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Khromove
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Khromove (Ukrainian: Хромове; Russian: Хромово, romanized: Khromovo) is a rural-type settlement in eastern Ukraine, located in Bakhmut urban hromada, Bakhmut Raion, Donetsk Oblast.[2] Before 2016, it was known as Artemivske (Ukrainian: Арте́мівське; Russian: Артёмовское, romanized: Artyomovskoye[3]).

Key Information

Geography

[edit]

Khromove is a small settlement. Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine that heavily damaged the infrastructure of Khromove, it consisted of "a few streets of several dozen houses". It is a suburb of Bakhmut.[4] It has an area of 0.25 square kilometres (0.097 sq mi).[citation needed]

History

[edit]

Khromove is the historical name of the settlement. In the mid-19th century, the farm on a hill near modern Khromove was bought by a merchant with the surname "Khromov", from which the name of the settlement is derived. The settlement was renamed to Artemivske by the government of the Soviet Union.[5] On 19 May 2016, Artemivske was renamed to Khromove as part of decommunization in Ukraine.[6]

Russo-Ukrainian War

[edit]

Russian invasion of Ukraine

[edit]

In early 2023, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Khromove was attacked by Russian forces as part of the battle of Bakhmut. The Russian attacks destroyed much of the village, including civilian buildings.[7] Control of Khromove would allow Russian forces to cut off Ukrainian supply lines to Bakhmut and assault nearby Chasiv Yar.[8][9] Khromove, along with all other suburbs of Bakhkmut, was "completely destroyed by months of relentless artillery fire and urban combat".[4]

On 29 November 2023, Russia's Ministry of Defence stated that Russian forces had captured Khromove. Ukraine did not immediately give comment and Reuters could not independently verify the claim at the time.[3] The settlement was later confirmed captured by DeepStateMap.Live.[10]

Demographics

[edit]

According to the 2001 Ukrainian Census, the population of the settlement was 1054. Of these, 59.68% spoke Ukrainian, 38.52% spoke Russian, and 1.8% spoke other languages.[1]

References

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Khromove

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from Grokipedia
Khromove is a rural settlement in , , , positioned immediately west of the city of . With a pre-war population of approximately 1,000, the settlement served primarily as a adjacent to industrial and logistical hubs in the region. Khromove gained military significance during the in the , functioning as a critical Ukrainian defensive position and supply route to the besieged city. Russian forces, including mercenaries and regular army units, engaged in prolonged assaults starting in early 2023, employing tactics of attrition amid heavy artillery and urban combat that devastated the area. On November 29, 2023, Russia's Defense Ministry announced the full capture of Khromove after Ukrainian withdrawals from exposed flanks, marking a tactical advance following the earlier seizure of itself. Ukrainian officials acknowledged heightened Russian activity but did not confirm the loss at the time, highlighting ongoing disputes over frontline control in the sector. The settlement's fall underscored the high costs of positional warfare in , with both sides incurring substantial casualties in a contest over terrain offering limited strategic depth.

Geography

Location and Administrative Status


Khromove is a rural-type settlement situated in Bakhmut Raion, Donetsk Oblast, in eastern Ukraine. The oblast lies along the border with Russia and the Sea of Azov to the south, encompassing industrial and mining regions historically significant for coal production. Administratively, Khromove belongs to the Bakhmut urban hromada, a local government unit formed as part of Ukraine's 2020 decentralization reforms, with Bakhmut as its center. Geographically, Khromove is positioned immediately southwest of , approximately 5 kilometers from the city center, in a steppe landscape typical of the region. The settlement's coordinates are roughly 48°36′N 37°57′E. Due to the ongoing , the area around Khromove has been a focal point of military activity, though its formal administrative status remains under Ukrainian jurisdiction.

Physical Features and Environment

Khromove occupies a position in the steppe zone of , , where the landscape consists primarily of flat to gently undulating plains typical of the . The settlement's terrain features an elevation range from 100 meters to 201 meters above , with an of 143 meters, reflecting the modest relief of the surrounding plateau. Positioned approximately 5 kilometers west of , Khromove lies adjacent to the , a left tributary of the Siverskyi Donets River, which contributes to localized drainage in an otherwise arid environment. The region's geology includes sedimentary deposits rich in minerals such as , , and , underlying fertile soils that dominate the area and support agricultural activity amid industrial development. The climate is humid continental, marked by cold winters with average temperatures around -5°C and warm summers averaging 22°C in July, accompanied by annual precipitation of approximately 450-550 mm, concentrated in the warmer months. This regime, combined with the steppe's low humidity and occasional droughts, influences local vegetation of grasses and shrubs, though human modification through and has altered the natural environment significantly.

Etymology and Naming History

Origins of the Name

The name Khromove derives from the surname of a merchant named Khromov, who purchased a farmstead situated on a hill near the current settlement location in the mid-19th century. This naming convention was typical in the Russian Empire's frontier regions, where new or expanded agricultural holdings often took the possessor's family name to denote ownership and establish local identity. The settlement's early development as a rural outpost in Donetsk Oblast's steppe landscape thus tied its toponymy directly to private enterprise amid expanding colonization and land acquisition in the area.

Soviet-Era Renaming and Decommunization

During the Soviet era, the settlement of Khromove was renamed Artemivske to honor , a Bolshevik leader known by the pseudonym , who played a role in early communist activities in the industrial region. This renaming reflected the broader Soviet policy of replacing pre-revolutionary toponyms with those commemorating revolutionary figures, often without regard for historical or local linguistic continuity. The exact date of the change to Artemivske is not precisely documented in available records, but it occurred as part of the widespread administrative transformations in the Ukrainian SSR during the 1920s and 1930s, when many localities in the area were rebranded to align with ideological priorities. In response to Ukraine's post-independence efforts to excise Soviet-era legacies, the settlement underwent under laws adopted by the on May 20, 2015, which mandated the removal of communist-associated names from public spaces and administrative designations. On May 19, 2016, the enacted Resolution № 1377-VIII, explicitly renaming Artemivske to Khromove, restoring the pre-Soviet name derived from a 19th-century landowner. This change was part of a nationwide initiative affecting hundreds of places, aimed at rejecting imposed Soviet nomenclature and reaffirming indigenous historical identities, though implementation in conflict-affected eastern regions like faced delays due to ongoing instability.

Pre-War History

Founding and 19th-Century Development

Khromove originated as a small settlement in the mid-19th century within the territory of present-day , then part of the Russian Empire's Sloboda Ukraine Governorate. A bearing the Khromov purchased an existing farmstead situated on a hill close to the modern location of the village, establishing the basis for its development and deriving its name from the proprietor's family name. Throughout the remainder of the 19th century, Khromove functioned primarily as a rural farm community amid the broader agrarian landscape of the Bakhmut district, which featured salt extraction and early agricultural estates but lacked significant industrial expansion specific to the settlement itself. The region's gradual integration into imperial administrative structures, including the establishment of local governance under the Bakhmut , supported modest population growth tied to farming activities, though precise demographic records for Khromove remain sparse.

20th-Century Changes and Soviet Integration

The settlement of Khromove, renamed Artemivske under Soviet administration, was incorporated into the following its formal establishment in 1922 as part of the Bolshevik consolidation of power after the . As a in the Donetsk region, it fell under the forced collectivization campaign launched in 1929, which dismantled private landholdings and consolidated them into state-controlled kolkhozy (collective farms), disrupting traditional agricultural practices and leading to widespread resistance and repression. This policy contributed to the famine of 1932–1933, a deliberate Soviet-induced starvation that devastated rural , including parts of , with demographic studies estimating 3.9 million excess deaths nationwide, disproportionately affecting agrarian communities through grain requisitions exceeding harvest yields and restrictions on movement. Khromove, lacking major industry, likely experienced acute food shortages and population declines akin to surrounding villages, though specific local records remain sparse amid the era's archival suppression. During , the area was occupied by Nazi German forces from late 1941 until the Red Army's liberation in , enduring frontline combat, forced labor deportations, and infrastructure damage as part of the broader eastern front campaigns in the . Post-liberation Soviet reconstruction emphasized rapid agricultural recovery via mechanized kolkhozy and integration into the Five-Year Plans, while the nearby (Artemivsk) district saw ancillary growth from regional coal and salt extraction, drawing migrant laborers that altered local ethnic compositions toward greater Russian-speaker presence. By the late Soviet period, Khromove functioned primarily as a support settlement for the industrialized economy, with limited autonomous development.

Involvement in Armed Conflicts

Donbas War (2014–2021)

Khromove remained under the control of the Ukrainian government throughout the Donbas War (2014–2021), as Ukrainian forces secured and held the area early in the conflict following the recapture of nearby in July 2014. The town lay west of the post-Minsk II line established in February 2015, which positioned the primary line of contact nearer to separatist-held , approximately 30 kilometers east, sparing Khromove from direct ground assaults or sieges experienced in frontline locales like or . The conflict's broader impacts included sporadic artillery fire across the region, contributing to over 14,000 total deaths ( and ) by early 2022, though documented incidents specific to Khromove—such as targeted shelling or civilian casualties—are minimal, reflecting its distance from active combat zones. Residents faced indirect effects, including economic stagnation from disrupted coal industry operations in and internal displacement pressures, with over 1.5 million people fleeing the region by 2021 amid ongoing ceasefire violations. No major separatist incursions or Ukrainian operations were recorded in the town, maintaining its status as part of government-controlled territory until the escalation in 2022.

2022 Russian Special Military Operation and Battle for Bakhmut

Khromove, positioned immediately west of Bakhmut along the strategic T0504 highway, served as a Ukrainian defensive outpost during the Battle of Bakhmut, which formed part of the broader 2022 Russian special military operation in Donetsk Oblast. The settlement's elevated terrain allowed Ukrainian forces to maintain observation and fire control over Russian supply routes into Bakhmut, complicating enemy logistics amid intensified assaults starting in October 2022. Russian forces, including elements of the Wagner Group, prioritized encircling Bakhmut by late 2022, subjecting surrounding areas like Khromove to heavy artillery barrages and probing attacks, though the village remained under Ukrainian control through the initial phases of the urban fighting. Following the Russian capture of central on May 20, 2023, after months of attritional warfare characterized by high casualties on both sides, combat shifted to the city's flanks, with Khromove becoming a priority target to consolidate gains and disrupt Ukrainian reinforcements via the highway. Russian advances towards the settlement intensified in early May 2023, aiming to sever the last major access road and threaten positions in nearby Ivanivske. Ukrainian defenders repelled multiple assaults, leveraging the terrain to inflict losses, but sustained Russian pressure, including pushes, gradually eroded their holdings. During the subsequent Ukrainian counteroffensive in summer 2023, Russian sources reported Ukrainian incursions into Khromove's administrative limits, indicating fluid frontlines, but these efforts stalled amid Russian defensive reinforcements. By November 2023, Russian forces regained momentum, announcing the complete capture of Khromove on November 29, 2023, which facilitated control over western approaches to and positioned artillery to support further operations toward . The seizure marked a tactical success in securing the Bakhmut salient, though achieved at significant cost in manpower and equipment, consistent with the battle's pattern of slow, grinding advances.

Capture by Russian Forces and Subsequent Developments

Russian forces intensified assaults on Khromove, located on the western outskirts of , starting in early 2023 as part of efforts to encircle Ukrainian positions following the partial capture of proper. The settlement served as a key logistical node for Ukrainian defenders, with fighting escalating in March 2023 when Russian advances threatened to sever supply lines to nearby Ukrainian strongholds like Ivanivske to the south and Bohdanivka to the north. On November 29, 2023, Russia's Ministry of Defense announced that its troops had fully captured Khromove after prolonged positional engagements, claiming the operation eliminated a remaining Ukrainian salient west of . Ukrainian sources did not confirm the loss at the time but reported repelled attacks in the area, while independent assessments noted Russian geolocated advances confirming control over most of the settlement by late November. This followed the Wagner Group's of in May 2023 and subsequent regular Russian army operations amid the group's diminished role post-mutiny. Post-capture, Khromove became a forward base for Russian offensives toward , approximately 10 kilometers northwest, with heavy fighting persisting along the Bohdanivka-Khromove-Ivanivske axis into early 2024 without major territorial shifts. Russian forces conducted consolidation efforts, including fortification and artillery positioning, to support incremental advances amid high casualties on both sides. As of mid-2025, the settlement remains under Russian control, integrated into occupied administrative structures, though nearby fronts like continue to see attritional combat with no reported Ukrainian counteroffensives recapturing the area.

Demographics and Society

Population Dynamics

Khromove, an in , had a pre-war of about 1,000 residents. This figure reflects stability in a small community tied to regional industrial activities, with limited demographic shifts reported prior to 2022 beyond broader trends of gradual urban-to-rural migration and aging, as seen in oblast-wide data showing a 4.1 million in 2019 dominated by urban centers. The 2022 Russian military operation drastically altered these dynamics due to Khromove's position adjacent to , a key battleground. Ukrainian authorities conducted evacuations from the area, including surrounding settlements like Khromove, amid escalating and ground assaults starting in late 2022, displacing nearly all civilians by March 2023 to avoid casualties in the intensifying urban combat. This resulted in near-total depopulation, consistent with patterns in frontline villages where fighting reduced resident numbers by over 90% through voluntary flight and organized relocation westward. Russian forces captured Khromove on November 29, 2023, after prolonged engagements that further deterred any return of displaced persons. Post-capture, the settlement's population has remained negligible, with no verified influx of settlers or refugees reported, reflecting ongoing instability and the broader demographic collapse in occupied territories, where pre-war communities have not reconstituted due to minefields, infrastructure ruin, and restricted movement. This evacuation-driven decline underscores causal factors like direct combat proximity and preemptive measures, rather than natural growth or economic pull, leaving Khromove effectively a settlement as of late 2025.

Ethnic and Linguistic Composition

Khromove, situated in of , reflects the broader demographic patterns of eastern Ukraine's region. According to the 2001 All-Ukrainian census, the ethnic composition of comprised 56.9% (2,744,100 individuals) and 38.2% (1,844,400 individuals), with smaller groups including (1.61%), (0.92%), and (0.40%). These figures indicate a relative ethnic Ukrainian majority at the oblast level, though local variations exist, with rural areas in historically showing higher proportions of self-identified compared to urban centers in the region. Linguistically, the 2001 census data for reveal a strong predominance of Russian as the mother tongue, reported by 74.9% of the population, while Ukrainian was the mother tongue for 24.1%. This linguistic profile aligns with Soviet-era policies and industrial migration patterns that favored Russian usage in . Notably, among ethnic in the oblast, only 41.2% declared Ukrainian as their mother tongue, with 58.7% opting for Russian, highlighting a disconnect between ethnic identity and primary in the region. No updated data exists post-2001 due to political instability, and wartime displacements since 2014 have likely altered local compositions, though pre-war trends persisted in small settlements like Khromove.

Economy and Infrastructure

Pre-War Economic Activities

Khromove's pre-war economy centered on small-scale , characteristic of rural villages in Donetsk Oblast's . Residents primarily cultivated grains such as and sunflowers, alongside and potatoes, while maintaining for and production to meet local consumption and regional markets. This aligned with broader trends in , where rural areas encompassed over 700,000 people engaged in farming across 2.8 million hectares of , sustaining amid the oblast's industrial dominance. Proximity to Bakhmut, roughly 5 kilometers east, enabled some economic ties to the city's industries, with villagers commuting for employment in salt extraction or related processing. Bakhmut featured significant rock salt mining operations and a sparkling wine sector, leveraging local deposits and traditions dating to Soviet times, which provided supplementary income opportunities beyond subsistence farming. However, Khromove itself lacked major industrial facilities, relying instead on agrarian self-sufficiency and limited trade. The prolonged fighting around extended to Khromove, a village immediately west of the city, resulting in its capture by Russian forces on November 29, 2023, after months of barrages and assaults that devastated local . Russian advances targeted the settlement as part of efforts to secure western approaches to , which had fallen in May 2023, leading to widespread destruction of residential structures, roads, and utilities amid daily shelling reported through late 2023. Ukrainian forces conducted counterattacks near Khromove into early 2024, but the village remained a focal point for positional combat, exacerbating damage from explosives and contributing to the near-total displacement of its pre-war population of several hundred residents. Post-capture, economic activities in Khromove, previously centered on small-scale and commuting to for employment, ceased entirely due to mined fields, severed supply lines, and the risks of ongoing nearby hostilities, mirroring broader disruptions in the where industrial output halted and farmland lay fallow. Under Russian administration, basic services such as and remain intermittent or absent, with reports of forced efforts including passport distribution, though verifiable data on reconstruction is limited and primarily from Russian claims lacking independent confirmation. As of late 2023, the area faced continued Ukrainian strikes on adjacent Russian positions, sustaining a security environment inhospitable to repopulation or economic recovery. By October 2025, Khromove persists under Russian control with no confirmed territorial changes, though the surrounding front sees incremental Russian probing that indirectly affects stability through artillery fire and strains. presence is minimal, estimated in the dozens based on patterns in similarly captured outskirts, with humanitarian access restricted and long-term habitability compromised by and degraded infrastructure. Economic viability remains negligible, as occupation policies prioritize use over restoration, leaving the village effectively depopulated and non-functional outside wartime .

References

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  3. https://www.kyivpost.com/post/24828
  4. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/11/29/russia-claims-capture-of-village-in-ukraines-donetsk-region-a83255
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  6. https://cities4cities.eu/community/bakhmut-territorial-community/
  7. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/11/ukraine-strikes-back-in-bakhmut-as-russia-wrangles-with-wagner
  8. https://mapcarta.com/27640154
  9. https://en-gb.topographic-map.com/map-z22mtj/Khromove/
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