[1][2] However the raion has not been under control of the Ukrainian government since 2014, and has been part of the Donetsk People's Republic which in 2015 abolished it and subordinated to the city of Shakhtarsk.

To the west of Shakhtars Raion stretched a chain of several cities with separate regional-level self-government such as Makiivka, Khartsyzk, Yenakieve, Zhdanivka.

The obelisk of the Savur-Mohyla Soviet memorial is depicted on the coat of arms and flag of Shakhtarsk Raion.

The Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, remnants of which scattered around the village of Hrabove, went down within the area of the raion.

On August 10–11, 2014 Ukrainian media claimed that the village of Stepanivka was completely destroyed by BM-21 Grad multi-rocket launcher systems fired from the territory of the Russian Federation.