1 січня 2022 [Number of Present Population of Ukraine, as of January 1, 2022] (PDF) (in Ukrainian and English). Kyiv: State Statistics Service of Ukraine. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 July 2022.
  5. ↑ "Про утворення та ліквідацію районів. Постанова Верховної Ради України № 807-ІХ". Голос України (in Ukrainian). 2020-07-18. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
  6. ↑ "Нові райони: карти + склад" (in Ukrainian). Міністерство розвитку громад та територій України. 17 July 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "БАЛАКЛІЯ". Енциклопедія історії України [Encyclopedia of History of Ukraine]. Vol. 1: А–В. p. 688.
  8. ↑ "Реки и водоемы Харьковщины". Archived from the original on 1 Aug 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Ново-Серпухов" . Энциклопедический словарь Брокгауза и Ефрона [Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary] (in Russian). 1906. p. 302 – via Wikisource.
  10. 1 2 3 "Балаклея". Больша́я сове́тская энциклопе́дия [Great Soviet Encyclopedia].
  11. ↑ "МІСТО БАЛАКЛІЯ". Archived from the original on 13 August 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  12. ↑ Friedrich Dettmer, Otto Jaus, Helmut Tolkmitt: Die 44. Infanterie-Division. Reichs-Grenadier-Division Hoch- und Deutschmeister 1938–1945., Seite 186 bis 212, Verlag Austria Press, Wien 1969
  13. ↑ "Ukraine munitions blasts prompt mass evacuations". BBC News. 23 March 2017.
  14. ↑ "NATO envoys arrive in Balaklia to assist in humanitarian demining". UNIAN. 25 March 2017.
  15. ↑ "One dead after blasts at eastern Ukraine arms depot". Yahoo News. 25 March 2017.
  16. ↑ Balaklia, nearby villages cleared from unexploded ordnance after March 23 accident, UNIAN (18 April 2017)
  17. 1 2 Ammo depot explosions in Kharkiv region's Balaklia stop on Thursday afternoon, UNIAN (3 May 2018)
  18. ↑ "При взрывах на арсенале в Балаклее погибли двое украинских военных". 15 November 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-11-15. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
  19. ↑ "Ukrainian city of Balakliya freed from nationalist battalions - Russian Defense Ministry". interfax.com. 3 March 2022.
  20. ↑ "Kharkiv Region: Balakliya Mayor says he made a deal with the Russian aggressors".
  21. ↑ "Втік до Росії. Меру окупованої Балаклії оголосили підозру в державній зраді" (in Ukrainian).
  22. ↑ "Mayor of Balakliia Stolbovyi fled to Russia with his family — Kharkiv Regional Military Administration". 7 April 2022.
  23. 1 2 3 Saito, Mari; Tsvetkova, Maria; Zverev, Anton (26 October 2022). "Abandoned Russian base holds secrets of retreat in Ukraine". Reuters.
  24. ↑ Saito, Mari; Nikolskaya, Polina; Tsvetkova, Maria; Zverev, Anton (20 April 2023). "Exclusive: The Russian military commandant who oversaw reign of fear in Ukraine town". Reuters. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  25. ↑ Oliphant, Roland; Barnes, Joe (2022-09-06). "Ukraine launches surprise attack near Kharkiv in bid to push back Russians". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
  26. ↑ Український наступ. Що сталося на Слобожанщині?, lb.ua, 14 September 2022 (in Ukrainian)
  27. ↑ UKRAINE’S EASTERN COUNTERATTACK REGAINS GROUND FROM RUSSIANS, Nolan Peterson, Coffee or Die Magazine, 9 August 2022.
  28. ↑ Hunder, Max; Hnydii, Vitalii (2022-09-10). "Russia loses control of key northeast towns as Ukrainian troops advance". Reuters. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
  29. ↑ "Russian forces in full retreat from Kharkiv as Ukraine seeks to turn tide of war".
  30. ↑ Yang, Maya; Ho, Vivian; Belam, Martin; Farrer, Martin (14 September 2022). "Ukraine's officials claim to have discovered 'torture chamber' used by Russian troops – as it happened". The Guardian.
  31. ↑ Askew, Joshua (19 September 2022). "Ukraine war: Russian 'torture chambers', Kherson 'provocations', fears on Ukraine-Russia border Access to the comments". Euronews.
  32. ↑ "Balakliia: the SBI exposed two more traitors who helped occupants (VIDEO) - State Bureau of Investigation".
  33. ↑ "ОП: У Балаклію повернули електропостачання, на черзі – Ізюм" (in Ukrainian). 26 September 2022.
  34. ↑ "Вінниця виділила ₴10 мільйонів субвенції на відновлення деокупованої Балаклії" (in Ukrainian). 25 November 2022.
  35. ↑ "Офіційний сайт Балаклійського району". Archived from the original on 2009-12-05. Retrieved 2010-04-09.
  36. ↑ "Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года. Численность городского населения союзных республик, их территориальных единиц, городских поселений и городских районов по полу". Archived from the original on 2012-02-04. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  37. ↑ "Численность и состав населения Харьковской области по итогам Всеукраинской переписи населения 2001 года". Archived from the original on 2017-01-16. Retrieved 2011-03-19.
  38. ↑ "ЧИСЕЛЬНІСТЬ НАЯВНОГО НАСЕЛЕННЯ УКРАЇНИ" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 June 2022.
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