Lyman
Лиман | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 48°59′7″N 37°48′40″E / 48.98528°N 37.81111°E | |
Country | Ukraine |
Oblast | Donetsk Oblast |
Raion | Kramatorsk Raion |
Hromada | Lyman urban hromada |
Government | |
• Mayor | Oleksandr Zhuravlev |
Population (2022) | |
• Total | 20,066 |
Lyman (Ukrainian: Лиман, IPA: [ɫɪˈmɑn]; Russian: Лиман, romanized: Liman), formerly known as Krasnyi Lyman (Ukrainian: Красний Лиман; Russian: Красный Лиман, romanized: Krasny Liman, lit. 'Red Liman') from 1925 to 2016,[1] is a city in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. Until 2016, it also served as the administrative center of Lyman Raion, though administratively it was not part of the raion and incorporated as a city of oblast significance. It still serves as the administrative center of Lyman urban hromada[2][3] and is part of Kramatorsk Raion. The population was 20,066 (2022 estimate),[4] down from 28,172 in 2001.
The city has its origins in a military settlement built to guard the southern frontier of the Tsardom of Russia. It grew to become a city following the construction of a railway station, and became a key railway hub in the region. It was renamed to Krasnyi Lyman by the Soviet government that followed Tsarist Russia, and continued to grow throughout the 20th century.
During the Russo-Ukrainian War, the city has seen several battles. The first was the battle of Krasnyi Lyman in 2014 between Ukrainian government forces and the Russian proxies loyal to the breakaway state the Donetsk People's Republic, which was won by Ukrainian forces. It remained under government control throughout the remainder of the war in Donbas, and was renamed to its historic name Lyman in 2016 as part of decommunization in Ukraine. During the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Lyman has been a scene of heavy fighting. It was captured by the Russian military in May 2022, before being liberated by Ukrainian forces in October 2022. The city has been nearly destroyed by the 2022 fighting, and most of the population has fled.