Pokrovsk, Ukraine

Pokrovsk (Покровськ, ; Покровск), formerly known as Krasnoarmiisk (until 2016) and Grishino (until 1934), is a city and the administrative center of Pokrovsk Raion in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. Prior to 2020, it was incorporated as a city of oblast significance. Its population is approximately

Names

 * 2016–present: Pokrovsk (Покровськ; Покровск)
 * 1964–2016: Krasnoarmiisk (Красноармійськ) or Krasnoarmeysk (Красноармейск)
 * 1938–1964: Krasnoarmeyskoye (Красноармейское) or Krasnoarmiiske (Красноармійське)
 * 1934–1938: Postyshevo (Постышево) or Postysheve (Постишеве)
 * 1884–1934: Grishino (Гришино) or Hryshyne (Гришине)

History
Pokrovsk was founded as Grishino in 1875 by a decision of the Ministry of Railways of the Russian Empire authorizing a railway station. The village had two thousand inhabitants.

In 1881, a locomotive depot which became one of the main locomotive repair companies, Ekaterinoslavskaya railway, was built in the town. Two years later, in 1883, there was an enlargement to the station building; the central portion survives to this day. In May 1884, trains finally began transiting the rail station in Grishino.

With the development of the railway station, Grishino grew and there were new businesses, in particular for exploitation of underground minerals, starting with coal. By 1913, the population around Grishino station had more than doubled to about 4.5 thousand people.

After the Russian Civil War ravaged Russia as a whole, Grishino station continued its growth and by 1925 had a locomotive depot, a brick factory, and six mines. The name of the station was changed to Postyshevo in 1934 to honor Pavel Postyshev, and in 1938, the name of the city became Krasnoarmeyskoe, commemorating the Soviet Red Army, after Postyshev was repressed during the Great Purge.

World War II heavily impacted the population of the city. The first Axis forces to arrive were Italians, followed by the Germans who occupied it on 19 October 1941. German forces proceeded to forcibly transfer many civilians by train to labor camps in Austria. Many residents defended their hometown. 8295 Soviet soldiers perished on the battlefield, and 4788 residents of the town were killed in World War II. The city witnessed an atrocity when its Jewish community was murdered in midwinter 1942. Furthermore, in February 1943, the Red Army perpetrated the Massacre of Grischino. On 7 September 1943, the town was liberated for good by Red Army troops.

In the 1950s, in the post-war period, the city renewed its industrial and residential construction.

War in Donbas
In the War in Donbas, that is, since the spring of 2014, the city is near the frontline with the separatist Donetsk People's Republic.

In May 2016, the city was renamed following decommunization laws to Pokrovsk, honoring the Intercession of the Theotokos known as Pokrova in Ukrainian.

Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 7 August 2023 during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian missiles struck the city twice. Nine people were reported dead from the strike, and 82 wounded.

In 2024, as part of a renewed offensive effort to capture all of Donetsk Oblast, Russian forces seek to capture Kurakhove and Pokrovsk. This axis being the main attack direction, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi noted the disparity of forces in terms of equipment and manpower, and high pressure on Ukrainian lines in this area.

Demographics
The population of Pokrovsk as of 1 August 2017 was 75,205 people.

According to 2001 census data, the breakdown by ethnicity is:

Native language per Ukrainian Census of 2001:


 * Russian 59.8%
 * Ukrainian 39.4%
 * Armenian 0.2%
 * Belarusian 0.1%