Donetsks

Donetsks is a nonstandard plural form that may refer to places associated with the name Donetsk in eastern Ukraine and nearby regions. In English-language usage, the term most often denotes the city of Donetsk or the Donetsk Oblast (Donetska Oblast), the Ukrainian administrative region that centers on the city.

Donetsk is a city on the Kalmius River in eastern Ukraine and the administrative center of Donetsk Oblast. It began in 1869 as Yuzovka, founded by the English entrepreneur John Hughes, and was renamed Donetsk in 1961 after the Donets coal basin. The city developed as a major heavy-industry center with coal mining, steel production, and chemicals. Since 2014 it has been affected by the Donbas conflict, with parts of the oblast under alternate authorities during several years and ongoing security disruption.

Donetsk Oblast is a province of eastern Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Donetsk; the oblast forms part of the Donbas coalfield and has long been an industrial region with coal mining, metallurgy, and chemical industries. The oblast includes larger cities such as Makiivka, Sloviansk, and Kramatorsk. The conflict since 2014 has altered population and economic conditions, with control of several areas changing between Ukrainian authorities and separatist or foreign forces.

Etymology and related terms: The name Donetsk derives from the Donets River; the Donbas (Donets Basin) is the broader coal-rich region associated with the city.

See also: Donetsk People’s Republic; Donbas; Donets Basin.