102-646: Sloviansk is a city in Donetsk Oblast , northern part of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine . The city was known as Tor until 1784. While it did not actually belong to the raion itself, Sloviansk served as the administrative center of the Sloviansk Raion ( district ) until its abolition on 18 July 2020. Sloviansk was one of the focal points in the early stages of the war in Donbas , in 2014, as it
204-630: A "a lightning-fast and dangerous multi-level special operation"; a treason case was opened against Medvedchuk the previous year and in February, and authorities said that Medvedchuk that escaped from house arrest. July 17, 2022, Head of the SBU Ivan Bakanov was dismissed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy . While a long-time associate and personal friend of Zelenskyy, Bakanov was accused of allowing treason and collaboration of SBU agents with Russia, and failing to uproot them. Vasyl Malyuk ,
306-588: A Sloviansk still on a war footing. According to the 2001 Ukrainian Census : Total 2001 population: 141,066 Sloviansk is in the valley of the Kazennyi Torets River, a right tributary of the Donets , in the Donbas region. Karachun Mountains are the highest point of Sloviansk, situated to the south of the city. The climate in Sloviansk is a mild to warm summer subtype ( Köppen : Dfb ) of
408-410: A difficult ongoing living situation had resulted in support for the pro-Russian rebels eroding in the near three months that Sloviansk was under their control. The New York Times reported that 'many of the same people' who had once supported the pro-Russia rebels 'rushed into the same square to greet Ukrainian military trucks as soldiers handed out free food. Virtually nobody now admits to having supported
510-675: A few days later. Allegedly in the months following the Revolution of Dignity thousands of Ukrainian spies switched sides and began reporting to Russia during the 2014 Crimean crisis and the pro-Russian unrest in east and south Ukraine . At the end of 2014 235 SBU agents, including the former counterintelligence chief and his cousin, and hundreds of other operatives had been arrested and 25 high treason probes against Yanukovych-era SBU officials had been launched; also all regional directors had been changed, as well as half of their deputies. In July 2015 Nalyvaichenko claimed "There's no longer
612-556: A lack of support, made the rebel retreat an inevitability. A 10-day ceasefire, not entirely observed by either side, ended on 30 June, and in early July, faced with a full-on Ukrainian offensive, Strelkov co-ordinated the retreat of his forces from Sloviansk. Initially they had planned to go to nearby Kramatorsk , however when it became clear that the Ukrainian army would also take Kramatorsk, which they duly did, most headed to Donetsk , which would then become their stronghold. Sloviansk
714-463: A raid on the SBU allegedly ordered by President Viktor Yanukovych . Late February 2014 opposition MP Hennadiy Moskal released papers that showed the SBU had allegedly infiltrated the late 2013 – February 2014 anti-government Euromaidan protest. According to BBC Ukraine analyst Olexiy Solohubenko , many tactics discussed in the paper had indeed been performed. After the overthrow of Yanukovich in
816-469: A total infiltration of Russian agents. The danger is no longer widespread". The arrested agents were replaced by new recruits from western Ukraine , many of them in their early twenties. To test loyalty, all SBU agents are subjected to recurrent interrogations and lie detector tests. In June 2015, the Kyiv Post reported that a deputy chief of the SBU, Vitaly Malikov, had supported events leading to
918-417: A whole remained neutral. In 2005, soon after the elections, sacked SBU Chief Smeshko and other intelligence agents stated their own version of the revolution's events. They claimed to have prevented militsiya from violently suppressing the protests, contradicting the orders of President Kuchma and threatening militsiya with armed involvement of SBU's special forces units. This story was first described by
1020-443: Is Donetsk , though due to the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War , the regional administration was moved to Kramatorsk . Historically, the region has been an important part of the Donbas region. From its creation in 1938 until November 1961, it bore the name Stalino Oblast , in honour of Joseph Stalin . As part of the de-Stalinization process, it was renamed after the Donets river, the main artery of Eastern Ukraine . Its population
1122-452: Is also rich in fertile black earth. Important resources for recreation within the area are: the mild climate, the Sea of Azov coast, curative mud, sources of minerals, and radon and table water. Due to these numerous recreation resources, many resort hotels and camps are located here. There are about 26 health centres and pensions, 52 rest homes and boarding houses, and rest camps for children in
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#17327726328831224-490: Is estimated at 4,100,280 (2021 est.). The oblast is known for its urban sprawl of Donetsk – Makiivka and Horlivka – Yenakiieve and it is often associated with the coal mining industry. In 2014, parts of the oblast, including Donetsk, came under the control of Russian-backed separatists who declared the Donetsk People's Republic , leading to a war against government forces ; the de facto administrative center
1326-461: Is located within the historic regions of Zaporizhzhia (western and central part), Sloboda Ukraine (northern part) and Pryazovia (southern part). In the mid-18th-century, the north-eastern outskirts formed part of Slavo-Serbia with its capital in Bakhmut . Before the establishment of Donetsk Oblast, three districts ( okruhas ) existed on its territory from 1923 to 1930. The Donets Governorate
1428-440: Is no mood of joyous celebration at what Ukrainian officials trumpet as the city’s “liberation.” Anger and animosity bubbles just below the calm surface. In each workplace, everyone knows who did what during rebel rule, creating poisonous currents of suspicion." The population of Sloviansk had fallen to around 80,000 at this time. In 2015, as part of Ukraine's process of decommunization , the fate of Sloviansk's statue of Lenin , in
1530-650: Is responsible for all kinds of intelligence as well as for external security. As of 2004, the exact functions of the new service, and respective responsibilities of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine were not regulated yet. On November 7, 2005, the President of Ukraine created the Ukraine State Service of special communications and protection of information, also known as Derzhspetszvyazok (StateSpecCom) in place of one of
1632-564: Is served by a trolleybus network consisting of two permanent routes and one summer route. Marshrutkas are widely used. The M03 goes by the edge of Sloviansk. In early 2015, Ukraine lost control of the section of this from Debaltsevo on, then in early 2023 Ukraine lost control of the section from Soledar to Debaltsevo. H20 leaves from the city toward Mariupol , via Kramatorsk, Kostiantynivka, Donetsk, and Volnovakha . Ukraine lost control of part of this highway, around Donetsk, in 2014. The first part of 2022 saw fierce fighting on or around
1734-750: The 1991 referendum , 83.90% of votes in Donetsk Oblast were in favour of the Declaration of Independence of Ukraine , fourth lowest in the country after Crimea, Sevastopol and Luhansk Oblast. A survey conducted in December 2014 by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found 18.5% of the oblast's population supported their region joining Russia, 53.8% did not support the idea, 22.5% were undecided, and 5.2% did not respond; insurgent-controlled areas (which hold over 50% of
1836-406: The 1991 referendum . In the mid-1990s, the region became known for its heightened criminal activity, including the killings of high-profile business people such as Akhat Bragin and Yevhen Shcherban . Donetsk Oblast was also a base for Ukraine's main pro-Russian political faction, Party of Regions , which became part of the Ukrainian government in 2002 and paved a way into Ukrainian politics for
1938-850: The All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee . To support the Soviet government in Ukraine , in Moscow was formed a corps of special assignment with 24,500 soldiers as part of the All-Ukrainian Cheka. In spring 1919, there was created the Council in fight against counterrevolution and consisted of Adolph Joffe , Stanislav Kosior , and Martin Latsis . In its early years the security agency fought against
2040-539: The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine , said in 2020 that the Ukrainian Army was aware of the movement of Girkin's columns out of Sloviansk but did not attack the columms: Having some information from our sources from Sloviansk and Kramatorsk , we understood that they [the separatists] would come out. This understanding was clearly formed between 2 and 3 July. And already on the 4th it
2142-616: The Revolution of Dignity the new SBU head Valentyn Nalyvaichenko claimed to have found his new office building empty, saying "the agency's former leadership had all fled to Russia or Crimea . There were no operative files, no weapons. Institutionally, the place was totally destroyed". Nalyvaichenko also claimed that at that time the agency was heavily infiltrated by Russian spies. Indeed, Nalyvaichenko predecessor Oleksandr Yakymenko with about 15 former SBU top officials surfaced in Russia
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#17327726328832244-774: The Ukrainian People's Republic founded its Security Services. In May 1918 the Department of the State Guard of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Ukrainian State started to form a new intelligence service. This was a much more effective agency than its predecessor due to the incorporation of former employees of Okhrana (the secret police force of the Russian Empire ). After the fall of
2346-687: The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic 's Branch of the Soviet KGB , keeping the majority of its 1990s personnel. It was created in September 1991 following the August 1991 independence of Ukraine . The last Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic's Branch head Colonel-General Nikolai Golushko stayed on as chairman of the newly formed Security Service of Ukraine for four months before moving to Russia. (Golushko headed
2448-687: The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic . In World War II , the city was occupied by Nazi Germans on 28 October 1941. In December 1941, the SS Einsatzkommando 4b murdered more than a thousand Jews who lived in Sloviansk. The Red Army temporarily expelled the Nazi occupiers on 17 February 1943. Germans retook it on 1 March 1943. The Red Army finally liberated Sloviansk on 6 September 1943. Salt extraction in Sloviansk in turn gave rise to salt refining and packaging, soda and other chemical manufacturing. By 1972 there were 18 related enterprises in
2550-572: The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) expressed concerns about a situation with "freedom of opinion and expression" in Ukraine which facing "mounting challenges". According to the UN reports the SBU is taking advantage of broad interpretation and application of Ukrainian Criminal Code against independent Ukrainian journalists, bloggers, and media activists. According to reports of
2652-593: The annexation of Crimea . According to February 2016 official figures of the Ukrainian parliamentary Committee on National Security, after Russia's annexation 10% of SBU personnel left Crimea. According to the SBU itself (in November 2017) 13% did so. In 2016, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch reported that the SBU operates secret detention facilities where civilians are held incommunicado being subjected to improper treatment and torture. In 2017,
2754-565: The communications protection agent in President Leonid Kuchma 's bodyguard team. Mel'nychenko was the central figure of the Cassette Scandal (2000)—one of the main events in Ukraine's post-independence history. SBU became involved in the case when Mel'nychenko accused Leonid Derkach, SBU Chief at the time, of several crimes, e.g., of clandestine relations with Russian mafia leader Semyon Mogilevich . However,
2856-422: The humid continental climate . Sloviansk is a nexus of a number of railways and roads. The city is served by three railway passenger stations: Slovianskyi Resort (in the northeast), ‘Mashchormet’ (at the junction), and ' Sloviansk ' (the main station, west of the junction, on the southwest side of the city). Three railway lines leave the city in directions of Lozova , Lyman and Kramatorsk . The local population
2958-579: The war in Donbas . In May 2014, the Ukrainian government lost control over its border with Russia in Donetsk Oblast. On 30 September 2022 Russia, amid its invasion of Ukraine , annexed Donetsk ( Donetsk People's Republic ), Luhansk ( Luhansk People's Republic ), Zaporizhzhia , and Kherson Oblasts. The United Nations General Assembly subsequently passed a resolution calling on countries not to recognise what it described as an "attempted illegal annexation", demanded that Russia "immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw", while most nations of
3060-652: The "kulak-nationalistic banditry" (peasants who resisted having their land confiscated and being forced into collective farms). On August 19, 1920, the All-Ukrainian Cheka arrested all members of the All-Ukrainian Conference of Mensheviks after accusing them of counterrevolutionary activity. On December 10, 1934, the State Political Directorate of Ukraine was dissolved, becoming part of the NKVD of Ukraine. The SBU originated from
3162-631: The American journalist C.J. Chivers of The New York Times and has never been supported with documents or legally. An episode of human rights abuse by SBU happened during the case of serial killer Anatoly Onoprienko . Yuriy Mozola, an initial suspect in the investigation, died in SBU custody in Lviv as a result of torture . Several agents were convicted in the case. The SBU remains a political controversial subject in Ukrainian politics. The former Security Service of Ukraine Head Valeriy Khoroshkovsky
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3264-521: The Donetsk/Luhansk People's Republics. However, the referendums were not monitored, or endorsed, by any international observers, or organisations, and their results almost universally unrecognised in the west. Russia issued a statement saying they 'respected' the results of the referendums, but stopped short of recognising them. Fighting intensified throughout May, as Ukrainian forces escalated their 'ATO' (Anti-Terror Operation) to retake
3366-753: The Mariupol Port, the Donetsk International Airport , passenger airports in Mariupol and Kramatorsk , and dense road systems. In Donetsk Oblast two special economic zones have been created, Donetsk and Azov , which have a privileged tax regime. In 1999, the gross grain yield in the oblast was about 999.1 thousand tons, sugar beets – 27.1 thousand tons, sunflower seeds – 309.4 thousand tons, and potatoes – 380.2 thousand tons. Also, 134.2 thousand tons of meat, 494.3 thousand tons of milk and 646.4 million eggs have been produced. At
3468-616: The Russian Federal Counterintelligence Service in 1993 and 1994. ) Since 1992, the agency has been competing in intelligence functions with the intelligence branch of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense . Despite this, a former Military Intelligence Chief and career GRU technological espionage expert, Ihor Smeshko , served as an SBU chief until 2005. According to Taras Kuzio during the 1990s in some regions of Ukraine (Donetsk)
3570-473: The SBU as a military formation, and its staff are considered military personnel with ranks. It is subordinated directly under the authority of the president of Ukraine . The SBU also operates its own special forces unit, the Alpha Group . The SBU was created after the Declaration of Independence of Ukraine in 1991. The agency was viewed negatively by the Ukrainian public for much of its history, as it
3672-498: The SBU for spying on behalf of Russia, one of them being an SBU employee while the other, Stanislav Yezhov, worked for various cabinet ministers. In late 2018, the SBU carried out raids across the country targeting the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) churches and priests. On July 8, 2019, the SBU announced that they conducted a raid into Donbass to apprehend Vladimir Borysovich Tsemakh, who
3774-581: The SBU keeps under its control special operation Alpha units with bases in every Ukrainian province. According to British political expert Taras Kuzio the organizational structure of SBU remains bloated in size compared to its predecessor, the Soviet Ukrainian KGB, because the total number of active officers is as high as 30,000 personnel. It is six times larger than the British domestic MI5 and external MI6 combined. On January 14, 1918,
3876-542: The SBU started to conduct extensive counter-espionage against Russian intelligence services. The SBU captured fifth-columnists , Russian sympathizers, collaborators, spies and infiltrators. The SBU, with help of the American NSA and CIA , also broke through the Russian encrypted cellphone services, intercepting phone calls to find valuable targets or other useful intelligence. Several Russian generals died due to
3978-542: The SBU teamed up with local criminals taking part in privatization of state property (so-called prykhvatizatsiya ) ignoring its operational objectives and sky-rocketing level of local violence. A notorious incident took place in December 1995 in Western Ukraine when a local citizen Yuriy Mozola was arrested by SBU agents, interrogated and brutally tortured for three days. He refused to confess in trumped up murder charges and died in SBU custody. Later it turned out that
4080-523: The SBU, was photographed in public wearing a $ 32,000 luxury wristwatch despite the fact that its price amounts to his yearly official income. The instance happened at a joint Ukrainian-American event dedicated to fighting the drug trade. The SBU uncovered seven spies and 16 special service agents in 2009. A large number of arrests and searches occurred in 2011. In February 2014, numerous documents, hard drives, and flash drives, including data on over 22,000 officers and informants, were stolen or destroyed in
4182-667: The UDO was subsumed into the SBU after the scandal, so Mel'nychenko himself has never been an SBU agent. Later, the SBU played a significant role in the investigation of the Georgiy Gongadze murder case, the crime that caused the Cassette Scandal itself. In 2004, General Valeriy Kravchenko, SBU's intelligence representative in Germany, publicly accused his agency of political involvement, including overseas spying on Ukrainian opposition politicians and German TV journalists. He
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4284-727: The Ukrainian People's Republic Mykola Chebotarov started intelligence work on his own initiative for the Ukrainian People's Republic government in exile on the territory of the Ukrainian SSR . The All-Ukrainian Cheka was formed on December 3, 1918, in Kursk on the initiative from Yakov Sverdlov and Lenin 's orders. The commission was formed on the decree of the Provisional Workers' and Peasants' Government of Ukraine and later adopted on May 30, 1919, by
4386-536: The Ukrainian State and the return of power of the Ukrainian People's Republic (UNR) in December 1918, the new UNR authorities destroyed virtually all of the state infrastructure of the Ukrainian State. Therefore, the new secret services founded in January 1919 (with two divisions – domestic and foreign) had to start practically from scratch. It never became as well-led, nor as successful, as its forerunner,
4488-680: The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, the SBU personnel is responsible for multiple cases of human rights abuses including sexual violence and torture. A new fifth directorate of SBU was created in 2015 to act as a saboteur force. It was associated with several assassinations of prominent pro-Russian commanders in Donbas: Alexander Zakharchenko , Mikhail Tolstykh and Arsen Pavlov . On December 21, 2017, two Ukrainian civil servants were arrested by
4590-517: The beginning of 1999 there were 2108 farms within the oblast. Donetsk Oblast's climate is mostly continental, which is characterised by hot summers and relatively cold winters with changeable snow surfaces. East and southeast strong winds, high temperatures and heavy rain showers are typical in the summer. The average annual rainfall is 524 mm. The basic minerals found here are: coal (reserves – 25 billion tons), rock salt , lime carbonate, potassium , mercury , asbestos , and graphite . The area
4692-482: The candidature of Khoroshkovskiy on the post of the chairman of Security Service of Ukraine. Khoroshkovskiy said the SBU's main duty was to protect the president rather than the interests of Ukraine. On July 26, 2010, it arrested an internet blogger, producing a warrant for his arrest the next day. SBU accused the blogger of threatening the President of Ukraine , citing his comment "May thunder strike Yanukovych!"; he
4794-540: The city of Sviatohirsk with the Sviatohirsk Lavra was nominated for the Seven Wonders of Ukraine . Since 2020, Donetsk Oblast has been divided into eight raions (districts), each named after its administrative center: Each raion is in turn divided up into hromadas . In 2013, the population of Donetsk Oblast was 4.43 million, which constituted 10% of the overall Ukrainian population, making it
4896-740: The city of Stalino (today Donetsk ) took on the role. Until 1938, the Donetsian Oblast included the territories of the modern Donetsk Oblast and the Luhansk Oblast . In June 1938 it was split into the Stalino Oblast (modern Donetsk Oblast) and the Voroshylovhrad Oblast (modern Luhansk Oblast). During the Nazi German occupation from fall 1941 to fall 1943, Donetsk Oblast was known as Yuzivka Oblast (after
4998-526: The city's central square, became a topic of heated debate at council meetings. Large factions from Ukrainian ultra-national groups Svoboda and the Right Sector attended these meetings, in support of the removal / destruction of the statue. There were also locals in favour of keeping the statue, with a petition of 4,500 signatures supporting the Lenin statue remaining. No consensus had been reached, when in
5100-453: The city's population fell markedly, to around 24,000 by July 2022, due to shelling, and ongoing war, according to Ukrainian authorities. In April 2023, The Financial Times estimated the population to have recovered to 40-50,000. The history of Sloviansk dates back to 1645 when Russian Tsar Alexei Romanov founded a border fortress named Tor against the Crimean attacks and slave raids on
5202-661: The city, and polls showing people in the east of Ukraine to be largely opposed to the Maidan movement in Kyiv. However, Sloviansk would quickly become the epicentre of events following the fallout of the revolution. On 12 April 2014, in the crisis and chaos which gripped the country following the revolution's installing of the First Yatsenyuk government , a reported 55 armed men, led by Russian military veteran Igor Girkin , known as 'Igor Strelkov' stormed Sloviansk, quickly capturing
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#17327726328835304-403: The city, including plastics and the making of vinyl records. Sloviansk reached its peak population of 143,000 in 1987. Sloviansk would remain as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic until its dissolution in 1991, after which the city became part of an independent Ukraine. The 2014 Ukrainian revolution for the most part passed Sloviansk by, with no large-scale gatherings or events in
5406-610: The city, with a Ukrainian military helicopter shot down at the start of the month, and multiple casualties reported in fighting on both sides. May would also see escalating civilian casualties in Sloviansk, as Ukrainian forces began their assault on the city. On 5 May, 30-year-old Irina Boevets was killed by a stray Ukrainian bullet, as she stepped out on her balcony. The Guardian at the time reported these civilian deaths as "fuelling pro-Russian sentiment". Fighting between sides would wage in May, with increasing intensity. A follow-up referendum to
5508-494: The coal, finished steel, coke, cast iron and steel production in Ukraine. Ferrous metallurgy, fuel industry and power industry are in demand in the structure of industry production. There are about 882 industry enterprises that are on independent balance, and 2,095 small industry enterprises in the oblast. The oblast has a developed transport infrastructure which includes the Donetsk railway (covers 40% of national transportation),
5610-540: The departments of SBU and making it an autonomous agency. The SBU subsumed the Directorate of State Protection of Ukraine ( Ukrainian : Управління державної охорони України ), the personal protection agency for the most senior government officials, which was the former Ninth Directorate of the Ukrainian KGB. The SBU's State Directorate of Personal Protection is known for its former Major Mykola Mel'nychenko ,
5712-588: The downing as a "terrorist attack," and blamed pro-Russian militants. As June went on, it became clear that the pro-Russia side were losing the battle for Sloviansk, beset by a number of problems, including infighting, with enmity between 'people's mayor' Ponomarev, and Strelkov/Girkin, resulting in Strelkov/Girkin having Ponomarev arrested, and dismissed from his duties, on 12 June. Ukrainian forces further stepped up their shelling of Sloviansk in June. Sloviansk
5814-400: The early hours of June 3, Right Sector militants tore the statue down. Also in 2015, a plaque to the memory of Volodymyr Rybak , a Ukrainian politician killed by pro-Russian rebels in 2014, was placed in the town center. Although war continued in parts of Donbas, there were no notable incidents in Sloviansk following its recapture by Ukrainian forces in July 2014, until 2022. In 2016, the city
5916-673: The election of their candidate was not recognised. However, no official moves were ever made. At the 2001 Ukrainian National Census , the ethnic groups within Donetsk Oblast were: Ukrainians – 2,744,100 (56.9%), Russians – 1,844,400 (38.2%), Pontic Greeks – 77,500 (1.6%), Belarusians – 44,500 (0.9%), others (2.3%). At the 2001 census, the languages spoken within the oblast were: Russian (spoken by 98.6% of Russians living there, 58.7% of Ukrainians, 58.7% of Greeks, and 85.5% of Belarusians) and Ukrainian (spoken by 41.2% of Ukrainians, 1.3% of Russians, 3.2% of Greeks, and 3.9% of Belarusians). Donetsk Oblast accounts for more than one half of
6018-403: The executive committee building, the police department, and the SBU office of the city. Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov described the gunmen as "terrorists" and vowed to use the Ukrainian special forces to retake the buildings. On 13 April 2014, there were reports of fighting between the gunmen and Ukrainian troops, with casualties reported on both sides. The BBC's David Stern described
6120-416: The fascists who had seized power in Kiev with the February ouster of President Victor F. Yanukovych, a Russian-speaker from Donetsk ." Elected mayor of Sloviansk Nelya Shtepa gave a series of contradictory statements on her support for the pro-Russia side, and was then taken captive by the pro-Russia side. Shtepa would be one of several high-profile detainments during rebel control of Sloviansk. On 14 April
6222-463: The first Deputy Head of the SBU, was appointed as acting Head of the SBU. According to Ukrainska Pravda and the UNIAN , the October 2022 Crimean Bridge explosion was carried out by the SBU. On August 7, 2023, Ukrainian Security Service has arrested a woman in relation to an attempt to assassinate President Zelenskyy . The unnamed woman was accused of supplying information for a Russian air strike. On August 12, 2024, SBU alleged that Russia
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#17327726328836324-402: The first time she had been seen in public since mid-April, and gave a pro-Russian speech on stage, urging people to vote in the referendum scheduled for 11 May. Recently freed rebel leader Pavel Gubarev also appeared on stage. Referendums went ahead across Donbas on 11 May, including Sloviansk, with the pro-Russia side reporting a turnout of near 75%, with over 90% voting for self rule as part of
6426-423: The highway, and by summer of 2022, Ukraine had lost control of the H20 highway, from around Donetsk onto Mariupol. Christian churches: Donetsk Oblast Donetsk Oblast , also referred to as Donechchyna ( Ukrainian : Донеччина , IPA: [doˈnɛtʃːɪnɐ] ), is an oblast in eastern Ukraine . It is Ukraine's most populous province, with around 4.1 million residents. Its administrative centre
6528-400: The home of Smeshko's first deputy. However, neither the politician himself nor the investigators have ever directly accused these officers. The Personal Protection department has been officially responsible for Yushchenko's personal security since he became a candidate. During the Orange Revolution , several SBU veterans and cadets publicly supported him as president-elect, while the agency as
6630-564: The incident as a misunderstanding. Khoroshkovskiy, as the Chairman of the SBU, eliminated the main competition of Ukrainian TV-giant Inter , officially owned by his wife Olena Khoroshkovskiy, in the face of TVi and Channel 5 . In July 2010, Konrad Schuller of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung wrote that Khoroshkovskiy had connections with RosUkrEnergo . The most important source of Khoroshkovskiy's came from RosUkrEnergo. The President's spokesperson, Hanna Herman , in an interview with this newspaper, did not dispute that Dmytro Firtash
6732-415: The intercepted calls. They also published many supposed intercepted phone calls on their website, showing morale issues or admissions of war crimes by Russian troops. On March 5, 2022, SBU agents shot and killed Denis Kireev , a member of Ukraine's negotiating delegation during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine , while he was being arrested. According to the SBU, Kireev was suspected of treason and
6834-406: The lake, where mud therapy was used. In 1832, the first resort was established on the shores of Lake Ropne. With the construction of a railway line in 1869, the town grew rapidly, from a population of 5,900 in 1847 to 15,700 by 1897. In April 1918, troops loyal to the Ukrainian People's Republic briefly took control of Sloviansk. Sloviansk was then, along with the rest of Ukraine, incorporated into
6936-426: The loss of civilian life. An April 2023 profile of Sloviansk by the Financial Times described the city as being like a ' ghost town ', with mayor Vadym Lyakh having given an order to evacuate. The population of Sloviansk at this time was estimated at 40-50,000, up from 2022's estimate of 24,000, but significantly down from the pre-Russian invasion population of over 100,000. In September 2023, The Guardian reported from
7038-421: The most populous and most densely populated region of the country, except for the cities with special status ( Kyiv and Sevastopol ). Its large population is due to the presence of several big industrial cities and numerous villages agglomerated around them. During the 2004 presidential election , political supporters of Viktor Yanukovych threatened to demand autonomy for Donetsk and neighboring oblasts if
7140-444: The northeast, the Rostov Oblast in Russia to the east, and the Sea of Azov to the south. Its extent from north to south is 270 km, from east to west – 190 km. The extreme points of the oblast's borders are: Bilosarayska Kosa ( spit ) in the south, Shevchenko of Volnovakha Raion in the west, Verkhnii Kut of Horlivka Raion in the east, and Lozove of Kramatorsk Raion in the north. The state historic-architectural site near
7242-470: The oblast. The curative areas in the oblast include the Slovyansk salt lakes and mineral water sources. The oblast also contains many park zones, some of which are of great national value. They include the Khomutivsky steppe and the Azov sea coast. Overall, Donetsk Oblast contains about 70 protected park and nature attractions including branches of the Ukrainian steppe park, six state reserves, ten memorials of nature, landscapes, and six park tracts. During
7344-662: The original name of Donetsk). During World War II , it was the site of several war crimes, including the German-perpetrated Artemivsk massacre and Soviet-perpetrated Massacre of Grischino . As part of de-Stalinization in the Soviet Union , in 1961 Stalino and Stalino Oblast were renamed Donetsk and Donetsk Oblast. During the dissolution of the Soviet Union , 83.9% of voters in Donetsk Oblast approved Ukraine's declaration of independence in
7446-446: The population) were not polled. Security Service of Ukraine The Security Service of Ukraine ( Ukrainian : Служба безпеки України , romanized : Sluzhba bezpeky Ukrainy ; abbreviated as SBU or SSU ) is the main internal security agency of the Ukrainian government . Its main duties include counter-intelligence activity and combating organized crime and terrorism . The Constitution of Ukraine defines
7548-551: The post on the same day. Khoroshkovsky is also the owner of U.A. Inter Media Group which owns major shares in various Ukrainian TV channels including Inter TV . 238 members of the Verkhovna Rada voted for Khoroshkovsky, however the head of the parliamentary committee for the National Security and Defense Anatoliy Hrytsenko stated that the committee accepted the decision to recommend Verkhovna Rada to deny
7650-551: The powerful " Donetsk Clan ". In late 2004, the Party of Regions was involved in the creation of a political project, the South-East Ukrainian Autonomous Republic , which was intended to include Donetsk Oblast. Having close ties with the Russian government, the Party of Regions, along with local communists and other pro-Russian activists, instigated the pro-Russian unrest which escalated into
7752-430: The pro-Russia side installed their own 'people's mayor' Vyacheslav Ponomarev , to deal with civilian matters, and press, while Strelkov / Girkin took charge of military matters. Throughout April, and May, Ponomarev would hold near daily press conferences in the city's admininstrative building. On 9 May, Victory Day , there was a parade, and large gathering of people in the central Square of Sloviansk. Nelya Shtepa appeared,
7854-522: The pro-Russian forces as carrying Russian weapons and resembling the soldiers that took over Crimean installations at the start of the 2014 Crimean crisis . Initially, the pro-Russia rebels enjoyed strong support, with the New York Times reporting: " Thousands of residents thronged a large square in front of City Hall to welcome the pro-Russian putsch, chanting “Russia, Russia” and posing for photographs with gunmen they hailed as their saviors from
7956-626: The protection of state secrets. Other duties include combating crimes that endanger the peace and security of mankind, terrorism, corruption, and organized criminal activities in the sphere of management and economy, as well as other unlawful acts immediately threatening Ukraine's vital interests. The general structure and operational methods of SBU appear to be very similar to that of its predecessor (KGB of Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ) with exception of Ukrainian Border Guards and department responsible for security of high-rank state officials. Both of them became independent institutions. However,
8058-404: The real killer was Anatoly Onoprienko . He was arrested the next year. Reports of SBU involvement in arms sales abroad began appearing regularly in the early 2000s. Ukrainian authorities have acknowledged these sales and arrested some alleged participants. In 2004, the SBU's Intelligence Department was reorganized into an independent agency called Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine . It
8160-533: The recent presidential campaign. Khoroshkovskiy having declined to give an interview to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , Schuller posted a quote from one of his other interviews: All my experience until now indicates that I am a patriot. ... I see through economic intrigues, crime, know methods of money laundering, banks that illegally exchange currency. ... My knowledge is much wider than most of those who work here. When Minister of Finance Fedir Yaroshenko resigned on January 18, 2012, Khoroshkovsky replaced him in
8262-483: The referendum on 11 May had been planned for 18 May, giving voters the option of joining Russia, however this was abandoned due to the escalation of fighting. On 29 May 2014, a Ukrainian helicopter carrying fourteen Ukrainian special service soldiers, including General Serhiy Kulchytskiy – the head of combat and special training for Ukraine's National Guard, crashed after being shot down by militants near Sloviansk. Ukraine's outgoing President Olexander Turchynov described
8364-841: The security services of the Ukrainian State. The security services of the West Ukrainian People's Republic on the other hand were well-organized. The West Ukrainian People's Republic were formed in March 1919 as the Field Gendarmerie of the Ukrainian Galician Army (it also served as military police ). There was no cooperation between the security services of the West Ukrainian People's Republic and Ukrainian People's Republic. In 1924, former (April–July 1919) head of intelligence of
8466-720: The separatists.' Konstantin Batozsky, an aide to the Kyiv-appointed governor of the Donetsk region, which included Sloviansk, stated of the people of Sloviansk: “They are happy to welcome whoever gives them food.” Following Ukraine's recapture of Sloviansk in July 2014, Ukrainian authorities began a 'hunt' for collaborators, setting up a hotline encouraging residents of the city to inform on those who had 'collaborated with pro-Russian rebels'. There were further discoveries of 'mass graves'. The New York Times reported at this time "There
8568-570: The southern suburbs of modern Ukraine and Russia. In 1664, the first salt plant for the extraction of salt was built, and workers began to settle in the area. In 1676, a fortress named Tor was built at the confluence of the Kazenyy Torets and Sukhyy Torets River, where they form the Torets River, a tributary of Donets River . Shortly thereafter, the town of Tor grew up next to the fortress. As several salt lakes were located close by,
8670-545: The start of the war in Donbas and the wider Russo-Ukrainian War . The Security Service of Ukraine is vested, within its competence defined by law, with the protection of national sovereignty, constitutional order, territorial integrity, economical, scientific, technical, and defense potential of Ukraine, legal interests of the state, and civil rights, from intelligence and subversion activities of foreign special services and from unlawful interference attempted by certain organizations, groups and individuals, as well with ensuring
8772-462: The town soon became a major producer of salt . During the sixteenth century, salt production was the principal local industry. In 1784, the city was renamed Slovenske, and a decade later, Sloviansk (Slavyansk). In 1827, military doctor A. Yakovlev was the first to use mud treatment and bathing in Lake Ropne to treat sick soldiers. Four years later, a military hospital of 200 beds was opened near
8874-525: The world have not recognized the annexations. As of April 2024, Russia controls about 60% of the oblast. Donetsk Oblast is located in southeastern Ukraine. The area of the oblast (26,517 km ) comprises about 4.4% of the total area of the country. The oblast borders the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts to the southwest, the Kharkiv Oblast to the north, the Luhansk Oblast to
8976-538: Was claimed to have clear evidence of him working for the enemy. However in August 18, later the Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine (GUR) disclosed the information that he was their agent and that he "died while performing special tasks" for the GUR. On April 12, 2022, the SBU announced they had arrested Viktor Medvedchuk , an ally of Vladimir Putin , in what Bakanov called
9078-461: Was clear that they would leave that night from 4 to 5 July. We actively conducted reconnaissance and gave coordinates directly on the night movement of the column, and on the daytime location of the enemy in Kramatorsk, and then on the exit of Girkin's columns from Kramatorsk. These coordinates were given. There was no implementation of [an attack on] these coordinates. A series of incidents, and
9180-468: Was fired without returning home. After a half-year of hiding in Germany, Kravchenko returned to Ukraine and surrendered in October 2004 (an investigation is underway). Later, the agency commanders became involved in the scandal around the poisoning of Viktor Yushchenko —a main candidate in the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election . Yushchenko felt unwell soon after supper with SBU Chief Ihor Smeshko, at
9282-573: Was head of the air defense in Snizhne and a 'person of interest' when a Buk missile launcher was used to shoot down MH17 . The SBU mentioned that he's a witness to the incident. On April 14, 2020, the SBU announced the arrest of Lt. General Valeriy Shaytanov [ uk ] , who was recruited in 2014 by the FSB during a Russian-Ukrainian anti-terrorist working group under the command of Colonel Igor Anatolievich Egorov [ uk ] . He
9384-816: Was involved in several controversies during his tenure. The rector of the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv Borys Gudziak heavily criticized a visit from the SBU, forcing Khoroshkovskiy to apologize. Later the head of the Kyiv Bureau of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation , Nico Lange , was detained for a short while and released only after several high-ranking officials from the German Chancellery vouched for him. The Security Service described
9486-580: Was known to head the anti-terrorist division who had played a prominent role in negotiating ceasefires and prisoner exchanges with Russia-backed militants in Eastern Ukraine. He had planned the future assassination of Adam Osmayev , a Chechen in the International Peacekeeping Battalion named after Dzhokhar Dudayev which is defending Ukraine against Russia aggression. With the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine ,
9588-416: Was one of several territories taken by Ukrainian forces at this time, including the nearby cities of Kramatorsk, and Kostiantynivka . Although Sloviansk's capture was a military victory for Ukrainian forces, the successful co-ordinated retreat of the rebel forces, and fall back to a fortified Donetsk, led to accusations, and recriminations, from the Ukrainian side. General Serhiy Krivonos, Deputy Secretary of
9690-417: Was one of the first cities to be seized and controlled by Russian-backed rebels (separatists), in mid-April 2014. Ukrainian forces then retook control of the city in July 2014, and since then, Sloviansk has been under Ukrainian control. The 2001 population of Sloviansk was 141,066. Largely due to the ongoing war in Donbas, by early 2022 this was down to 105,141. Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine ,
9792-644: Was one of the sponsors of the Presidential Party of Regions , with the help of which Khoroshkovskiy was appointed to the position of the State Security chairman. Khoroshkovskiy denied any connections to RosUkrEnergo. However it is a fact that Firtash possesses certain privileges in Inter. Schuller also stated that the SBU acts in direct association with RosUkrEnergo, arresting their main opponents (see RosUkrEnergo ) to recover their invested money in
9894-541: Was released after a short discussion. However, SBU showed a rather passive reaction to the statements of the Russian state official who claimed that Crimea and Sevastopol belong to the Russian Federation . Protest group FEMEN said that after the early 2010 election of President Viktor Yanukovych the SBU attempted to intimidate the FEMEN activists. On May 22, 2012, Volodymyr Rokytskyi, Deputy Head of
9996-464: Was subsequently moved to Mariupol and then Kramatorsk . During the Russian invasion of Ukraine , the oblast again became the site of heavy fighting , and Russia later declared the annexation of the entirety of the oblast as well as three other regions, though the annexation remains internationally unrecognized. About three-fifths of the oblast is under Russian military occupation. Donetsk Oblast
10098-479: Was terminated in 1925. As part of Soviet Ukraine , Donetsk Oblast was established on 2 July 1932 out of the Kharkiv Oblast , the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast , and a number of raions that were under the direct administration of Kharkiv (then-capital of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ). Artemivsk (today Bakhmut ) served as the oblast's administrative center for two weeks until 16 July 1932, when
10200-538: Was ultimately held by Russian-backed rebels for nearly three months, from mid-April until 5 July 2014, during which time fighting between the rebels and the Ukrainian army escalated, along with shelling of civilian areas of the city, with both military and civilian casualties. In late June, the Ukrainian army started advancing on Sloviansk, taking strategically significant locationed, including the Karachun Mountains. This, combined with Strelkov's videos decrying
10302-457: Was visited by Orlando Bloom in his role as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador. The population of Sloviansk would recover in the years up to 2022, to pre-2014 level. Sloviansk has been affected from the start of the 2022 Invasion of Ukraine , without becoming a central theatre of war. Sloviansk has been described as being a "crucial part Moscow’s objective of capturing all of the Donbas region". The city has several times fallen under shelling, with
10404-455: Was widely regarded as corrupt and was best known for arresting and intimidating political dissidents. After the Revolution of Dignity in 2014, the SBU went through a restructuring with the transition to the new government, because of its corruption and possible infiltration by intelligence agencies of Russia . The SBU has since been involved in operations against Russia , pro-Russian separatists in Donbas and other Russian sympathizers after
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