Donets in the context of "Donbas"

Donetsk Oblast, also referred to as Donechchyna (Ukrainian: Донеччина, IPA: [doˈnɛtʃːɪnɐ]), is an oblast in eastern Ukraine. Before the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, it was Ukraine's most populous province, with around 4.1 million residents. Its administrative center is Donetsk, though due to the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War, the regional administration was moved to Kramatorsk. Historically, the region has been an important part of the Donbas region. From its creation in 1938 until November 1961, it bore the name Stalino Oblast, in honour of Joseph Stalin. As part of the de-Stalinization process, it was renamed after the Donets river, the main artery of Eastern Ukraine. Its population is estimated at 4,100,280 (2021 est.).

The oblast is known for its urban sprawl of Donetsk–Makiivka and Horlivka–Yenakiieve and it is often associated with the coal mining industry.

The Yamnaya (/ˈjæmnaɪə/ YAM-ny-ə) or Yamna culture (/ˈjæmnə/ YAM-nə), also known as the Pit Grave culture or Ochre Grave culture, is a late Copper Age to early Bronze Age archaeological culture of the region between the Southern Bug, Dniester, and Ural rivers (the Pontic–Caspian steppe), dating to 3300–2600 BC. It was discovered by Vasily Gorodtsov following his archaeological excavations near the Donets River in 1901–1903. Its name derives from its characteristic burial tradition: yámnaya (я́мная) is a Russian adjective that means 'related to pits' (я́ма, yáma), as these people buried their dead in tumuli (kurgans) containing simple pit chambers. Research in recent years has found that Mykhailivka, on the lower Dnieper River, Ukraine, formed the core Yamnaya culture (c. 3600–3400 BC).

The Yamnaya culture is of particular interest to archaeologists and linguists, as the widely accepted Kurgan hypothesis posits that the people who produced the Yamnaya culture spoke a stage of the Proto-Indo-European language. The speakers of the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) language embarked on the Indo-European migrations that gave rise to the widely dispersed Indo-European languages of today.

Lysychansk (/ˌlɪsɪˈtʃænsk/ LISS-ih-CHANSK, /-ˈtʃɑːnsk/ -⁠CHAHNSK; Ukrainian: Лисичанськ, IPA: [lɪsɪˈtʃɑnʲsʲk] ; Russian: Лисичанск, romanized: Lisichansk, IPA: [lʲɪsʲɪˈtɕansk]) is a city in Sievierodonetsk Raion, Luhansk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It is located on the high right bank of the Donets River, approximately 115 kilometres (71 mi) from the administrative center of the oblast, Luhansk. It faces Sievierodonetsk across the river. Its population before the Russian invasion of Ukraine was approximately 93,340 (2022 estimate).

Prior to Ukrainian 2020 municipal classification reforms, Lysychansk was incorporated as a city of oblast significance. Up to 2022, the administration of Lysychansk Municipality included the settlements of Novodruzhesk and Pryvillia. Along with the cities of Sievierodonetsk, Rubizhne, Kreminna and the nearest towns, the Lysychansk area constituted a major urban and industrial hub of the Donbas region, with a 2009 population of about 353,000.

Rubizhne (Ukrainian: Рубіжне, IPA: [rʊˈbiʒne] ; Russian: Рубежное, romanized: Rubezhnoye, IPA: [rʊˈbʲeʐnəjə]) is a city in Luhansk Oblast, in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. Situated on the left bank of the Donets River near the cities of Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk. Prior to 2020, it was a city of oblast significance, before the designation was abolished.

In 2014, at the start of the war in Donbas, Rubizhne was contested between Ukrainian and pro-Russian separatist forces. From mid-2014 until early 2022, the city was under control of Ukrainian forces. From early 2022 it has been under Russian control following their victory in the Battle of Rubizhne. Russia claimed Rubizhne as part of their Luhansk People's Republic since its annexation of the region in September 2022.

Sievierodonetsk or Severodonetsk, officially since 2024 Siverskodonetsk, is a city in Luhansk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It is located to the northeast of the left bank of the Donets river and approximately 110 km (68 mi) to the northwest from the administrative center of the oblast, Luhansk. Sievierodonetsk faces neighbouring Lysychansk across the river. The city, whose name comes from the above-mentioned river, had a population of 99,067 (2022 estimate), making it then the second-most populous city in the oblast. Since June 2022, it has been militarily occupied and administered by Russia.

Prior to the war, Sievierodonetsk had several factories as well as the Azot chemical plant. There was also an airport six kilometres (3.7 mi) to the south of the city.

Kramatorsk (Ukrainian: Краматорськ, pronounced [krɐmɐˈtɔrʲsʲk] ; Russian: Краматорск) is a city and the administrative centre of Kramatorsk Raion in Donetsk Oblast of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. Prior to 2020, Kramatorsk was a city of oblast significance. Since October 2014, Kramatorsk has been the provisional seat of Donetsk Oblast, following the events surrounding the war in Donbas. Its population is 147,145 (2022 estimate). It is an important industrial and mechanical engineering center in Ukraine. Kramatorsk is on the banks of the Kazennyi Torets, a right tributary of the Siverskyi Donets.

Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kramatorsk has been hit by Russian shelling multiple times.

The Oskil or Oskol (Ukrainian: Оскiл; Russian: Оскол) is a south-flowing river in Russia and Ukraine. It arises roughly between Kursk and Voronezh and flows south to join the Siverskyi Donets which flows southeast to join the Don. It is 472 kilometres (293 mi) long, with a drainage basin of 14,800 square kilometres (5,700 sq mi).

The river has its sources on the Central Russian Upland, and flows through Kursk and Belgorod Oblasts in Russia, and through the eastern part of Kharkiv Oblast in Ukraine, where it joins the Seversky Donets river. An artificial lake, the Oskil Reservoir, was created in 1958 to help with flood protection and as a source of electricity.