Toretsk (Russian: Торецк) is an industrial city in Bakhmut Raion, Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine.

The city itself was founded in 1806 in the Russian Empire, when parts of the town Zaitseve were split off into several minor hamlets, including Shcherbynivskyi.

[14][15] Starting in mid-April 2014, during the beginning of the war in Donbas, Russia-backed paramilitaries captured several towns in Donetsk Oblast, including Dzerzhynsk.

[17][18][19] As a result of the conflict, the city had its water supply cut multiple times during the war due to constant shelling by Russian-backed separatists, which prevented repairs as of November 2016.

Half of the pre-war population of 32,000 had fled the city by April 2022, and those that remained were impoverished and lacking in basic resources.

[20][21] Toretsk civil-military administration head Vasyl Chynchyk announced in July 2023 that open-air markets in the city would be closed due to the extreme danger from Russian attacks.

[22] In June 2024, Toretsk came under increased Russian pressure, as part of a renewed campaign to capture the city and its surrounding villages.

[1] By January 2025, Russian forces controlled the urban area of Toretsk,[25] with fighting ongoing around the city and its northern outskirts.

[5] The industries of the city formerly included coal mining, the production of coke chemical, ceramics, and phenol.