There are 37 populated places in Luhansk Oblast , Ukraine, that have been officially granted city status (Ukrainian : місто , romanized : misto ) by the Verkhovna Rada , the country's parliament.[ 2] Settlements with more than 10,000 people are eligible for city status, although the status is typically also granted to settlements of historical or regional importance.[ 3] [ 4] [ 5] As of 5 December 2001, the date of the first and only official census in the country since independence,[ a] the most populous city in the oblast was the regional capital, Luhansk , with a population of 463,097 people, while the least populous city was Almazna , with 5,061 people.[ 6] [ 7] Almazna is also the most recent settlement to receive city status, having been granted the status by the Verkhovna Rada in 1977.[ 8]
From independence in 1991 to 2020, 14 cities in the oblast were designated as cities of regional significance (municipalities ), which had self-government under city councils , while the oblast's remaining 23 cities were located in 18 raions (districts ) as cities of district significance , which are subordinated to the governments of the raions.[ 9] [ 10] [ 7] On 18 July 2020, an administrative reform abolished and merged the oblast's raions and cities of regional significance into eight new, expanded raions .[ b] [ 3] [ 13] The eight raions that make up the oblast are Alchevsk , Dovzhansk , Luhansk , Rovenky , Shchastia , Sievierodonetsk , Starobilsk , and Svatove .[ c] [ 16] [ 17] After the enactment of decommunization laws , nine cities within the oblast were renamed in 2016 for their former names' connection to people, places, events, and organizations associated with the Soviet Union .[ d] [ 20] [ 21] The renamed cities are Bokovo-Khrustalne , Dovzhansk , Holubivka , Kadiivka , Khrustalnyi , Kypuche , Petrovo-Krasnosillia , Sorokyne , and Voznesenivka , which were previously named Vakhrusheve, Sverdlovsk, Kirovsk, Stakhanov, Krasnyi Luch, Artemivsk, Petrovske, Krasnodon, and Chervonopartyzansk, respectively.[ 22]
Following the Donbas war , pro-Russian separatist forces occupied all 25 cities located in the Alchevsk, Dovzhansk, Luhansk, and Rovenky raions by 2014.[ 11] [ 14] Additional cities were occupied by Russian troops after 24 February 2022, during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine .[ 23] [ 24] Since the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Lysychansk on 3 July 2022, all cities in the oblast have been occupied by Russian forces.[ 25]
Luhansk , capital and most populous city in Luhansk Oblast [ 26]
Alchevsk , second most populous city and major industrial center in the Donbas [ 27]
Sievierodonetsk , third most populous city and de facto capital from 2014 until its occupation in 2022 [ 28]
Lysychansk , twin city of Sievierodonetsk that was the last city in the oblast to be captured by Russian forces during its invasion [ 29]
Popasna , a key railway city heavily damaged during the invasion[ 30]
Cities in Luhansk Oblast
Name
Name (in Ukrainian )[ 2] [ e]
Raion (district)
Population (2022 estimates)[ 2]
Population (2001 census )[ 7]
Population change
Alchevsk
Алчевськ
Alchevsk
106,062
119,193
−11.02%
Almazna
Алмазна
Alchevsk
4,148
5,061
−18.04%
Antratsyt
Антрацит
Rovenky
52,150
63,698
−18.13%
Bokovo-Khrustalne
Боково-Хрустальне
Rovenky
11,421
14,773
−22.69%
Brianka
Брянка
Alchevsk
44,760
54,767
−18.27%
Dovzhansk
Довжанськ
Dovzhansk
62,691
72,531
−13.57%
Hirske
Гірське
Sievierodonetsk
9,100
11,473
−20.68%
Holubivka
Голубівка
Alchevsk
26,654
35,199
−24.28%
Irmino [ f]
Ірміно
Alchevsk
9,270
13,053
−28.98%
Kadiivka
Кадіївка
Alchevsk
73,248
90,152
−18.75%
Khrustalnyi
Хрустальний
Rovenky
79,533
94,875
−16.17%
Kreminna
Кремінна
Sievierodonetsk
18,116
24,447
−25.90%
Kypuche
Кипуче
Alchevsk
7,162
9,097
−21.27%
Luhansk
Луганськ
Luhansk
397,677
463,097
−14.13%
Lutuhyne
Лутугине
Luhansk
17,061
18,833
−9.41%
Lysychansk
Лисичанськ
Sievierodonetsk
93,340
115,229
−19.00%
Miusynsk
Міусинськ
Rovenky
4,596
6,029
−23.77%
Molodohvardiisk
Молодогвардійськ
Luhansk
22,449
25,528
−12.06%
Novodruzhesk
Новодружеськ
Sievierodonetsk
6,705
9,025
−25.71%
Oleksandrivsk
Олександрівськ
Luhansk
6,401
7,045
−9.14%
Perevalsk
Перевальськ
Alchevsk
24,817
29,665
−16.34%
Pervomaisk
Первомайськ
Alchevsk
36,091
43,082
−16.23%
Petrovo-Krasnosillia
Петрово-Красносілля
Rovenky
12,642
15,478
−18.32%
Popasna
Попасна
Sievierodonetsk
19,199
25,951
−26.02%
Pryvillia
Привілля
Sievierodonetsk
6,520
9,004
−27.59%
Rovenky
Ровеньки
Rovenky
45,514
53,725
−15.28%
Rubizhne
Рубіжне
Sievierodonetsk
55,247
65,322
−15.42%
Shchastia
Щастя
Shchastia
11,411
13,770
−17.13%
Sievierodonetsk
Сєвєродонецьк
Sievierodonetsk
99,067
119,940
−17.40%
Sorokyne
Сорокине
Dovzhansk
42,315
50,560
−16.31%
Starobilsk
Старобільськ
Starobilsk
15,947
22,371
−28.72%
Sukhodilsk
Суходільськ
Dovzhansk
20,390
23,642
−13.76%
Svatove
Сватове
Svatove
16,145
19,495
−17.18%
Voznesenivka
Вознесенівка
Dovzhansk
15,218
17,680
−13.93%
Zolote
Золоте
Sievierodonetsk
13,007
17,836
−27.07%
Zorynsk
Зоринськ
Alchevsk
7,096
8,838
−19.71%
Zymohiria
Зимогір'я
Alchevsk
9,557
11,295
−15.39%
^ As of 11 July 2023[ 6]
^ a b The initial administrative reform laws passed in 2020 were not de jure enacted at the time for territories occupied by separatist forces during the Donbas war due to a provision within the laws delaying the creation of new subdivisions in those territories until the Ukrainian government regained their control at some indeterminate future date. On 7 September 2023, an amendment to the original law entered into force which created the new subdivisions for all territories from that date, thereby making them fully legally in effect for the whole oblast since 2023.[ 11] [ 12]
^ Due to the occupation by separatist forces of the Alchevsk, Dovzhansk, Luhansk, and Rovenky raions at the time of the 2020 administrative reform,[ 11] [ 14] the four raions have only de jure status[ b] while de facto Russian officials instead use the raions and cities of regional significance from before the 2020 reform.[ 15] [citation needed ] In new territories occupied in the oblast since 24 February 2022, Russian appointed officials have also imposed the use of the pre-reform administrative divisions.[citation needed ]
^ Due to the occupation by separatist forces of all nine cities at the time of the 2016 renaming,[ 11] [ 14] the nine cities' new names have only de jure status while de facto Russian officials continue to use the pre-2016 names.[ 18] [ 19]
^ Links to the Ukrainian Wikipedia articles for each city
^ Known as Teplohirsk at the time of the 2001 census (renamed in 2010)[ 7] [ 31]
^ Barros, George; Stepanenko, Kateryna; Bergeron, Thomas; Mikkelsen, Noel; Mealie, Daniel; Belcher, Mitchell; Thacker, Tom. "Interactive Map: Russia's Invasion of Ukraine" . storymaps.arcgis . Institute for the Study of War & American Enterprise Institute 's Critical Threats Project. Retrieved 4 August 2024 .
^ a b c Чисельність наявного населення України на 1 січня 2022 [Number of Present Population of Ukraine, as of 1 January 2022] (PDF) . db.ukrcensus.gov.ua (in Ukrainian and English). State Statistics Service of Ukraine . Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 September 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2024 .
^ a b Povalyaev, Ivan (31 July 2023). Дерадянизація: в Україні скасували смт та міста районного чи обласного значення [De-Sovietization: Ukraine abolishes urban-type settlements and cities of district or regional significance]. Ukraina Moloda (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024 .
^ Закон України від 28.07.2023 р. № 3285-IX "Про порядок вирішення окремих питань адміністративно-територіального устрою України" [Law of Ukraine of 28.07.2023 № 3285-IX "On the Procedure for Resolving Certain Issues of the Administrative and Territorial Structure of Ukraine"]. All About Accounting (in Ukrainian). 26 October 2023. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024 .
^ 26 січня набрав чинності Закон "Про порядок вирішення окремих питань адміністративно-територіального устрою України" [On January 26, the Law "On the Procedure for Resolving Certain Issues of the Administrative and Territorial Structure of Ukraine" came into force]. jurliga.ligazakon.net (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024 .
^ a b Rogoża, Jadwiga (11 July 2023). "Ukraine in the face of a demographic catastrophe" . Centre for Eastern Studies . Archived from the original on 20 June 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024 .
^ a b c d Кількість та територіальне розміщення населення України [The number and territorial distribution of the population of Ukraine] (RAR ) . 2001.ukrcensus.gov.ua (in Ukrainian). State Statistics Service of Ukraine . 5 December 2001. Archived from the original on 17 May 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2024 . To access the statistics, scroll down to the section titled "Кількість та територіальне розміщення населення України" (transl. Number and territorial distribution of the population of Ukraine ). Then, click on the linked text "Публікація у електронному вигляді" (transl. Publication in electronic form ). This will download the statistics as a RAR file from which it can be accessed using RAR file converters such as 7-Zip .
^ Timofeeva, H.V. (2001). Алмазна [Almazna]. Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2024 .
^ Кількість адміністративно-територіальних одиниць за регіонами України на 1 січня 2016 року* [Number of administrative-territorial units by regions of Ukraine as of 1 January 2016*]. ukrstat.gov.ua (in Ukrainian). State Statistics Service of Ukraine . Archived from the original on 8 July 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024 .
^ Про адміністративно-територіальний устрій України (Повторний розгляд з пропозиціями (вето) Президента України) [On the administrative-territorial structure of Ukraine (Reconsideration with proposals (Veto) of the President of Ukraine)]. Official Website of the Parliament of Ukraine (in Ukrainian). 16 October 1997. Archived from the original on 8 July 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024 .
^ a b c d Про межі та перелік районів, міст, селищ і сіл, частин їх територій, тимчасово окупованих у Донецькій та Луганській областях [About the boundaries and list of raions, cities, settlements and villages, parts of their territories temporarily occupied in Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts]. Official Website of the Parliament of Ukraine (in Ukrainian). 7 February 2019. Archived from the original on 26 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024 .
^ Про внесення змін до деяких законодавчих актів України щодо вирішення окремих питань адміністративно-територіального устрою Автономної Республіки Крим [On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on Certain Issues of the Administrative and Territorial Structure of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea]. Official Website of the Parliament of Ukraine (in Ukrainian). 23 August 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2024 .
^ Про утворення та ліквідацію районів [On the formation and liquidation of districts]. Official Website of the Parliament of Ukraine (in Ukrainian). 17 July 2020. Archived from the original on 8 July 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024 .
^ a b c Gormezano, David (4 August 2024). "In Ukraine's Donbas, ten years of war and Russification" . France 24 . Retrieved 4 August 2024 .
^ Zazulyak, Anastasia; Vykhrushch, Iryna (16 June 2020). В Україні утворять нові райони: список та план [New districts to be formed in Ukraine: list and plan]. 24 Kanal (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 10 July 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024 .
^ У Луганській області передбачено утворити 8 районів, – Постанова Верховної Ради України [8 districts are to be formed in Luhansk oblast - Resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine]. loga.gov.ua . 17 July 2020. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2024 .
^ Прийнято Постанову "Про утворення та ліквідацію районів" [The Resolution "On Formation and Liquidation of Districts" was adopted]. Official Website of the Parliament of Ukraine (in Ukrainian). 17 July 2020. Archived from the original on 5 August 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2024 .
^ Balaban, Mykola; Volyanyuk, Olga; Dobrovolska, Christina; Balaban, Bohdan; Maiorov, Maksym (2017). Maiorova, Alina (ed.). "Donbas In Flames: Guide to the conflict zone" (PDF) . Designed by Lukyan Turetsky; Translated by Artem Velychko, Christina Dobrovolska, Svitlana Kemblowski, Anna Shargorodskaya, Andrii Gryganskyi, and Max Alginin. Lviv : Prometheus Security Environment Research Center. pp. 10, 84–89. Retrieved 4 August 2024 .
^ Shevel, Oxana (January 2016). "Decommunization in Post-Euromaidan Ukraine" (PDF) . PONARS Eurasia . p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024 .
^ Про засудження комуністичного та націонал-соціалістичного (нацистського) тоталітарних режимів в Україні та заборону пропаганди їхньої символіки [On the condemnation of communist and national socialist (Nazi) totalitarian regimes in Ukraine and the prohibition of propaganda of their symbols]. Official Website of the Parliament of Ukraine (in Ukrainian). 27 July 2023. Archived from the original on 26 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024 .
^ Понад 50 тисяч вулиць змінили назви впродовж 2016 року [Over 50 thousand streets changed their names in 2016]. kmu.gov.ua (in Ukrainian). 27 December 2016. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024 .
^ Перейменування окремих міст та районів, перейменованих відповідно до Закону України «Про засудження комуністичного та націонал-соціалістичного (нацистського) тоталітарних режимів в Україні та заборону пропаганди їхньої символіки» [Renaming of certain cities and districts, renamed in accordance with the Law of Ukraine "On Condemnation of Communist and National Socialist (Nazi) Totalitarian Regimes in Ukraine and Prohibition of Propaganda of Their Symbols"] (PDF) . land.gov.ua . Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024 .
^ Про затвердження Переліку територій, на яких ведуться (велися) бойові дії або тимчасово окупованих Російською Федерацією [On Approval of the List of Territories in which Military Operations are Conducted (Were Conducted) or Temporarily Occupied by the Russian Federation]. ips.ligazakon.net (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024 .
^ Хронологія широкомасштабного вторгнення: АрміяInform про головні події за два роки [Timeline of the large-scale invasion: ArmyInform on the main events of the last two years]. armyinform.com.ua (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024 .
^ "Russia claims full control of Luhansk region as key city captured" . Al Jazeera . 3 July 2022. Archived from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2024 .
^ Bader, A.V.; Zabudkova, O.A.; Melnyk, I.G.; Gusev, N.V. (2017). Луганськ [Luhansk]. Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 17 September 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2024 .
^ Kyrychenko, M.E. (2001). Алчевськ [Alchevsk]. Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 21 February 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024 .
^ Goncharenko, Roman (9 June 2022). "The strategic value of Sievierodonetsk" . Deutsche Welle . Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2024 .
^ "Я бачив, як палає Сєвєродонецьк". Що відбувається на східному фронті ["I saw Sievierodonetsk burning". What is happening on the eastern front]. BBC News Ukrainian (in Ukrainian). 31 May 2022. Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2024 .
^ Dovhan, Konstantin (30 August 2022). Козацький край, спалений ворогом: історія Попасної [Cossack land, burned by the enemy: the history of Popasna]. 24 Kanal (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 8 October 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2024 .
^ Про перейменування міста Теплогірськ Стахановської міської ради Луганської області [On renaming the city of Teplohirsk of the Stakhanov City Council of Luhansk Oblast]. Official Website of the Parliament of Ukraine (in Ukrainian). 8 July 2010. Archived from the original on 17 June 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2024 .
1,000,000+ 500,000-1,000,000 200,000-500,000 100,000-200,000