The Battle of Bakhmut can be said to be the most intense battle and the largest casualties in the entire Russian-Ukrainian war so far. But the city of Bakhmut is not big, only the eighth largest city in the Donetsk region, who are the top seven cities?
Administrative divisions of Donetsk region
If the Donetsk region is regarded as a prefecture-level city, then this prefecture-level city will be divided into one district and seven counties, Donetsk is the municipal district of the prefecture-level city, and Bakhmut is one of the county seats.
The largest city, the city of Donetsk
The Donbas region is Ukraine's main industrial region, which is as important to Germany as the Ruhr region is to Germany. Donetsk is an industrial city in the Donbas region of Ukraine, located on the banks of the Karmius River in the Donetsk region. With an estimated population of about 900,000 in the city center and more than 2 million in the metropolitan area, Donetsk is the fifth largest city in Ukraine.
City of Donetsk
Administratively, the city of Donetsk has always been the administrative center of the Donetsk region, while historically it was the unofficial capital and largest city of the larger economic and cultural Donetsk Basin (Donbass) region.
Donbass stadium
The city of Donetsk is adjacent to another major city, Makivka (the third largest city in the Donetsk region), and together with other surrounding cities, it forms a metropolitan area.
The city of Donetsk has always been the main economic, industrial and scientific center of Ukraine, with a high concentration of heavy industry and a skilled workforce.
During the 2014 war in Donbas, the city was occupied by Russian-backed separatists and became the capital of the pseudo-Donetsk People's Republic.
The second largest city, Mariupol
Mariupol, a city on Ukraine's coast of the Sea of Azov, was one of the most intense in the early days of the Russian-Ukrainian war in 2022.
Mariupol at night
It is the tenth largest city in Ukraine and the second largest in the Donetsk region, with an estimated population of 425,681 people in January 2022, however, Ukrainian authorities estimate its current population to be around 100,000 people.
Historically, the city of Mariupol was a center of trade and manufacturing, playing a key role in the development of higher education and many businesses, as well as a seaside resort on the Sea of Azov.
The third largest city, the city of Makiwka
Formerly known as Dmitrivsk, Makivka is an industrial city in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, located 15 kilometers east of the capital Donetsk city, and the two cities are actually connected (a bit like Guangzhou and Foshan) to form a metropolis.
Yasynivka coke plant near Makiivka
Makiivka is a leading metallurgical and coal mining center in the Donets Basin, with heavy industry and coking plants that support the local steel and coal industries. Although internationally recognized as part of Ukraine, the city has been under Russian occupation since it was occupied by Russian troops in 2014, and it has a population of 338,968 people (2022 estimate).
The fourth largest city, the city of Horfka
Horvka is an important city in the Donetsk region of Ukraine with a population of 239,828 (2022 est.).
Khorfka Palace of Culture
Economic activity is mainly coal mining and the chemical industry. The city was once again badly damaged in the Battle of Horvka in the 2014 Donbass War, and in the Eastern Ukraine campaign in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in 2022 (2022-present).
The fifth largest city, Kramatorsk city
Kramatorsk is the temporary state capital of the Ukrainian-controlled region of Donetsk Oblast, because the original state capital was occupied by Russia. Together with nearby Slavyansk, it became the core position of Ukraine in the Donbas region (Severodon-twin cities).
Kramatorsk Palace of Culture and Technology
Kramatorsk is a city of state significance in the northern part of Donetsk Oblast in eastern Ukraine. Since October 2014, with the events of the war in Donbass, Kramatorsk became the temporary seat of the Donetsk region with a population of 147,145 people (2022 estimate).
The sixth largest city, the city of Slavyansk
Slaviaysk, in the Russian army captured the city of Liman, once frequently appeared in people's sight, at that time it was said that with the loss of Liman, Slavyansk would be in danger.
Later things were known, with Liman being recovered by the Ukrainian army, the Russian army could no longer get close to the outskirts of Slavyansk.
Slavyansk is a city in the northern part of the Donetsk region of Ukraine, in the Kazani Torets River valley, the right tributary of the Donets River.
Slavyansk
The city was known as Thor until 1784. The population of Slavyansk is 105,141 people (2022 est.). But with the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war in 2022, the population has shrunk to about 24,000 people by July 2022, according to Ukrainian authorities.
The seventh largest city, the city of Jenakiyev
Jenakiyev is a city in the Donetsk region, located on the banks of the Klinka River, about 60 km from Donetsk, the administrative center of the region, and its population is about 76,673 people (2022 estimate).
Yenakiyev
The eighth largest city, the city of Bakhmut
Bakhmut is the district capital of one of the eight districts of the Donetsk region, but before the reform of the administrative divisions of Ukraine, there were dozens of such districts and cities of the same level in the Donetsk region, so cities of the size of Bakhmut abound in the Donbas region.
Map of Donetsk region
From the above, it can be seen that five of the top eight cities in the Donetsk region have been occupied by Russia, and the only major cities controlled by Ukraine are Kramatorsk and Slavyansk, and Bakhmut is the third largest city in the Ukrainian control area, so Bakhmut's status is still very important.