Hirnyk, Donetsk Oblast

Hirnyk Гірник
City
Seal
Hirnyk Hirnyk
Coordinates: 48°03′N 37°22′E
Country	Ukraine
Oblast	Donetsk Oblast
Raion	Pokrovsk Raion
Hromada	Kurakhove urban hromada
Founded	1938
City status	27 September 1958
Area
• Total	5.1 km2 (2.0 sq mi)
Elevation	195 m (640 ft)
Population  (2022)
• Total	10,357
• Density	2,000/km2 (5,300/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	85487, 85488
Area code	+380 6237

Hirnyk (Ukrainian: Гірник, pronounced [ɦ⁽ʲ⁾irˈnɪk]; ‹See Tfd›Russian: Горняк, romanized: Gornyak) is a city in Kurakhove urban hromada, Pokrovsk Raion, Donetsk Oblast (province) of Ukraine. It has a population of approximately 10,357 (2022 estimate).

Geography

The city of Hirnyk is situated on the Vovcha River (a left tributary of the Samara River in the Dnieper basin) on the western slope of the Donetsk Ridge, about 15 kilometers southeast of Selydove, to which it is connected by a road. The Tsukurikha train station, located in the village of Tsukuryne, is 7 kilometers away. Hirnyk is located 40 km (25 mi) west of Donetsk.

History

20th century

Hirnyk has its origins in the miner's settlement Sotsmistechko (sometimes referred to as Sotshorodok), which was founded in 1938 parallel to the construction of coal mines around the city of Kurakhove. By the end of 1938, the "Donbaszhytlobud" construction firm had built sixty one-storey houses for the miners to lived in. By 15 January 1939, 860 people lived in Sotsmistechko. During 1939, an elementary school, an outpatient clinic, recreational club, and two stores were built in the settlement. By summer 1941, the population had grown to 5,000.

During World War II, as the forces of Nazi Germany advanced on Sotsmistechko and the threat of Nazi occupation loomed, the non-mobilized population was evacuated to Karaganda in Kazakhstan, and any industrial equipment that could be moved was taken inland. Anything that could not be taken out was destroyed, and both of the functioning mines were blown up by local communists. The city was captured by Nazi German forces on 20 October 1941, who instituted a repressive and violent occupation, murdering prisoners of war at a hill near Sotsmistechko. The Nazis forced the locals as well as prisoners of war to begin rebuilding the destroyed mines, but were unable to actually return either of them to functionality during the occupation. Small groups of Soviet partisans fought back against the occupation, but several of them were killed in a minefield near Rai-Oleksandrivka, Donetsk Oblast. On 8 September 1943, Sotsmistechko was liberated by detachments of the 257th Rifle Division of the Red Army.

After the end of the war, the reconstruction of the economy began, with the mine passing pre-war production levels by 1946 according to Soviet sources. On 30 May 1947, Sotsmistechko was given urban-type settlement status.

On 27 September 1958, Sotsmistechko was administratively merged with its neighboring settlements (Prommaidanchyk, Zhovtneve, Peremoha, Pershotravneve, Komsomolske) to create a new city named Hirnyk. Industry developed in the city with the construction of a cinder block factory, a complex in production of construction materials, a bread factory, a non-alcoholic drinks factory, and division of the construction holding "Artemzhytlobud". In 1960, Hirnyk residents erected a monument at the site where the Nazis had murdered Soviet prisoners of war. In 1969, an inter-city station was built in Hirnyk.

21st century

In 2014, after the Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine that brought in a more pro-Western government, Russia initiated the war in Donbas, sponsoring pro-Russian militant proxy groups that seized territory in eastern Ukraine. On 29 October 2014, the Security Service of Ukraine detained a group of three militants loyal to the pro-Russian militant organization Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), and seized a militant weapons cache. On 13 February 2015, pro-Russian militants shelled Hirnyk with Grad missiles, killing three civilians. On 30 September 2018, the Hirnyk TV Tower was built in the city, with the purpose of broadcasting Ukrainian television programs to the Russian-occupied parts of Donetsk Oblast. With a height of 190 metres (620 ft), it is the tallest of its kind built since the independence of Ukraine from the Soviet Union in 1991.

On 12 June 2020, as part of Ukraine's 2020 administrative reforms, Hirnyk was assigned to Kurakhove urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. On July 18 the same year, Hirnyk, along with the rest of the hromada, became part of an expanded Pokrovsk Raion.

On 12 December 2022, during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia shelled Hirnyk, killing two people and wounding ten others. Ukrainian authorities begun investigating the shelling as a war crime. On 3 January 2024, Russia shelled Hirnyk again, injuring a sixteen-year-old boy.

In early September 2024, Hirnyk became a frontline city of the war. As part of a renewed offensive effort to capture Donetsk Oblast, the Russian forces advanced south of Pokrovsk, nearing the outskirts of Hirnyk, Ukrainsk and Selydove, capturing nearby settlements. Evacuation of civilians is ongoing. Russian forces were confirmed to have entered the northern part of the city by 26 September.

Economy

The city contains the "Kurakhivska" coal mine, which is owned by the state enterprise "Selydovvuhillia". Additionally, some residents are employed at nearby enterprises, including the Pokrovs'ke coal mine, Pivdennodonbasska Mine (Vuhledar), and the Kurakhivska Central Processing Plant in Kurakhivka. It also used to have another coal mine named "Hirnyk", but that one is now defunct.

The closest train station Tsukurykha is located 7 km (4.3 mi) away from the city. From it through the city railways stretch to the Kurakhove group of mines.

Demographics

Population history

Year Pop. ±% 1939 860 —     1941 5,000 +481.4% 1958 10,985 +119.7% 1970 14,646 +33.3% 1979 14,745 +0.7%

Year Pop. ±% 1989 16,203 +9.9% 2001 14,207 −12.3% 2011 11,822 −16.8% 2022 10,357 −12.4%

As of the 2001 Ukrainian census, Hirnyk had a population of 14,207 people, of whom the majority identified as ethnic Ukrainians, while Russians make up a large minority. In terms of religion, there are followers of several denominations, including the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), Evangelical Christian Baptists, and the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Ethnic groups in Hirnyk percent Ukrainians   56.43% Russians   40.01% Belarusians   0.95% Tatars   0.89% Ukrainian Greeks   0.40% Moldovans   0.17% Georgians   0.17% Azerbaijanis   0.10% Armenians   0.09%

Culture

Hirnyk's cultural infrastructure includes the Vocational School No. 144, three secondary schools (Nos. 17, 18, and 19), and three kindergartens (Malysh, Ryabinka, and Topolek). The city also has an outpatient clinic, a nursing home, a Palace of Culture, a children's music school, a Palace of Childhood, the Avangard Stadium, and a sports club named after Shvedchenko.

Attractions

The following attractions and sights are located in the city of Hirnyk: the Holy Cross Church, Avangard Stadium, a childrens' playground, the Monument to a grieving mother (mass grave), the Monument to the Unknown Soldier (mass grave), City square, the Memorial to fallen miners and the Monument to the liberators of Donbas.

Gallery

• 
  "Kurakhovskaya" mine
• 
  Monument to the Unknown Soldier
• 
  Monument to a grieving mother
• 
  Memorial to the fallen miners
• 
  Holy Cross Church
• 
  Avangard Stadium
• 
  Children's playground
• 
  City welcome sign

Notable people

• Denys Kozhanov (born 1987), Ukrainian footballer
• Serhiy Mazur (born 1970), Ukrainian footballer
• Vasyl Mazur (born 1970), Ukrainian footballer