# Velykyi Burluk

Velykyi Burluk (Ukrainian: Великий Бурлук, lit. 'Great Swamp') is a rural settlement in Ukraine, in Kupiansk Raion of Kharkiv Oblast. It hosts the administration of Velykyi Burluk settlement hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. The population of the settlement is 3,614 (2022 estimate). The settlement was controlled by the Russian military from February 24, 2022, to September 10, 2022.

## History

Founded as the village of Shevelivka in 1656, later it was renamed Velykyi Burluk. It was a village in Volchansk uyezd of the Sloboda Ukraine.
A local newspaper has been published here since August 1931.
During World War II, it was under German occupation from June 1942 to February 1943.
It has been an urban-type settlement since 1963. In January 1989 the population was 5,224 people. In January 2013 the population was 4,053 people.
Until 18 July 2020, Velykyi Burluk was the administrative center of Velykyi Burluk 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 Velykyi Burluk Raion was merged into Kupiansk Raion.

### Russo-Ukrainian War

The town was occupied by the Russian military on 24 February 2022, the first day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to local residents, bombardment of the area began at 05:00, and the first Russian tanks entered the town around 08:00. There was no attempt to defend the town, and there were no Ukrainian forces in the area at the time of the invasion. In July 2022, the pro-Russian leader of the area was reportedly killed by a car bomb by Ukrainian partisans. On 11 September 2022, the town was retaken by Ukrainian forces during the Slobozhanshchyna counteroffensive.
Until 26 January 2024, Velykyi Burluk was designated urban-type settlement. On this day, a new law entered into force which abolished this status, and Velykyi Burluk became a rural settlement.

## Climate

Climate data for Velykyi Burluk (1981–2010) :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −3.0 (26.6) | −2.5 (27.5) | 3.5 (38.3) | 13.9 (57.0) | 20.9 (69.6) | 24.4 (75.9) | 26.5 (79.7) | 25.9 (78.6) | 19.6 (67.3) | 11.8 (53.2) | 3.1 (37.6) | −2.3 (27.9) | 11.8 (53.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −5.5 (22.1) | −5.6 (21.9) | −0.2 (31.6) | 8.5 (47.3) | 15.0 (59.0) | 18.5 (65.3) | 20.5 (68.9) | 19.5 (67.1) | 13.8 (56.8) | 7.2 (45.0) | 0.2 (32.4) | −4.4 (24.1) | 7.3 (45.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −8.2 (17.2) | −8.8 (16.2) | −3.6 (25.5) | 3.5 (38.3) | 9.1 (48.4) | 13.1 (55.6) | 15.1 (59.2) | 13.6 (56.5) | 8.8 (47.8) | 3.4 (38.1) | −2.3 (27.9) | −7.1 (19.2) | 3.1 (37.6) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 44.1 (1.74) | 38.1 (1.50) | 34.9 (1.37) | 36.6 (1.44) | 51.8 (2.04) | 70.3 (2.77) | 59.1 (2.33) | 46.2 (1.82) | 48.1 (1.89) | 46.8 (1.84) | 45.3 (1.78) | 44.5 (1.75) | 565.8 (22.28) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 9.9 | 9.0 | 8.1 | 7.0 | 6.8 | 9.1 | 7.7 | 5.3 | 6.8 | 6.8 | 7.9 | 9.5 | 93.9 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 86.6 | 84.3 | 79.7 | 67.4 | 62.8 | 69.0 | 69.7 | 66.9 | 72.4 | 79.6 | 86.6 | 87.2 | 76.0 |
| Source: World Meteorological Organization ||||||||||||||