Antratsyt Raion

Antratsyt Raion (Ukrainian: Антрацитівський район; Russian: Антрацитовский район) was a raion (district) in Luhansk Oblast in eastern Ukraine between 1938 and 2020. Its administrative center was the city Antratsyt. The last estimate of the raion population, reported by the Ukrainian government, was 30,007 (2020 est.).^[1]

Antratsytivskyi Raion Антрацитівський район
Raion
Flag Coat of arms
Coordinates: 48°16′6″N 39°0′8″E / 48.26833°N 39.00222°E / 48.26833; 39.00222
Country	Ukraine
Oblast	Luhansk Oblast
Established	1938
Disestablished	18 July 2020
Admin. center	Antratsyt
Subdivisions	List   0 — city councils   6 — settlement councils 8 — rural councils Number of localities:   0 — cities   6 — urban-type settlements 21 — villages   15 — rural settlements
Area
• Total	1,700 km^2 (700 sq mi)
Population  (2020)
• Total	30,007
Time zone	UTC+02:00 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+03:00 (EEST)
Postal index	94620—94697
Area code	+380 6431
Website	http://an.loga.gov.ua/

Geography

Antratsyt Raion bordered Lutuhyne Raion to the north, Sverdlovsk Raion to the east, Perevalsk Raion to the northwest, Shakhtarsk Raion of Donetsk Oblast to the southwest, and Matveyevo-Kurgansky District of Rostov Oblast, Russia to the south.^[2]

History

The raion was formed in 1938 during the times of the Soviet Union. It originally had the name Bokove-Antratsyt Raion, because Antratsyt was then known as Bokove-Antratsyt. The raion's territory was the site of fierce fighting during World War II.^[2] In 1949, a settlement council of Mine No. 33/37 was transferred from Bokove-Antratsyt Raion to Rovenky Raion.^[3]

In 1962, the city's name was shortened to Antratsyt, and it was made a city of regional significance; Antratsyt still served as the administrative center of the raion, but it was no longer a part of it, instead being subordinated directly to Luhansk Oblast.^[4] Bokove-Antratsyt Raion was also renamed Antratsyt Raion to match the new name of the city.^[2]

Since 2014, the area of the raion has been controlled by the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), a militant group controlled by and acting as a proxy for Russia.^{[5][better source needed]}

The raion was abolished on 18 July 2020 as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Luhansk Oblast to eight.^[6][7] However, the LPR has continued using it as an administrative unit.^[8]

The National Resistance Center of Ukraine has reported that in July 2023, the Russians abducted 280 children from occupied Antratsyt Raion and took them to a "Cossack Cadet Corps" center in the Republic of Kalmykia for propagandizing and erasure of Ukrainian identity.^[9]

Economy

The area of the former raion has large coal deposits, and precious metals. It also has significant deposits of sandstone, limestone, and raw materials used to make bricks and tiles.^[10]

Demographics

Population history

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	56,300^[2]	—
1999	39,800^[10]	−1.11%
2020	30,007^[1]	−1.34%

As of the 2001 Ukrainian census:^[11]

Ethnicity

• Ukrainians: 62.8%
• Russians: 35.7%
• Belarusians: 0.4%

References

1. Чисельність наявного населення України на 1 січня 2020 року / Population of Ukraine Number of Existing as of January 1, 2020 (PDF) (in Ukrainian and English). Kyiv: State Statistics Service of Ukraine. (PDF) from the original on 28 September 2023.
2. "Антрацитівський район, Луганська область". Історія міст і сіл Української РСР (in Ukrainian).
3. Указ Президії ВР УРСР від 15.11.1948 «Про включення селищної Ради шахти № 33-37 до складу Ровеньківського району, Ворошиловградської області»  (in Ukrainian) – via Wikisource.
4. Коваленко, М. П. (2001-02-01). "Антрацит". Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine (in Ukrainian). Vol. 1. Інститут енциклопедичних досліджень НАН України. ISBN 978-966-02-2074-4.
5. (PDF) (in Russian). Luhansk People's Republic. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
6. "Про утворення та ліквідацію районів. Постанова Верховної Ради України № 807-ІХ". Голос України (in Ukrainian). 2020-07-18. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
7. "Нові райони: карти + склад" (in Ukrainian). Міністерство розвитку громад та територій України. 17 July 2020.
8. (in Russian). Luhansk People's Republic. Archived from the original on 2021-09-08. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
9. "Окупанти викрадають дітей з ТОТ, щоб зомбувати їх у «козачому кадетському корпусі» в калмикії". Центр національного спротиву (in Ukrainian). 2023-07-13. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
10. Балаба, В. М. (2001-02-01). Антрацитівський район (in Ukrainian). Vol. 1. Інститут енциклопедичних досліджень НАН України. ISBN 978-966-02-2074-4.
11. "Home". ukrcensus.gov.ua.