Kramatorsk

Kramatorsk Краматорськ
City
Main square of Kramatorsk
Flag Coat of arms
Kramatorsk on the map of Ukraine
Kramatorsk Kramatorsk on the map of Donetsk Oblast
Coordinates:
Country	Ukraine
Oblast	Donetsk Oblast
Founded	1868
City status since	1932
Area
• City	117.1 km2 (45.2 sq mi)
Population (2013)
• City	164,283
• Density	583/km2 (1,510/sq mi)
• Metro	197,752
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code	84300-84390
Area code(s)	+380 626(4)
Website	www.krm.gov.ua

Kramatorsk (Ukrainian: Краматорськ, Kramators'k) is a city of oblast significance located at the northern portion of Donetsk Oblast, in eastern Ukraine. Since October 11, 2014 Kramatorsk has been the provisional seat of Donetsk Oblast, following the events surrounding the War in Donbass.

The city is located on the banks of the Kazennyi Torets River which is a right tributary of the Siversky Donets. Population: 164,283 (2013 est.). It is an important industrial and mechanical engineering centre in Ukraine. At various periods, Kramatorsk was a place of residence for a number of notable people including Leonid Bykov, Joseph Kobzon and the youngest person to ever become FIDE World Champion Ruslan Ponomariov.

Geography

Kramatorsk landscape park

Street junction in Kramatorsk

Apartment blocks in Kramatorsk

Kramatorsk and its city municipality is located between Sloviansk Raion and Kostiantynivka Raion and along with its centers is part of a major urban agglomeration in the region.

Demographics

Kramatorsk has a population of over 164,700 inhabitants (2013) and has a metropolitan area of over 197,000 inhabitants (2013).

Native language as of the Ukrainian Census of 2001:

• Russian 67.9%
• Ukrainian 31.1%
• Armenian 0.2%
• Belarusian 0.1%
• Romani 0.1%

According to the 2001 population census, the ethnic composition of Kramatorsk was:

• Ukrainians: 70.2%
• Russians: 26.9%
• Belarusians: 0.7%
• Armenians: 0.6%
• Azerbaijanis: 0.2%
• Jews: 0.1%

History

The city grew from a settlement by a small railway station in 1868 into a major urban settlement in the north of Donetsk Oblast with several heavy machine production facilities.

2014 clashes

Main article: Battle of Kramatorsk

On April 13, the police station in Kramatorsk was seized by pro-Russian militants, and later the city council. This resulted in a tense standoff between the Ukrainian Armed Forces and pro-Russian militants. After months of fighting, the rebels withdrew and the city came under Ukrainian control.

Economy and Industry

Kramatorsk has not stayed away from the international outsourcing trend prompted by the emergence of the information society in Ukraine in the Post-Soviet years. An IT company QuartSoft Corp. was founded in Kramatorsk in 1999. Now it has offices in the United States and Austria.

Machinebuilding

Old Kramatorsk machine plant

• New Kramatorsk Machninebuilding Plant (NKMZ), 1934 - design and production of machines and equipment for mining, steel rolling, metallurgy, production and handling of cast iron, artillery weapon systems.
• Old Kramatorsk Machinebuilding Plant,

In the 2000s, a wind turbine production facility was constructed in Kramatorsk. This is a joint venture between German Fuhrländer AG and its Ukrainian partners. According to their site, Fuhrländer became the first company in the renewable energy sector to obtain a building permit from the Ukrainian government.

External links

• Forbes.com: Outsourcing Fuels Ukraine's IT Boom
• Kramatorsk. A Global Intersection (2010). Documentary film trailer on YouTube