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Chasiv Yar (Ukrainian: Часів Яр, pronounced[ˈt͡ʃɑ.s⁽ʲ⁾iu̯jɑr]) is a city in Bakhmut Raion, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. It is located 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) west of Bakhmut[4] and is the center of Chasiv Yar urban hromada. In January 2022, it had a population of 12,250,[3] though RBC News claimed the population in May 2024 had been reduced to 600 due to evacuations from Russian shelling and fighting within the city.[5]
The Siverskyi Donets – Donbas Canal runs through the east of Chasiv Yar. Just a small part of the city – the Kanal microdistrict – is east of the canal.
History
Early development
Chasiv Yar as a notable settlement can be traced back to 1876 when a Russian noble established a refractory site to process local clay that is abundant in the area.
Originally known as Hruzke or Pleshcheieve, the settlement grew alongside the clay industry. These industries played a pivotal role in the economic growth of the region, attracting settlers and laborers to the area.[6]
20th century
Chasiv Yar achieved Soviet city status in 1938 following the 1937 Soviet Census, marking a significant milestone in its development.
[7][8] During the Second World War, from October 1941 to September 1943, the city was occupied by Axis troops.
Later,[when?] the restoration of the city began. Clay production was modernized after the war and new plants were developed for electronics, metals and the traditional clay products (refractory materials). Four secondary schools, two seven-year schools, a FZO school, two Palaces of Culture, 14 libraries, four clubs and two stadiums were in Chasiv Yar during the soviet period.[9]
In January 1989, by the time of the 1989 Soviet census, the population of Chasiv Yar was 19,804 people. The basis of the economy was the extraction of refractory clays and the production of refractory products.[7]
In January 2013 the population was 13,999 people.[10]
Shortly before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the city's civilian mayor fled. In his place, Ukrainian military officials established martial law under the Chasiv Yar Military Civilian Administration led by the 42-year-old Serhiy Chaus.[1] Although unelected, locals refer to him unofficially as the mayor. Chaus urged citizens to evacuate the city, but was sympathetic to those who stayed, saying "they don't want to leave the town where they were born".[11]
On 9 July 2022, Russian rocket strikes on the city destroyed a railway station[12] and partially ruined a residential building.[13][14] That same day, a missile strike on a residential area killed at least 48 people.[15][16][17]
Following the loss of Soledar on 16 January 2023 and the fall of Klishchiivka on 20 January Chasiv Yar became a pivotal center for Ukrainian defenses on the Donetsk front, as it became the only route for Ukrainian troops and supplies into and out of the besieged city of Bakhmut.[18][19][20]
The city acted as a regrouping position, where Ukrainian troops rotated into and out of Bakhmut, giving them time to rest and resupply. Of the pre-war population of 15,000, by March 2023 only about 1,500 residents remained in the city.[21] The remaining citizens mostly live in the basements of burnt out buildings. There are no shops anymore, and the population is reliant on outside humanitarian aid to stay alive.[22] Most of the aid sent to the city has come from the UN's OCHA, with a large supply convoy reaching the city on March 10, 2023.[23]
On 14 March 2023, two projectiles with white phosphorus munitions were fired on a road at the southern edge of the city.[24] On 25 March the city was shelled resulting in a death of one civilian.[25] By early April 2023, only a few hundred civilians remained in the city.[26]
On 7 May 2023, Russia made an unsuccessful ground assault on Ukrainian positions in the settlement.[27] Subsequent attacks on 8, 9 and 10 May were also repelled.[28][29][30] On 9 May, Arman Soldin, a French war correspondent for Agence France-Presse was killed by a Russian rocket strike in Chasiv Yar, becoming the 15th journalist to have been killed by Russian forces.[31][32][33]
After Russian forces captured all significant areas of Bakhmut, Chasiv Yar became a fortified forward artillery base, supporting Ukrainian forces in their flanking attacks, and shelling Russian forces within Bakhmut proper.[2] As of August 2023, there were slightly over 1,000 civilians living in the remains of Chasiv Yar, who became less reliant on humanitarian aid as spring and summer allowed them to maintain gardens for produce.[34][35] The Governor of Donetsk Oblast, Pavlo Kyrylenko, reported that the city was hit by a Russian cluster munition strike on 23 July.[36]
On 10 September, a car containing four foreign aid workers for Road to Relief, a Spain-based NGO that supports civilians in the Donbas, was shelled by Russian forces. Road to Relief's Needs Assessment team's job was to visit the front line and determine where to allocate resources. The organization's director, the Spaniard Emma Igual, and Canadian Anthony Ignat were killed, while Swedish volunteer Johan Thyr and German volunteer Ruben Mawick were evacuated to a hospital where their condition stabilized.[37][38]
Russian forces first began their offensives towards Chasiv Yar on 26 December 2023.[39] Russia resumed ground offensives towards Chasiv Yar starting on 3 January 2024, according to the newly promoted Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi. Syrskyi reported that Russian forces performed a major offensive north of the city, near the village of Bohdanivka.[40] Of the city's remaining 800, mostly elderly residents, almost all stated they would evacuate with Ukrainian forces if the settlement were lost to Russian forces.[41]
The battle would officially begin with the first direct Russian assault on Chasiv Yar on 4 April 2024.[42] As of 24 May 2024 Russian forces had reached within 1.5 kilometers of Chasiv Yar.[citation needed] It was noted that the Ukrainian forces were fiercely entrenched.[43][full citation needed] A Dutchinternational legion volunteer was killed in the city on 20 May 2024.[44]
On 3 July 2024, ISW noted that both Russian and Ukrainian sources claim that the Kanal microdistrict of Chasiv Yar was captured by the Russian Armed Forces. Geolocated footage confirmed by the ISW indicated this information is correct, resulting in the Kanal Microdistrict of Chasiv Yar being marked as under Russian control. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed the same day that their forces had fully captured the Novyi microdistrict as well.[45]
Economy
Chasiv Yar's economy is built around the mining of refractory clays and production of refractory products.[8] The Chasiv Yar Refractory Plant [uk; ru] was located in the settlement.
Transport
There was one railway station in the city, which was destroyed on 9 July 2022 during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[12][9]
^Luk'yanov, V.B.. (2001). Refractory plant in Chasov-Yar. 35-38.
^ abcЧасов Яр // Большой энциклопедический словарь (в 2-х тт.). / редколл., гл. ред. А. М. Прохоров. том 2. М., "Советская энциклопедия", 1991. стр.626
^ abЧасов Яр // Большая Советская Энциклопедия. / редколл., гл. ред. Б. А. Введенский. 2-е изд. том 47. М., Государственное научное издательство «Большая Советская энциклопедия», 1957. стр.57
^"Russian rockets kill 15 in Chasiv Yar housing block, Ukraine says". bbc.com. BBC News. 10 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2022. At least 15 people have been killed and about 20 more are feared buried under rubble after Russian rockets struck an apartment block in Chasiv Yar, a town in eastern Ukraine, officials say.
^Mappes, Grace; Barros, George; Bailey, Riley; Hird, Karolina; Wolkov, Nicole (3 July 2024). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 3, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 4 July 2024. Ukrainian military observed Kostyantyn Mashovets also reported on July 2 that Ukrainian forces have 'completely lost' the Kanal Microraion. The Russian MoD claimed on July 3 that Russian forces completely seized the Novyi Microraion (eastern Chasiv Yar), and other Russian milbloggers claimed that elements of the 98th VDV Division additionally seized the Kanal Microraion
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