'Big Newville'; Russian: Великая Новосёлка, romanized: Velikaya Novosyolka) is a rural settlement in Volnovakha Raion, Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine.

[5] Velyka Novosyilka was established in 1779 by Mariupol Greeks and Urums who had been evicted from Crimea and moved to the designated colonies of the Russian Empire.

Early settlers established their community along the right bank of the Mokri Yaly River, creating a village that stretched from Shaytankato in the south to the Arym estuary in the north, at the confluence of the Kashlagach and Shaitanka tributaries.

Skilled artisans produced farming tools, leather goods, and woven textiles, including linen, carpets, and woolen items.

[7] In 1866, Velykyi Yanisol was designated the administrative center of a volost, managing vast tracts of land measuring tens of thousands of acres.

Residents produced bricks and tiles, including a type called "tatarka," and crafted clay items such as bowls, jugs, and other utensils.

Meanwhile, some villagers left to find work in larger industrial projects, including the Yuzivka Metallurgical Plant and the Mariupol Railway.

[7] In 1918, Austro-German troops and the White Guard seized the area and formed the Ukrainian State (Hetmanate), also initiating widespread looting of livestock, grain, and other resources.

This occupation fueled a growing insurgent movement in the region, with up to 900 armed rebels reportedly operating near Velyka Novosilka by late 1918, according to sympathizing sources.

By November 1918, forces of the Central Powers were expelled, and revolutionary councils continued the fight against the White Guard, led by Denikin.

[4] By the 1930s, collective farms such as "Red Partisan" and "Gerzamet" were producing significant grain and livestock yields, equipped with modern machinery like tractors and threshers, though not without fierce resistance from wealthy landowners.

Resistance to these policies was met with the large-scale mass murder, starvation and deportation of kulaks, which contributed to the broader socioeconomic struggles of the time.

An underground Komsomol youth group organized by “Hero of the Soviet Union” O. I. Bilogurov operated within the village, distributing leaflets and rallying resistance.

Post-war reconstruction prioritized rebuilding collective farms, restoring agricultural production, and repairing industrial facilities.

The collective farm "Batkivshchyna" received modern agricultural machinery, significantly increasing productivity, producing substantial grain, milk, and meat supplies.

Educational institutions were enlarged, with the construction of new schools, cultural centers, extensive libraries and the introduction of evening classes for workers.

[7] On 14 August 1996, by the decision of the 63rd session of the village council, the modern coat of arms was approved: the shield is bevelled on the left red and silver.

Later, at around 21.00, information was received about 30 vehicles of militants from the Vostok Battalion moving towards Velyka Novosilka, but no real battle took place.

[20] On 3 September 2014, more than a thousand residents of the village of Velyka Novosilka in Donetsk Oblast held a rally ‘For United Ukraine’ and were fearful of DPR militants on their territory.

In 2017, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) detained a former MP who had organised rallies in Velyka Novoselka in support of the ‘DPR’ and a so-called referendum for secession from Ukraine.

On 12 March, Russian troops made a major breakthrough from the direction of Volnovakha, breaking through the eastern half of the Velyka Novosilka-Volodymyrivka line.

[29] On 13 April 2022, Russian troops conducted a heavy bombardment of the town of Velyka Novosilka, damaging residential buildings and communal infrastructure.

[37] A few months before the start of the Russian invasion, in December 2021, the Ukrainian government granted the Australian company European Lithium the mining rights for the Shevchenko deposit.

In the summer of 2023, the CEO of European Lithium, Tony Sage, declared that the company would no longer lay claim to the Shevchenko field - it was too close to the front line.

[40][41][42] In the campaign to capture the settlement, the Russian forces aimed to encircle the Ukrainian forces from north and west with a pincer movement, trying to push Ukrainian troops against the Mokri Yaly River's eastern bank (which runs through the north-western limits of the village) and cut off the road to Pokrovsk in the north.

[43] In early December, Russian troops captured the road near Novyi Komar, directly in the north, but lost it after Ukrainian reinforcements counterattacked.

Russian units seized the heights near Neskuchne in the south and Vremivka in the east, overlooking the valley and Velyka Novosilka.

[43] To the west of Velyka Novosilka, Russian forces captured land north of occupied Rivnopil, narrowing the gap between the pincers.

[44] According to Meduza, the village was effectively surrounded by the end of December 2024, with supply routes cut and airstrikes targeting the river crossings.

[4] Distribution of population by native language according to Ukrainian 2001 Census: During the years of independence, Velyka Novosilka became the centre of one of the largest agricultural districts of Donetsk Oblast.