Chasiv Yar

Chasiv Yar is a city in Bakhmut Raion, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. In January 2022, it had a population of 12,250. It is located west of Bakhmut.
It is the center of Chasiv Yar urban hromada.
History
In 1938, the urban-type settlement became a city.
During the Second World War, from October 1941 to September 1943, the city was occupied by Axis troops.
Later, the restoration of the city began. In 1957, there were an enterprise for the extraction of refractory clay, an enterprise for the production of refractory materials, four secondary schools, two seven-year schools, a FZO school, two Palaces of Culture, 14 libraries, four clubs and two stadiums.
In January 1989, the population was 19,804 people, the basis of the economy was the extraction of refractory clays and the production of refractory products.
In January 2013 the population was 13,999 people.
Russian invasion of Ukraine
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. Although unelected, locals have accepted Chaus' rule, and refer to him unofficially as the mayor. Chaus has urged all the citizens to evacuate from the city since the start of the war, but is understanding of their desire to remain in the city they were born in and lived their entire lives.
On 9 July 2022, Russian rocket strikes on the city destroyed a railway station and partially ruined a residential building. That same day, a missile strike on a residential area killed at least 48 people.
Following the loss of Soledar on January 16, 2023 and the fall of Klishchiivka on January 20, Chasiv Yar has become a pivotal center for Ukrainian defenses on the Donetsk front as it is the only route for Ukrainian troops and supplies into and out of the besieged city of Bakhmut.
Chasiv Yar acts as a regrouping position. Where Ukrainian troops rotate into and out of Bakhmut, giving them time to rest and resupply. Of the pre-war population of 15,000, only about 1,500 residents remain in the city. Those citizens that do remain 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. Should the situation in Bakhmut deteriorate any further it is expected the population would evacuate. Most of the humanitarian aid sent to the city is coming from the UN's OCHA, with a large supply convoy reaching the city on March 10, 2023.
On March 14, 2023 two projectiles with white phosphorus munitions were fired on a road at the southern edge of Chasiv Yar. On March 25 the city was shelled resulting in a death of one civilian. By early April 2023, only a few hundred civilians remained in the city.
On May 7, 2023, Russia made an unsuccessful ground assault on Ukrainian positions in the settlement. Subsequent attacks on May 8, 9, and 10 were also repelled. There have not been any further attacks since. 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.
After Russian forces captured all "significant" portions of Bakhmut, Chasiv Yar has become a fortified forward artillery base, supporting Ukrainian forces in their flanking attacks, and shelling Russian forces within Bakhmut proper. There are still a little over 1,000 civilians living in the remains of Chasiv Yar, but are now less reliant on humanitarian aid as spring and summer has allowed them to maintain gardens for produce. Governor of Donetsk Oblast, Pavlo Kyrylenko, reported that Chasiv Yar was hit by a Russian cluster munition strike on 23 July.
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. The group, the 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 where killed, while Swedish volunteer Johan Thyr and German volunteer Ruben Mawick where evacuated to a hospital where their condition has stabilized.
Economy
Chasiv Yar's economy is built around the mining of refractory clays and production of refractory products. The is located in the settlement.
Transport
There was one railway station in Chasiv Yar, destroyed on July 9, 2022 during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Demographics
Native language as of the Ukrainian Census of 2001:
Ukrainian 52.4%
Russian 46.6%
Armenian 0.2%
Romani 0.1%
Belarusian 0.1%
"Moldovan" (Romanian) 0.1%
Notable people
Joseph Kobzon (1937–2018), Soviet crooner who has been called "the official voice of the Soviet Union", was born in Chasiv Yar.
(1934–2016), writer and local historian
(1924–1943), Red Army sergeant and Hero of the Soviet Union
References
Cities in Donetsk Oblast
Chasiv Yar urban hromada
Populated places established in the Russian Empire