Volnovakha

Volnovakha (Ukrainian and Russian: Волноваха, Ukrainian: [wolnoˈwɑxɐ] , Russian: [vəlnɐˈvaxə]; Greek: Βολνοβάχα) is a city in Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Volnovakha Raion within the oblast. As of January 2022, it had a population of 21,166. The train station is a railway hub. It serves the only onshore rail line between Donetsk and Russia to the north-east and east, and Zaporizhzhia Oblast and Crimea to the west and south-west, and the only rail line south to Mariupol. On February 22 of 2022, the Russo-Ukrainian war began. Russian forces arrived in the city on February 25, beginning the Battle of Volnovakha. During the battle, through February and March 2022, many of its buildings were damaged or destroyed. The governor of the region, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said that 90% of the city's critical infrastructure was destroyed. The city was captured by Russian forces on March 11th, and as of July 2026, it is still under Russian control.