Luhansk Oblast, also referred to as Luhanshchyna (Луга́нщина), is the easternmost oblast (province) of Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Luhansk. The oblast was established in 1938 and bore the name Voroshilovgrad Oblast until 1958 and again from 1970 to 1991. It has a population of 2,102,921.
The Donbas or Donbass is a historical, cultural, and economic region in eastern Ukraine. Parts of the Donbas are occupied by Russia as a result of the Russo-Ukrainian War.
Horlivka, also known as Gorlovka, is a city and the nominal administrative center of Horlivka urban hromada and Horlivka Raion in Donetsk Oblast of Ukraine. Its population is 239,828.
Sievierodonetsk, also spelled Severodonetsk, is a city in Luhansk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It is located to the northeast of the left bank of the Donets river and approximately 110 km (68 mi) to the northwest from the administrative center of the oblast, Luhansk. Sievierodonetsk faces neighbouring Lysychansk across the river. The city, whose name comes from the above-mentioned river, had a population of 99,067, making it then the second-most populous city in the oblast. Since June 2022, it has been militarily occupied and administered by Russia.
Bakhmut Raion is a raion (district) within the northeastern part of Donetsk Oblast in eastern Ukraine. Its administrative center is Bakhmut. Its area is 1,687 square kilometres (651 sq mi), and its population is approximately 220,275.
Rubizhne is a city in Luhansk Oblast, in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. Situated on the left bank of the Donets River near the cities of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk. Prior to 2020, it was a city of oblast significance, before the designation was abolished.
Avdiivka, is a city in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. The city is located in the centre of the oblast, just north of the regional centre, Donetsk. The large Avdiivka Coke Plant is located in Avdiivka. The city had a pre-war population of 31,392 ; but in October 2023, it was reported as 1,600 and then 'just over 1,000', mostly living below ground level.
Debaltseve or Debaltsevo is a city in Horlivka Raion, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, currently occupied by Russia as part of the Donetsk People's Republic. The city is situated on the eastern edge of Donetsk Oblast, and borders Luhansk Oblast. Population: 24,209.
Lyman, formerly known as Krasnyi Lyman from 1925 to 2016, 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. The population was 20,066, down from 28,172 in 2001.
Sviatohirsk or Svyatogorsk is a city in the northern part of the Donetsk Region of Ukraine. A part of the Sloviansk Municipality, it stands on the banks of the Siverskyi Donets River, 30 kilometers (19 mi) from the city of Sloviansk. The population is 4,226. The 16th-century Sviatohirsk Lavra Monastery is located in the city.
Hirske or Gorskoye is a city in Sievierodonetsk Raion, Luhansk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. Population: 9,100.
Marinka or Maryinka is a city in Pokrovsk Raion, Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. Population: 9,089 ; 10,722 (2001).
The war in Donbas, or Donbas war was 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.
The 2nd Battalion of Special Assignment "Donbas" is a unit of the National Guard of Ukraine subordinated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine and based in Severodonetsk. Originally created in 2014 as a volunteer unit called the Donbas Battalion by Semen Semenchenko following the Russian occupation of Crimea and possible invasion of continental Ukraine. The formation of the unit started in the spring of 2014 during the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine. The unit was initially formed as an independent force, but has been since fully integrated into the National Guard as the 2nd Special Purpose Battalion "Donbas" within the 15th Regiment of the National Guard.
The Battle of Ilovaisk started on 7 August 2014, when the Armed Forces of Ukraine and pro-Ukrainian paramilitaries began a series of attempts to capture the city of Ilovaisk from pro-Russian insurgents affiliated with the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and detachments of the Russian Armed Forces. Although Ukrainian forces were able to enter the city on 18 August, they were encircled between 24 and 26 August by overwhelming Russian military forces that crossed the border, joining the battle. After days of encirclement, Ukrainian forces rejected the DPR's proposal to open a humanitarian corridor on the condition that they abandon their armored vehicles and ammunition, and on the morning of 29 August 2014 began to leave Ilovaisk with their weapons. The Russian side opened fire on the evacuating Ukrainian soldiers, many of whom died whilst trying to escape.
Vuhlehirsk is a city in Horlivka Raion, Donetsk Oblast (province) of Ukraine. Vuhlehirsk had a population of 8,226 in 2011; more recently, its population was estimated to be 7,294.
The Battle of Svitlodarsk was a battle in the war in Donbas near Svitlodarsk, Donetsk Oblast in 2016. It was described as the "bloodiest battle in 5 months".
The eastern Ukraine campaign is a theatre of operation in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine affecting oblasts in eastern Ukraine: Donetsk Oblast and Luhansk Oblast and Kharkiv Oblast. The invasion is an escalation or intensification of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which had been waging between Ukraine and Russian proxies since 2014.
The battle of Donbas was a military offensive that is part of the wider eastern Ukraine campaign of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The offensive began on 18 April 2022 between the armed forces of Russia and Ukraine for control of the Donbas region. Military analysts consider the campaign to have been the second strategic phase of the invasion, after Russia's initial three-pronged attack into Ukraine.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the Russo-Ukrainian War:
Ukraine 
Donetsk Oblast 
Bakhmut Raion 
