[2] Perevalsk borders immediately on the larger town of Alchevsk which in 1961–1991 also was named after the Paris Commune as Kommunarsk.

[citation needed] Perevalsk has been occupied by Russia and its proxy the Luhansk People's Republic since 2014.

Perevalsk was founded in 1889 as Seleznyovsky Quarry, for the workers in coal mining and it belonged to Podolian nobleman and Imperial Russian loyal subject Kazimierz Mscichowski.

In 1924 it was renamed as imeni Parizhskoi Kommuny (after the Paris Commune) out of brevity was referred to as Parkommuna.

Ethnic Ukrainians and Russians account for more than 95% of the city's population, while Belarusians, Moldovans and Tatars form small minorities.