Donetsk Oblast, also referred to as Donechchyna, is an oblast in eastern Ukraine. It is Ukraine's most populous province, with around 4.1 million residents. Its administrative centre is Donetsk, though due to the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War, the regional administration was moved to Kramatorsk. Historically, the region has been an important part of the Donbas region. From its creation in 1938 until November 1961, it bore the name Stalino Oblast as Donetsk was then named "Stalino", in honour of Joseph Stalin. As part of the de-Stalinization process, it was renamed after the Siversky Donets river, the main artery of Eastern Ukraine. Its population is estimated at 4,100,280.
Sloviansk is a city in Donetsk Oblast, northern part of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, in the valley of the Kazennyi Torets River, a right tributary of the Donets. The city was known as Tor until 1784. Sloviansk served as the administrative center of the Sloviansk Raion (district) until its abolition on 18 July 2020, though it did not actually belong to the raion itself.
Kostiantynivka is an industrial city in Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It is situated on the Kryvyi Torets River. Administratively, it is incorporated as a city of oblast significance. It was the administrative center of Kostiantynivka Raion until 2020, although it did not belong to it. After the raion was abolished, it was incorporated into Kramatorsk Raion. Its population is approximately 67,350. It developed in the Soviet era into a major centre for the production of iron, zinc, steel, and glass.
Lysychansk, is a city in Sievierodonetsk Raion, Luhansk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It is located on the high right bank of the Donets River, approximately 115 kilometres (71 mi) from the administrative center of the oblast, Luhansk. It faces Sievierodonetsk across the river. Its population before the Russian invasion of Ukraine was approximately 93,340.
Pokrovsk, formerly known as Krasnoarmiysk and Grishino, is a city and the administrative center of Pokrovsk Raion in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. Prior to 2020, it was incorporated as a city of oblast significance. Its population is approximately 60,127.
Druzhkivka is a city of oblast significance in Donetsk Oblast (province) of Ukraine. Population: 53,977 ; 64,557 (2001). The area of the city is 46 km².
Avdiivka, is a city in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. The city is located in the center of the oblast, just north of the city of Donetsk. The large Avdiivka Coke Plant is located in Avdiivka. The city had a pre-war population of 31,392 ; but in August 2022, its population was estimated at 2,500, and in October 2023, it was reported as 1,600, mostly living below ground level.
Mykolaivka is a city of district significance and administrative centre of Mykolaivka urban hromada in Sloviansk Raion, Donetsk Oblast (province) of Ukraine to the south of the railway station Elektrychna. The city is most known for being the home of the Sloviansk Thermal Power Plant, where it is a major employer of local residents. The population estimate is about 14,210.
From the end of February 2014, demonstrations by Russian-backed, pro-Russian, and anti-government groups took place in major cities across the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine in the aftermath of the Euromaidan and the Revolution of Dignity, which resulted in the ousting of Russian-leaning President Viktor Yanukovych. The unrest, which was supported by Russian military and intelligence, belongs to the early stages of the Russo-Ukrainian War.
The People's Militia of the Donetsk People's Republic and People's Militia of the Luhansk People's Republic are pro-Russian paramilitaries in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, under the overall control of the Russian Federation. They are also referred to as Russian separatist forces or Russian proxy forces. They were affiliated with the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) during the war in Donbas (2014–2022), the first stage of the Russo-Ukrainian War. They then supported the Russian Armed Forces against the Ukrainian Armed Forces during the 2022 Russian invasion. In September 2022, Russia annexed the DPR and LPR, and began integrating the paramilitaries into its armed forces. They are designated as terrorist groups by the government of Ukraine.
The Siege of Sloviansk was an operation by the Armed Forces of Ukraine to recapture the city of Sloviansk in Donetsk Oblast from pro-Russian insurgents who had seized it on 12 April 2014. The city was taken back on 5 July 2014 after shelling from artillery and heavy fighting. The fighting in Sloviansk marked the first major military engagement between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian government forces, in the first run of battles in 2014.
The war in Donbas, or Donbas war is a phase of the Russo-Ukrainian War in the Donbas region of Ukraine. The war began in April 2014 when armed Russian-backed separatists seized government buildings and the Ukrainian military launched an operation against them. It continued until it was subsumed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
A series of armed skirmishes and confrontations between the Armed Forces of Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists affiliated with the Donetsk People's Republic took place from 12 April until 5 July 2014, and is known as the Battle of Kramatorsk.
Yampil is an urban-type settlement in Lyman urban hromada, Kramatorsk Raion, Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It is located to the southeast of Lyman, lying north of local road T05-13. Previously, it was administered as part of Lyman Raion. It is also home to Yampil railway station. Population: 1,902.
On 8 April 2022, a Russian missile strike hit the railway station of the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The strike killed 63 civilians and wounded 150. Russian authorities denied responsibility and blamed the attack on Ukraine.
Kramatorsk is a city in the eponymous raion and hromada of Donetsk Oblast in Ukraine.
Raihorodok is an urban-type settlement in Kramatorsk Raion, Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It is located near the Kazennyi Torets and Donets Rivers. Population: 3,166.
The Sloviansk offensive was a series of military engagements in villages south of the town of Izium, including the villages of Bohorodychne, Dovhenke, and Krasnopillia between the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation during the battle of Donbas that started following the Russian victory at the battle of Izium. This offensive was part of a longer-term Russian drive towards Sloviansk and of a larger encirclement of Ukraine's Donbas.
February 2015 Kramatorsk rocket attack — a shelling of Kramatorsk by Russian forces or pro-Russian separatists during the war in Donbas. Kramatorsk was controlled by Ukrainian government forces at the time of the attack. As a result of shelling, 17 people died and about 60 were injured.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the Russo-Ukrainian War:
Ukraine 
Donetsk Oblast 
Kramatorsk Raion 
