Early history

The territory where Toretsk now sits has been inhabited since ancient times, as discovered with archaeological findings. The city itself was founded in 1806 in the Russian Empire, when parts of the town Zaitseve were split off into several minor hamlets, including Shcherbynivskyi. According to local traditions, this name originates from a similarly-named Cossack outpost in the area. In the late 1830s, coal deposits were discovered in the area, and the area was developed for coal mining. Shcherbynivskyi and neighboring villages were united into a village named Shcherbynivka, which became part of Bakhmut uezd.^[1]

In 1869, the Kursk-Kharkiv-Azov Railway was built, which passed near Shcherbynivka, significantly contributing to the economic development of the town.^[1]

20th century

Shcherbynivka changed hands several times during the Russian Civil War of 1917–1923, before eventually being captured by the Bolsheviks, who established the communist Soviet Union on much of the former territory of the Russian Empire.^[3] In 1936, Shcherbynivka was renamed to Dzerzhynsk, in honor of Felix Dzerzhinsky.^[1][3] Dzerzhinsky was the founder of the Cheka secret police in the USSR and architect of the Red Terror.^[4] It also received city status.^[1][3] A local newspaper began being published in the town in September 1936.^[5]

During World War II, Dzerzhynsk was occupied by Nazi Germany from October 22, 1941 to September 5, 1943. During the occupation, the Nazis killed 150 civilians and deported 1,460 for forced labor to Germany.^[1]

In 1989, Dzerzhynsk's population was 50,538 people.^[6]

21st century

In 2013, Dzerzhynsk's population was 35,296 people.^[7]

Starting in mid-April 2014, during the beginning of the war in Donbas Russia-backed paramilitaries captured several towns in Donetsk Oblast, including Dzerzhynsk.^[8] It would later be discovered by investigators that then-mayor of Dzerzhynsk Volodymyr Sleptsov had ties to the Donetsk People's Republic, the militant organization and self-proclaimed state that had seized the city, and participated in the organizing of the fraudulent and illegal 2014 Donbas status referendums in May 2014.^[9] On 11 July 2014 Ukrainian forces launched strikes against the militants.^[10] On 21 July 2014, Ukrainian forces recaptured the city.^[11][12][13]

Following the 2015 law on decommunization, the city council decided on 16 October 2015 to rename the city to Toretsk.^[14] The name was approved by the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian parliament) on 4 February 2016.^[15] In August 2016, Toretsk mayor Volodymyr Sleptsov was arrested on charges of treason due to his actions in 2014. Serhiy Vinnyk became acting mayor.^[16]

Toretsk is only a few kilometers away from the occupied city of Horlivka.^[11] Toretsk has had its water supply cut multiple times during the war due to constant shelling by the Kremlin-backed separatists, who have prevented repairs.^[16]

In 2020, Toretsk became the center of Toretsk urban hromada within Bakhmut Raion, in accordance with nationwide administrative reforms.^[17][18]

The conflict did not directly enter Toretsk again until the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022, when Russian forces openly invaded the country and advanced through Donetsk Oblast towards the city. Half of the pre-war population of 32,000 had fled the city by April 2022, and those that remained were impoverished and lacking in basic resources.^[8] Civilian buildings in Toretsk have been repeatedly struck by Russian missiles during the invasion, killing numerous civilians.^[19][20] The constant shelling has contributed to a mood of anxiety and "depression" among the remaining residents.^[8] Toretsk civil-military administration head Vasyl Chynchyk announced in July 2023 that open-air markets in the city would be closed due to the extreme danger from Russia's bombings. The administration has continued slowly evacuating people westward. There had been no water or gas supply in a year and a half.^[21]

Ethnicity

• Ukrainians: 61.4%
• Russians: 36.1%
• Belarusians: 1%
• Tatars: 0.3%
• Romani: 0.3%

First language

• Russian: 87.1%
• Ukrainian: 12.2%
• Romani: 0.2%
• Belarusian: 0.1%
• Armenian: 0.1%