Изюм: История и современность города Харьковской области

City in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine
Izium has a population of making it the second most populous city in Kharkiv Oblast behind Kharkiv proper. It has held economic significance for centuries due to its position as a transportation link between Kharkiv and the Donbas region to the southeast. The area around Izium has been periodically inhabited since ancient times, but the modern city has its origins in a 17th century fortress defending against Tatar raids. Izium went on to be the site of several significant battles during World War II, but still grew rapidly during the 20th century due to its importance as a transport hub. During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces occupied the city in April 2022 after a battle that destroyed much of the city. However, the city was recaptured by Ukrainian forces in the 2022 Kharkiv counteroffensive.

The area that is now Izium has been inhabited since ancient times. Archeologists have discovered remnants of Mesolithic settlements from the 13th to 6th century BC, and Neolithic settlements from the fifth to third century BC. These finds include ceramic implements and flint tools. The "Bondarisi" archeological tract near Izium gives its name to the Bondarikha culture. In response, Muscovy built fortifications in the Sloboda Ukraine region, like the Белгородская черта (1635–1658) and the Ізюмська лінія (1679–80), causing the Izium Trail to fall into disuse and easing invader pressure on Muscovy's border. The origin of the name "Izium" is uncertain. It may originate from a Turkic language word "huzun", meaning "a crossing", or from the Мокрий Ізюмець (also simply Iziumets) river that the city was built on the banks of, or from a Tatar word "izzun" meaning "long", or "elongated". In Ukrainian and Russian, the town's name is spelled the exact same way as the word for "raisin", but historian V. V. Markin argues that this is a coincidence, and any connection to a supposed Turkic word meaning "raisin" is false etymology. Markin notes that it would have probably been impossible to grow grapes in the area, making such a name illogical, and argues that such a word "huzun" meaning "raisin" does not exist in any Turkic language. Starting in 1780, Izium was the administrative center of Izyumsky Uyezd. Izyumsky Uyezd was originally a subdivision of Kharkov Viceroyalty in 1780, but was transferred to the reformed Sloboda Ukraine Governorate in 1796. By 1884, the city's main exports were wool, sold to Kharkiv and Poltava, and building materials sold to Taganrog. It had a population of 14,761 people. In 1910, the Kharkiv Donbas railway that passed through the city was built.

Izium changed hands several times during the Russian Civil War between 1918 and 1920, before finally being taken by the victorious Bolsheviks, who established the Soviet Union on the territory of the former Russian Empire. Izium was occupied by the German Army starting on 24 June 1942. Izium was liberated by the Red Army on 5 February 1943. In mid March 1943, German troops attacked Izium again, but were unsuccessful, according to Soviet sources. There were more clashes near the city in summer 1943, during the Izyum–Barvenkovo offensive. Soviet Lieutenant General Волох, Пётр Васильевич, commander of the 18 й механизированный корпус that fought on the Izium bridgehead, died in combat in the southern outskirts of the city. On 13 September 1950, after the end of the war, a monument to Volokh was unveiled in Izium. In January 1989 the population was 64,334 people, up from 12,000 in 1926. During the 2010 Ukrainian presidential election, more than 85% of people in Izium voted for Victor Yanukovych.

Deutsche Welle (DW) reported in April 2014 that during the 2014 pro Russian unrest in Ukraine, there was only one attempt to hoist the Russian flag on any government buildings in Izium. Many of the people who had voted for Yanukovych in 2010 still supported him amidst the Euromaidan protests that ousted him. Most of the people DW interviewed supported some kind of federalization of Ukraine, or united Ukraine, and did not support the idea of joining the Russian Federation. A local government official said that out of the approximately 50,000 inhabitants, Izium had "a maximum of 200 active pro Russian people". Izium was the site of sporadic fighting during the beginning of the war in Donbas in 2014. The Sloviansk Izium highway was referred to as the "highway of death" by locals during the summer of 2014 due to constant shelling from pro Russian separatists. Large scale fighting in the proximity of Izium halted once Ukrainian forces liberated Sloviansk in July 2014. On 30 September 2014, a monument to Vladimir Lenin in Izium was destroyed by unknown persons. This came as part of a larger trend of demolition of monuments to Vladimir Lenin in Ukraine. To comply with nationwide decommunization laws enacted in 2016, the local "Lenin Square" was renamed "John Lennon Square" in February 2016. Ізюмська міська громада was formed on 14 June 2019, as an amalgamated hromada with its administrative center in Izium by uniting the Ізюмська міська рада with a nearby village council. On 12 June 2020, the hromada was expanded to include several other local councils, and, along with all other amalgamated hromadas in the country, was converted into a plain hromada. On 18 July 2020, the city of Izium, along with the rest of the hromada, was subordinated to Izium Raion, as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine. The area of Izium Raion was also significantly expanded to include the area of several other raions, which reduced the number of raions of Kharkiv Oblast to seven.

During the full scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia began trying to take Izium in March 2022, beginning the battle of Izium. On 9 March, Russian forces used a large airborne munition on a civilian apartment building in Izium, killing at least 44 civilians in what Human Rights Watch called one of the deadliest attacks on civilians during the war. Russia gained control over Izium on 1 April 2022. Russian soldiers used the "Lyceum No. 2" school as a base. The director of the school was one of the residents of Izium accused of collaborating with Russia, and would later be put on trial in Kharkiv by Ukraine after the end of occupation. In May 2022, Russian forces attempted to cross the Siverskyi Donets River and advance south. According to the British Ministry of Defense, Ukrainian forces rebuffed the attempted river crossing with substantial Russian losses. Residents of Izium said they were imprisoned, and tortured by Russian soldiers during the occupation. Ukraine began a counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region in early September 2022, during which Izium was liberated. According to city officials, by the end of the occupation, more than 80% of the city's infrastructure was destroyed; about 70% of multi storey buildings are destroyed. The city administration estimates that all in all, about 1,000 people lost their lives under the Russian occupation. In December 2022, Izium decided to rename 22 street names in the city that previously held names affiliated with communism and with Russia. Among others, the street named after Pyotr Volokh was renamed to honor Hetman Pavlo Polubotok. Unexploded ordnance has posed a major threat to Izium's population, even months after the battle. In March 2023, a local doctor said that on average, the hospital received a person with wounds from landmines every week. In September 2023, a year after the end of Russian occupation, Izium was still scarred and its people traumatized by war. Most of the city's schools were destroyed in the battles, and were planned to open by the start of 2024, so most students had to attend through online school technology. The hospital still bore heavy damage from a missile strike, and urgent surgeries were held in a "small, dank room in the basement" due to fear of Shahed drone attacks. One resident said, "People still haven’t recovered from this psychological trauma[.] This feeling of total fear that came with the occupation — it hasn’t disappeared."

Izium is located at the foot of the Кременець (Ізюм) Mountain, on the right bank of the Donets river.

The Köppen climate classification subtype for this climate is "Dfb", warm summer continental climate.

The factories of Izium produce optical equipment, mechanical components, concrete products, building materials, and foodstuffs. Deutsche Welle, reporting in 2014, said that most of the people in Izium were ethnic Ukrainians, but the Russian language was the most common language of communication on the streets.

On April 17, 2023, Izium formed a Sister City partnership with Greenwich, Connecticut, USA.