Myrnohrad Explained

Settlement Type:City
Subdivision Type:Country
Official Name:Myrnohrad
Native Name:Мирноград
Pushpin Map:Ukraine Donetsk Oblast#Ukraine
Pushpin Label Position:left
Subdivision Type1:Oblast
Subdivision Name1:Donetsk Oblast
Subdivision Type2:Raion
Subdivision Name2:Pokrovsk Raion
Population Total:46098
Population As Of:2022
Area Total Km2:23
Established Date:1911
Established Title:Founded
Established Date1:1965
Established Title1:City status
Elevation M:183
Coordinates:48.2911°N 37.2681°W
Website:https://myrnograd-rada.gov.ua/
Subdivision Type3:Hromada
Subdivision Name3:Myrnohrad urban hromada
Module:
Wikidata:yes
Zoom:11
Height:250
Stroke-Width:2
Display:i

Myrnohrad (pronounced as /uk/;), formerly Dymytrov until 2016, is a city in Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It was a city of regional significance before the status was abolished in 2020. Population: 1,658 (2024 estimate).[1]

The city was previously named after Georgi Dimitrov, a prominent Bulgarian and Soviet communist politician, but was renamed in 2016 as a result of decommunization laws.[2]

History

The historical predecessors of the city of Myrnohrad were two mining settlements formed near coal mines - Novoekonomichne (1911) and Hrodivka (1916). These two settlements were built in the early twentieth century on land leased from the rural communities of Novoekonomichne and Hrodivka villages. In 1934, mine No. 5-6 (Hrodivka mine) was named after Georgi Dimitrov.[3]

From October 1941 to September 1942, the city was under the occupation of Nazi Germany during World War II.[3]

In 1966, probably as a result of prolonged heavy rains, a part of the mine 5/6 mine terricone in Myrnohrad collapsed, completely demolishing buildings on Sadova, Zhdanov, and Rozynska streets. Everyone who was in the buildings and nearby was killed. The authorities then hid the tragedy from the public.[4]

In 1972, the mining villages of Novoekonomichne and Dymytriv were united under the common name of Dymytriv. This mining town was named after the Bulgarian politician, the first communist ruler of Bulgaria, Georgi Dimitrov,[5] in honor of his friendship with the Bulgarian people, whose representatives worked in the mines in the 1960s. In August 1990, Dimitrov was granted the status of a city of regional significance.

Russo-Ukrainian War

Unlike in most of the larger cities in Donetsk Oblast, an unrecognized independence referendum in May 2014 was not held in the city.[6]

On 17 January 2015, the city dismantled the monument to Lenin.

On 21 March 2016, in accordance with the law on decommunization, Dimitrov's deputies chose a new name and voted to rename the city Myrnohrad.[7]

On 12 May 2016, the Verkhovna Rada renamed the city of Dymytriv to Myrnohrad. The relevant bill No. 4468 was voted for by 265 MPs. The renaming came into force on 22 May 2016.[8] On 20 May, a monument of Georgi Dimitrov was demolished in the city.[9]

On 27 February 2023, during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russians launched a missile attack on the city, damaging a kindergarten.[10]

Since the onset of Russia's offensive to reach Pokrovsk in July 2024, their forces have advanced increasingly closer to Myrnohrad; on 13 August, a Ukrainian soldier said that Russian forces in the area were tasked with the city's capture,[11] and on 16 August, Ukrainian officials reported that Russia was six kilometers from the city. The recent advances led the population to be ordered to evacuate, with an estimated 20,000 people remaining in the city on 16 August, and a complete evacuation expected by the end of August 2024.[12] On 19 August, Head of the Myrnohrad Military Administration Yuriy Tretyak warned that only one to three days are left to evacuate the city in face of advancing Russian troops, and that Myrnohrad was shelled for several days already.[13]

On 29 August, Russian forces reportedly entered the southern outskirts of Myrnohrad, although whether these were only reconnaissance groups or if actual soldiers were in the city was disputed.[14]

In wake of russias offensive towards Pokrovsk, in late 2024 and January of 2025, Myrnohrad saw a steady advancement of Russian forces on the town. Since the start of battle, it has been subjected to heavy bombardment, including the shelling of a hospital.[15]

Demographics

As of the 2001 Ukrainian census:[16]

Ethnicity
Language

71.8%

26.0%

0.1%

0.1%

Economy

The main city employer is a mining company "Myrnohradvuhillya" (formerly Krasnoarmiyskvuhillya, after the city's central train station) along with refining factory "Komsomolska".

Notable people

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ddk . 2024-09-20 . Стало відомо, скільки людей залишається у Мирноградській громаді . 2024-09-23 . DDK.DN.UA . ru-UA.
  2. Web site: Rada renames some towns and districts as part of de-communization. 12 May 2016. Interfax Ukraine. 23 May 2016.
  3. Web site: Anisimov . Y.G. . 2007 . uk:Димитров . Dimitrov . https://esu.com.ua/article-24309 . 10 August 2024 . . uk .
  4. Сорок років тому в Мирнограді вибухнув терикон 1 (відео), 2 . UnionTB. 02.11.2010
  5. Web site: Myrnohrad. lt. Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija.
  6. Impunity, who covers mayors separatists, Ukrayinska Pravda (4 October 2016)
  7. Web site: Димитров изменит название, а в Красноармейске переименуют 7 улиц . novosti.dn.ua . ru. 21 March 2016. Dimitrov will change its name, and in Krasnoarmeysk will be renamed 7 streets.
  8. Web site: Офіційний портал Верховної Ради України .
  9. Web site: В Димитрове демонтировали памятник болгарскому коммунисту ФОТО . novosti.dn.ua . ru. In Dimitrov dismantled a monument to the Bulgarian Communist - Photo. 20 May 2016.
  10. Web site: Російські війська вдарили ракетою по Мирнограду на Донбасі. РБК-Украина. 2023-02-28. uk.
  11. Web site: Kyiv Post. 13 August 2024. All Eyes on Kursk, But Donetsk in Trouble – Special Forces Source Says. Kateryna. Zakharchenko.
  12. Web site: Martin Fornusek . Myrnohrad residents evacuating as Russian forces reach 6 km from the town . 2024-08-16 . The Kyiv Independent . en-US.
  13. Web site: Days left to evacuate Myrnohrad, official warns . 2024-08-20 . english.nv.ua . en.
  14. Web site: Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 29, 2024. Institute for the Study of War. 29 August 2024.
  15. Web site: Russian military shells hospital in Myrnohrad. Ukrinform. 21 January 2024.
  16. Web site: Офіційна сторінка Всеукраїнського перепису населення . Ukrcensus.gov.ua . 2022-03-16.
  17. https://kapri.dn.ua/2023/02/11/tjazhka-vtrata-dlja-mirnogradskoi-gromadi/
  18. Web site: [http ://gazeta.zn.ua/CULTURE/mama_nonna_koperzhinskaya_aktrisa_proshlyh_let.html Archived copy ]. January 11, 2015 . May 3, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140503082142/http://gazeta.zn.ua/CULTURE/mama_nonna_koperzhinskaya_aktrisa_proshlyh_let.html .
  19. Web site: Archived copy . January 11, 2015 . June 30, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160630122201/http://donetshina.ucoz.org/publ/podija/misto_dimitrov_100_rokiv_i_bezlich_peremog/2-1-0-186 .
  20. https://freeradio.com.ua/zahynuv-zakhyshchaiuchy-ridnyi-krai-vshanuimo-khvylynoiu-movchannia-valentyna- poliakova-z-myrnohrada/

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