Kadiivka

Kadiivka or Stakhanov is a city in Alchevsk Raion, Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine. It is located on the Komyshuvakha River, a right tributary of the Luhan.

The city is incorporated as a city of oblast significance. Its population is approximately 

The city came under the control of the breakaway pro-Russia Luhansk People's Republic (LPR / LNR) in early 2014. In September 2022, Russia declared the incorporation of all LPR territory into Russia.

Name
The name Kadiivka (; ) dates back to 1898. The city was briefly renamed Sergo, or Serho ()  between 1937 and 1940, before returning to the name Kadiivka in 1940 to 1978.

On 15 February 1978, the city was renamed Stakhanov (; ) after the famous Soviet miner Alexei Stakhanov, who started his career there.

On 12 May 2016, Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada voted to change its name back to Kadiivka as a result of decommunization laws. The Luhansk People's Republic, and later Russian, occupation authorities who militarily control the city have not recognized this decision and maintain the name Stakhanov; the name change has had a largely symbolic meaning as a result.

History

Founding 

Kadiivka has its origins in the mid-19th century in the settlement of Shubynka, when coal mining was developing in the region. It became known as Kadiivka in 1898.

Soviet times 
From 1919, the city came under the power of the Bolsheviks. A local newspaper has been published in the settlement since September 1930. In 1931, the session of the All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee decided to build a new orderly city. The pond in the center was filled in, and a square was built in its place, which existed until the early 1970s. Kadiivka received city status in 1932.

During the Second World War, the city was occupied by German troops from July 1942 until September 1943. A Soviet labor camp for German prisoners of war operated at Kadiivka during the Second World War.

In November 1944, three districts (city district councils) were created: Illichivskyi, Bryanskyi, and Golubivskyi.

In the 1950s, the city encompassed settlements that were later separated into separate cities — Brianka, Pervomaisk, and Kirovsk (now Golubivk). In the fall of 1954, a technical school was opened in Kadiivka, where 280 high school graduates began their studies.

The city was renamed in 1978 in honor of Alexei Stakhanov, a Soviet coal miner famous for purportedly setting a new record of coal mining output using his own innovative working methods and inspiring the Stakhanovite movement.

Pro-Russian and Russian occupation (2014-present) 

Stakhanov fell under control of the Luhansk People's Republic in early 2014 amidst the war in Donbas. Starting mid-April 2014 pro-Russian separatists captured several towns in Donetsk Oblast; they took over Stakhanov on 2 May 2014.

In October 2015, the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine opened a Forward Patrol Base in the city, meaning that a small number of international monitors were due to be permanently based here. The OSCE left the city shortly before the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine began.

With Russia's Wagner Group having significant bases in Kadiivka, Ukrainian forces have reportedly scored repeated hits on them, with multiple casualties.

Economy

The city has traditionally been a major coal-mining town, though its importance has declined as its natural resources have been depleted and alternative fuels have gained prominence. The city has several coal mines today.

It also has been important as a metallurgical and machine-building center, and contains the Stakhanov Railway Car Building Works, the Stakhanov Ferroalloy Plant and the . In 1985, in the Soviet Union, the city was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour.

Transport 
The city formerly had electric city transport in the form of both trams and trolleybuses. Tram traffic opened on February 15, 1937, and trolleybus traffic opened on March 1, 1970. Tram traffic closed on November 11, 2007, and trolleybus traffic closed on August 31, 2011, while it is elsewhere reported that it was suspended on September 11, 2008, with its newer LAZ trolleybuses bought by Antratsyt. As the years went on, the number of trams dwindled from 38 in 1973 to 4 in 2007, of which only 2 would run.

Demographics
In 1991, the population was 112,700 people, by 2013 this had fallen to 77,593.

As of the Ukrainian Census of 2001:

Ethnicity
 Ukrainians: 46.1%
 Russians: 50.1%
 Belarusians: 1%
 Other: 2.9%

Language
Russian: 85.3%
Ukrainian: 13.0%
Belarusian: 0.1%
Armenian: 0.1%

City municipality
The Municipality of Kadiivka also includes two other cities:
 Almazna
 Irmino

Notable people
Notable people that were born or lived in Kadiivka include:
Grisha Filipov (1919–1994), Bulgarian politician

References

 
Alchevsk Raion
Cities in Luhansk Oblast
Cities of regional significance in Ukraine
Populated places established in the Russian Empire
Soviet toponymy in Ukraine