Balakliia

Administrative status

Until 18 July 2020, Balakliia was the administrative center of Balakliia Raion. The raion was abolished in July 2020 as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Kharkiv Oblast to seven. The area of Balakliia Raion was merged into Izium Raion.

History

Early history and etymology

The land that is now Balakliia has been inhabited since ancient times. Settlements from the Neolithic Age and Bronze Age have been preserved.

The name "Balakliia" is derived from the , a tributary of the Donets. The river's name in turn comes from a Turkic word meaning 'fish river'. The Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary judges from the name of the settlement that the town was originally a Tatar settlement.

Tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union

In 1571, the Moscow government established a watch service on the Seversky Donets and Oskil rivers-seven watches whose task was to report the approach of the Tatars. A third watch was built at the mouth of the Balakliika River.

The modern history of the settlement began in 1663, when it became populated by East Slavs and served as a guard post against raids from Crimean Tatars. Starting in 1669 or 1670, the settlement served as the center of the , which existed until 1677. Residents of Balakliia took an active part in the (1676—1681), the Bulavin Rebellion (1707–1708), and Pugachev's Rebellion (1773–1775).

From 1817 to 1891, the settlement was known as Novo-Serpukhiv.

By the early 20th century, Balakliia had a population of 5,197. During World War II, the town was occupied by the Wehrmacht between 9 December 1941, and 5 February 1943.

2017–2019 arms depot explosions

On 23 March 2017, 20,000 inhabitants of Balakliia were evacuated after {{ill|Balakliia explosions|uk|Пожежа на складі боєприпасів у Балаклії

On 3 May 2018, there was a new series of explosions at the depot after dry grass caught fire. 1,500 locals were evacuated, and no casualties were reported. On 15 November 2019, another series of explosions killed two Ukrainian soldiers.

Full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine

Russian capture and occupation

On 3 March 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces captured the town. The then-Mayor initially stayed in the occupied town and collaborated with the Russian occupation forces. "[I]t’s complicated," he told Balakliia residents, "It’s war." He urged the town's inhabitants not to engage in looting or "terrorist acts". On 28 March, the government of Ukraine began criminal proceedings against Stolbovyy on charges of treason and collaboration with Russia. In early April 2022, Stolbovyy fled with his family to Russia.

The senior military occupation officer in Balakliia was Colonel Ivan Popov; According to a Reuters investigation published in April 2023, "Granit" was the pseudonym of Valery Sergeyevich Buslov, a lieutenant colonel in the military police.

The occupation force occupied a "run-down vehicle repair complex" on the town's outskirts and used it as their command center for the occupation. Russian soldiers distributed flyers "warning of Ukraine’s descent into Nazi rule" if the Ukrainian government regained control of the town, and "scribbled" on the walls of the military base.

Liberation by Ukraine

Main article: Battle of Balakliia

On 6 September 2022, Ukrainian forces launched a counteroffensive towards Balakliia, reportedly retaking adjacent Verbivka and besieging the town. After crossing the Donets River, men of the 71st Jaeger Brigade led an offensive on Balakliia, coming from the direction of Husarivka. On 8 September, the Ukrainian flag was raised over the town after a brief battle, and on 10 September, Ukraine announced it had established control.

After recapturing the town, Ukrainian officials said they had discovered torture chambers where Ukrainian prisoners were held. Serhiy Bolvinov, head of the Kharkiv Region National Police Investigation Department, said that 40 people had been detained there. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that more than ten similar torture chambers had been discovered in the Kharkiv Region. Investigations also began against more alleged collaborators.

Diesel trains were running on the Kharkiv–Balakliia railway line four days after liberation. Electric power was restored to the town on 26 September 2022. On 25 November 2022, the Vinnytsia city council allocated 10 million hryvnias in funds to help rebuild Balaklia. The funds were to be used, specifically, to restore housing and improve heating services ahead of the winter.

Demographics

| 1732 |1186 | 1906 |5197 | 1968 |30,200 | 1989 |35,737 | 2001 |32,117 | 2013 |29,499 | 2022|26,334

As of the 2001 Ukrainian census, Balakliia had a population of 32,117 inhabitants. The ethnic composition was as follows:

Gallery

File:BalakliiaCitySign.jpg|Balakliia city sign File:BalakliiaAmbulanceinfrontofLocalHospital.jpg|Balakliia Ambulance in front of local hospital File:BalakliiaCityHall2.jpg|City hall File:BalakliiaClub.jpg|Palace of Culture File:BalakliiaLyceum.jpg|Balakliia Lyceum File:BalakliiaPlayground.jpg|Children's playground File:БОШ№2.JPG|Balakliysk Primary School File:BalakliiaPedagogicalSchool.jpg|Pedagogical college File:Памятник погибшим солдатам.JPG|Monument to fallen soldiers in the Second World War

Notes

References

References

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12. (23 March 2017). "Ukraine munitions blasts prompt mass evacuations". [[BBC News]].
13. (25 March 2017). "NATO envoys arrive in Balaklia to assist in humanitarian demining". [[UNIAN]].
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15. [https://www.unian.info/society/1881079-balaklia-nearby-villages-cleared-from-unexploded-ordnance-after-march-23-accident.html Balaklia, nearby villages cleared from unexploded ordnance after March 23 accident], [[UNIAN]] (18 April 2017)
16. [https://www.unian.info/m/society/10104266-ammo-depot-explosions-in-kharkiv-region-s-balaklia-stop-on-thursday-afternoon.html Ammo depot explosions in Kharkiv region's Balaklia stop on Thursday afternoon], [[UNIAN]] (3 May 2018)
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20. "Втік до Росії. Меру окупованої Балаклії оголосили підозру в державній зраді".
21. (7 April 2022). "Mayor of Balakliia Stolbovyi fled to Russia with his family — Kharkiv Regional Military Administration".
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25. [https://lb.ua/society/2022/09/14/529296_ukrainskiy_nastup_shcho_stalosya.html Український наступ. Що сталося на Слобожанщині?], lb.ua, 14 September 2022 (in Ukrainian)
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31. "Balakliia: the SBI exposed two more traitors who helped occupants (video) – State Bureau of Investigation".
32. (4 October 2022). "Met militaire precisie wordt het cruciale spoor in Oekraïne hersteld". NOS.nl.
33. (26 September 2022). "ОП: У Балаклію повернули електропостачання, на черзі – Ізюм".
34. (25 November 2022). "Вінниця виділила ₴10 мільйонів субвенції на відновлення деокупованої Балаклії".
35. "Офіційний сайт Балаклійського району".
36. "Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года. Численность городского населения союзных республик, их территориальных единиц, городских поселений и городских районов по полу".
37. "Численность и состав населения Харьковской области по итогам Всеукраинской переписи населения 2001 года".
38. "ЧИСЕЛЬНІСТЬ НАЯВНОГО НАСЕЛЕННЯ УКРАЇНИ".
39. "Національний склад міст".