For more than two years beginning in March 2022 during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Vuhledar was the site of fighting.

[6] In the 1960s, during the Soviet era, the Donbas coal basin south of the major industrial city of Donetsk was beginning to be developed.

[5] Young people were brought to Pivdennyi Donetsk from cities all over the country to work on the new coal industry.

[5] However, even as late as 2023, there were still some older residents who referred to Vuhledar as "Pivdenne", or "Southern", as they were still accustomed to the old name.

On the day the invasion began, Vuhledar was hit by a Russian ballistic missile carrying a cluster munition.

[10] A major Russian attempt to take Vuhledar in February 2023 ended in disaster with "heavy losses and humiliation";[11] General Rustam Muradov was dismissed after the failed offensive.

[13][14][15] In September 2024, a renewed offensive to capture Vuhledar led to its semi-encirclement and a Russian assault on the city.

[21] The exact ethnic and linguistic composition was as follows: [22] [23] The city has multiple religious communities, including Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) followers, Jehovah's Witnesses, Pentecostalists, and Evangelical Baptist Christians [uk].