Hroza, Kharkiv Oblast

Hroza Гроза
Village
Hroza Location of Hroza within Ukraine Show map of Kharkiv Oblast Hroza Hroza (Ukraine) Show map of Ukraine
Coordinates: 49°40′23″N37°12′30″E / 49.673056°N 37.208333°E / 49.673056; 37.208333
Country	Ukraine
Oblast	Kharkiv Oblast
Raion	Kupiansk Raion
Hromada	Shevchenkove settlement hromada  [ uk ]
Founded	1922
Area
• Total	1.81 km2 (0.70 sq mi)
Elevation	167 m (548 ft)
Population  (2001 census) [1]
• Total	497
• Density	270/km2 (710/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	63609
Area code	+380 5751

Hroza (Ukrainian : Гроза, pronounced [ɦroˈzɑ] ) is a village in the Kupiansk Raion of Kharkiv Oblast in northeastern Ukraine. It belongs to Shevchenkove settlement hromada  [ uk ], one of the hromadas of Ukraine, and is just outside the town of Shevchenkove. It is 34 kilometres (21 mi) west of Kupiansk and 79 kilometres (49 mi) southeast by east (SEbE) of the centre of Kharkiv city.^{[ citation needed ]}

In October 2023, the village became known for being the site of a missile attack by the Russian Armed Forces against civilians, which killed a large amount of its population.

History

Hroza was founded in 1922. Its name means "thunderstorm" in the Ukrainian language. ^[2]

In the 2020 Ukrainian administrative reforms, Hroza was included in Shevchenkove settlement hromada on 12 June 2020. ^[3] On 17 July 2020, Hroza, along with the surrounding hromada, was transferred from Shevchenkove Raion to Kupiansk Raion. ^[4]

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Remains of the missile used in the October 2023 attack on the village

Further information: Hroza missile attack

During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, from February to September 2022 the village was under Russian occupation. ^{[5] [6]} On 9 September 2022, during the Kharkiv counteroffensive, the Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated the village. ^{[5] [6]} However, the village continued to be shelled "relentlessly" by Russia, displacing many people from the village. ^[7]

On 5 October 2023, the Russian army shelled a shop and a cafe, killing 59 people, including a six-year-old child. ^{[8] [9] [10]} The attack killed almost a fifth of Hroza's population, and was called the deadliest civilian attack yet of the year by a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees source. ^[7]

Demographics

In 2001 the settlement had 497 inhabitants, native language as of the 2001 Ukrainian census: ^{[11] [1]}

• Ukrainian – 93.2%
• Russian – 4.4%
• Others – 2.4%

References

1. "All-Ukrainian population census". db.ukrcensus.gov.ua. State Statistics Service of Ukraine . Retrieved 6 October 2023.
2. "'You can still smell the blood': Inside the village where more than 50 were killed by a Russian missile". 6 October 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
3. "Про визначення адміністративних центрів та затвердження територій територіальних громад Харківської області". Офіційний вебпортал парламенту України (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 22 December 2023.
4. "Про утворення та ліквідацію районів". Офіційний вебпортал парламенту України (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 22 December 2023.
5. "Russia killed more than half of the villagers of the village of Hroza – prosecutor's office with one rocket" (in Ukrainian). TSN.ua. 5 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
6. "Ukrainian village shattered by precision missile strike on cafe hosting fallen soldier's wake". PBS. 7 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
7. "Hroza – a Ukrainian village where "the volume of grief per square meter goes off scale"".
8. VALENTYNA ROMANENKO (5 October 2023). "Russians strike café in Kharkiv Oblast, killing 51 people". Ukrainska Pravda . Retrieved 6 October 2023.
9. HANNA ARHIROVA (6 October 2023). "Russian strike on cafe kills 51, Ukrainian officials say, as Zelenskyy seeks more Western support". apnews.com. AP News . Retrieved 6 October 2023.
10. "В Украине закончили опознание погибших при обстреле села Гроза. Погибли 59 человек" (in Russian). Meduza. 12 October 2023. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023.
11. Рідні мови в об'єднаних територіальних громадах України