Lyman
Лиман
City
Lyman railway station
Lyman railway station
Flag of Lyman
Flag
Coat of arms of Lyman
Coat of arms
Lyman is located in Donetsk Oblast
Lyman
Lyman
Lyman is located in Ukraine
Lyman
Lyman
Coordinates: 48°59′7″N 37°48′40″E / 48.98528°N 37.81111°E / 48.98528; 37.81111
Country Ukraine
Oblast Donetsk Oblast
Raion Kramatorsk Raion
HromadaLyman urban hromada
Government
 • MayorOleksandr Zhuravlev
Population
 (2022)
 • Total20,066

Lyman (Ukrainian: Лиман, IPA: [ɫɪˈmɑn]; Russian: Лиман, romanized: Liman), formerly known as Krasnyi Lyman (Ukrainian: Красний Лиман; Russian: Красный Лиман, romanized: Krasny Liman, lit. 'Red Liman') from 1925 to 2016,[1] is a city in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. Until 2016, it also served as the administrative center of Lyman Raion, though it was not part of the raion, being incorporated as a city of oblast significance. It still serves as the administrative center of Lyman urban hromada.[2][3] The population was 20,066 (2022 estimate),[4] down from 28,172 in 2001.

The city has its origins in a military settlement built to guard the southern frontier of the Tsardom of Russia. It grew to become a city following the construction of a railway station, and became a key railway hub in the region. It was renamed to Krasnyi Lyman by the Soviet government that followed Tsarist Russia, and continued to grow throughout the 20th century.

During the Russo-Ukrainian War, the city has seen several battles. The first was the battle of Krasnyi Lyman in 2014 between Ukrainian government forces and the Russian proxies loyal to the breakaway state the Donetsk People's Republic, which was won by Ukrainian forces. It remained under government control throughout the remainder of the war in Donbas, and was renamed to its historic name Lyman in 2016 as part of decommunization in Ukraine. During the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Lyman has been a scene of heavy fighting. After the first battle of Lyman, it was captured by Russia in May 2022, before being liberated by Ukraine in a second battle. The city has been nearly destroyed by the post-2022 fighting, and most of the population has fled.

History

Pre-founding

Archaeologists have discovered Neolithic stone sculptures in the Lyman district and Scythian remains from the fourth and third centuries BCE.[5][6]

Founding and Tsarist history

In 1646, the "Mayaka" fort was built 18 kilometres (11 mi) away from the location of modern Lyman, as part of the larger effort to defend the southern border of Tsardom of Russia from the attacks of the Crimean Tatars, especially along the Donets river. Lyman itself was founded in 1667/1678 as a fortified town near the Mayaka fortress.[5][6] In the course of the administrative reform carried out in 1708 by Moscow tsar Peter I, Lyman was explicitly mentioned as one of the towns included to Azov Governorate.[7][8]

From 1904 to 1910, a railway was constructed that passed through Lyman. This railway stimulated growth of civilian settlement in the area, where earlier settlers had been entirely military.[6]

20th century

World War II memorial in Lyman

Lyman changed hands numerous times during the Russian Civil War.[6] During the 1918 Central Powers invasion of Ukraine, Lyman was taken over by the invaders in April 1918.[5] Eventually, the Bolsheviks recaptured Lyman, won the war and established the communist Soviet Union on much of the territory of the former Russian Empire. The town was given the prefix Krasnyi ("red") on 9 January 1925 by the Soviet government.[5][6] According to the 1926 Soviet census, Krasnyi Lyman had a population of 4,800 people.[6]

Krasnyi Lyman received city status in 1938, and its population continued to grow: by 1939, it had a population of 25,600. During World War II, Krasnyi Lyman was occupied by Nazi Germany between July 7, 1942 and February 3, 1943.[6]

The city's population continued to grow after the end of the war. In 1988, Krasnyi Lyman became a city of regional significance.[6]

Russo-Ukrainian War

Destroyed Russian equipment after the second battle of Lyman, October 2022

In June 2014, the city was the scene of the battle of Krasnyi Lyman during the war in Donbas.[9] On 5 June the town returned to Ukrainian control.[10] Following the 2015 law on decommunization the city returned to its original name Lyman, removing the prefix Krasnyi.[11] The change was approved by the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian parliament) on 4 February 2016.[11]

Lyman is an important railway junction. During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, following an intense battle for the city, Lyman was seized by Russian troops on 27 May 2022.[12][13] The Russian occupiers changed the city's name back to Soviet Krasnyi Liman shortly thereafter.[14] The control of Lyman, while it is not a large city, gave Russia and its proxies control of a key road that leads to Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.[12][13] From 10 September, Ukrainian troops advanced to Lyman as part of the Ukrainian Kharkiv counteroffensive, and engaged Russian troops in a second battle.[15][16] On 1 October, a Russian Defense Ministry spokesman announced that Russian forces were withdrawing from the city, hours after Russian president Vladimir Putin had declared the city annexed by Russia.[17][18][19][20]

The largely destroyed city has still been regularly shelled by Russia after the battles.[21] On 8 July 2023, at around 9:55 a.m., the Russian Armed Forces shelled the residential area in the center of Lyman with 9M55K-series Smerch cluster munition. Lyman was at the time approximately 15 kilometers west of Russian-occupied territories. The bombing killed 9 civilians, while 13 were wounded.[22][23][24]

Economy

The city is known by locals as "The Gates of Donbas", and is a regional export hub for goods like coal, salt, and sand.[25]

Lyman is a key railway hub,[21] carrying up to 30% of cargo on the Donetsk railway system. 35% of residents are employed in rail transport, and 18% in industry. Railway transport enterprises include the local office of the Donetsk Railway Administration, the PMS-10 track engine station, the ТЧ-1 locomotive depot, the РПЧ-3 motor car depot, and numerous maintenance sites and sections of the railway. Other industries include food processing, a feed mill, quarry management, the Leman-Beton concrete manufacturer, and others.

More than 80 agricultural enterprises operate in the region. The forestry and animal husbandry business is among the most important in Ukraine. More than 40,000 mink skins are produced in Lyman annually. There is also a branch of the energy company 000 Donbasnefteprodukt. Other industries have included a silicate brick factory, an asphalt and concrete factory, and a food canning factory.

Demographics

Population history
YearPop.±% p.a.
1926 4,800[6]—    
1939 25,600[6]+13.74%
1959 28,900[6]+0.61%
1979 31,800[6]+0.48%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1998 29,300[6]−0.43%
2001 28,172[6]−1.30%
2022 20,066[4]−1.60%
2023 6,000[26]−70.10%

As of the 2001 Ukrainian census, 28,172 people lived in the city.[6] Of these, 84.4% were Ukrainians, 13.8% were Russians, and 0.6% were Belarusians.[27]

In terms of native language, 69.8% spoke Ukrainian, 29.67% spoke Russian, and 0.53% spoke other languages or did not answer the survey question.[28]

The population has declined in the early 21st century, decreasing to an estimated 20,066 by 2022.[4] After the intense fighting during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, most residents have fled or have been killed, with Lyman mayor Oleksandr Zhuravlev estimating only 6,000 remaining in 2023, including 500 children.[26]

Twin towns

On 11 January 2023, Westport, Connecticut officially announced Lyman as their sister city.[29]

References

  1. ↑ "Rada de-communized Artemivsk as well as over one hundred cities and villages" (in Ukrainian). Pravda.com.ua. 4 February 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  2. ↑ "Dovidnyk «Ukrayina. Administratyvno-terytorial'nyy ustriy». Donets'ka oblast'. 2. Naseleni punkty Donets'koyi oblasti. Mista oblasnoho znachennya (stanom na 01.06.2018)" Довідник «Україна. Адміністративно-територіальний устрій». Донецька область. 2. Населені пункти Донецької області. Міста обласного значення (станом на 1 June 2018) [Cataloque «Ukraine. Administrative-territorial structure». Donetsk Oblast. 2. Settlements of Donetsk Oblast. Cities of regional significance (as of 2018-06-01)] (RTF) (in Ukrainian). 1 June 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  3. ↑ "Lymans'ka hromada" Лиманська громада [Lyman Community]. Portal of United Territorial Communities of Ukraine (in Ukrainian). 1 June 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 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. 1 2 3 4 "Красний Лиман, Краснолиманський район, Донецька область". Історія міст і сіл Української РСР (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Пасічник, М. І. (2014). "Красний Лиман" (in Ukrainian). Інститут енциклопедичних досліджень НАН України. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  7. ↑ "Указ об учреждении губерний и о росписании к ним городов" [Decree on the establishment of provinces and on the schedule of cities for them]. constitution.garant.ru.(in Russian)
  8. ↑ Архивный отдел Администрации Мурманской области. Государственный Архив Мурманской области. (Archival department of the Administration of the Murmansk region. State Archive of the Murmansk region.) (1995). Административно-территориальное деление Мурманской области (1920-1993 гг.). Справочник [Administrative-territorial division of the Murmansk region (1920-1993). Directory]. Мурманск: Мурманское издательско-полиграфическое предприятие "Север". pp. 19–20.
  9. ↑ "Ukraine crisis: Rebels take bases in Luhansk region". BBC News. 4 June 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  10. ↑ We Can Win After All, The Ukrainian Week (6 August 2015)
  11. 1 2 Decommunisation continues: Rada renames several towns and villages, UNIAN (4 February 2016)
    "Rada de-communized Artemivsk as well as over hundred cities and villages" (in Ukrainian). Pravda.com.ua. 4 February 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  12. 1 2 "Ukraine war: Troops could quit Severodonetsk amid Russian advance - official". BBC News. 27 May 2022.
  13. 1 2 "Russia takes control of Lyman as assault on Donbas region continues". The Guardian. 28 May 2022.
  14. ↑ "Сжигаем ящики в Красном Лимане, боясь возвращения ВСУ".
  15. ↑ "Ukraine Forces Retake Control of Key Russian Stronghold". VOA. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  16. ↑ Gatopoulos, Alex. "Analysis: Russia caught out by Ukraine's double offensive". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  17. ↑ Давлетшина, Александра Ганга, Лейсан (1 October 2022). "Минобороны сообщило об отводе войск из Красного Лимана на более выгодные рубежи". Известия (in Russian). Retrieved 2 October 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. ↑ "Война в Украине: ВСУ зашли в Лиман, в Харьковской области нашли расстрелянную автоколонну" [War in Ukraine: Armed Forces of Ukraine entered the Liman, in the Kharkiv region they found a shot convoy]. BBC News (in Russian). 1 October 2022.
  19. ↑ "Ukraine forces Russian troops out of city a day after Vladimir Putin's annexation". Sky News. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  20. ↑ "Ukraine war: Russian troops forced out of eastern town Lyman". BBC News. 1 October 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  21. 1 2 RFE/RL. "Conquering Their Worst Fears: A Ukrainian Town Awaits Its Fate As Russian Forces Close In". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  22. ↑ Maria Kostenko (8 July 2023). "Russian shelling kills at least 8 people in Ukrainian city of Lyman, regional leaders say". CNN. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  23. ↑ "Russian artillery shelling kills eight civilians in Lyman, Ukraine, military says". Reuters. 8 July 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  24. ↑ Francesca Gillett (8 July 2023). "Ukraine war: Eight killed in Russian strike in Lyman, say authorities". BBC News. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  25. ↑ "Inside Russia's War in Ukraine: Battleground City of Lyman". 20 April 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  26. 1 2 "In war-ravaged Lyman, Ukrainians live underground months after liberation". 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  27. ↑ Національний склад та рідна мова населення Донецької області. Розподіл постійного населення за найбільш численними національностями та рідною мовою по міськрадах та районах [National composition and native language of the population of Donetsk region. Distribution of the permanent population by the most numerous nationalities and native language by city councils and districts] (in Ukrainian), archived from the original on 7 February 2012
  28. ↑ https://socialdata.org.ua/projects/mova-2001/
  29. ↑ "From Westport to war zone, bond forged with Ukrainian city". 11 January 2023.
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