[6] The original settlement in the south of the European part of the Russian Empire was first mentioned as Aleksandrovka in 1779, during the reign of the Empress Catherine the Great.

The city of Donetsk was founded in 1869 by Welsh businessman John Hughes, who operated a steel plant and several coal mines at Aleksandrovka.

The worker's settlement at the plant merged with Aleksandrovka and the place was named Yuzovo/Yuzove, later Yuzovka/Yuzivka (Russian: Юзово, Юзовка, Ukrainian: Юзове, Юзівка), after Hughes.

[15] The main district of Yuzovka is named English Colony, and the British origin of the city is reflected in its layout and architecture.

[citation needed] When the Russian Civil War broke out, Yuzivka became a part of Ukrainian People's Republic as per the Third Universal.

[19] During Nikita Khrushchev's second wave of destalinization in November 1961, the city was renamed Donetsk, after the Seversky Donets River, a tributary of the Don[18] in order to distance it from the former leader Joseph Stalin.

[20] After experiencing a tough time in the 1990s, when it was the center of gang wars for control over industrial enterprises, Donetsk modernised quickly, largely under the influence of big companies.

[24][25][26] Whilst getting praise for its business potential in 2009, Donetsk also received criticism for the strong mafia connection of its growing oligarchy, and for an increasing poverty rate.

[27] Some analysts warned of a long-term collapse of the Donetsk economy; and that it could share Detroit's gloomy fate, due to its failure to combat crime and poverty.

[39] The 2015 IIHF World Championship Division I, Group A was scheduled for 18 to 24 April 2015 in Donetsk, but Ukraine withdrew as hosts due to the ongoing conflict in the country.

[41][42] On 30 September 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree claiming to annex four regions, including Donetsk, as part of Russia.

[43] Donetsk lies in the steppe landscape, surrounded by scattered woodland, hills, spoil tips, rivers and lakes.

The Kalmius River links the city with the Sea of Azov, which is 95 km (59 mi) to the south, and a popular recreational area for those living in Donetsk.

However, in February 2022, Russia recognized the DPR and the neighboring Luhansk People's Republic as sovereign states, and later that year officially annexed them (along with various other parts of Ukraine that were then at least partially under Russian military occupation).

[55] After the fall of the Soviet Union, Donetsk and other neighboring cities of the Donbas suffered heavily, as many factories were closed down and many inhabitants lost their jobs.

Donetsk topped the rating in five indicators: human capital, the purchasing power of citizens, investment situation, economic stability, as well as infrastructure and comfort.

Donetsk is a large sports center, has a developed infrastructure, and has repeatedly held international competitions – Davis Cup, UEFA Champions League.

Representatives of the city are state leaders sports such as football, hockey, basketball, boxing, tennis, athletics and others.

After the team resumed operations in 2015, it withdrew from the KHL, ultimately ending up in the Ukrainian Hockey League, where it has won four of the last five championships.

The club played at the Druzhba Arena, and Donetsk had been chosen as one of the 6 Ukrainian cities to host the FIBA EuroBasket 2015.

However, the club discontinued play after 2014 due to the ongoing war, and the 2015 FIBA tournament had to be moved out of the country.

His indoor world pole vault record of 6.15m, set in the Donetsk Olympic Stadium on 21 February 1993, was not broken until 2014.

The Russian female pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva set a new world record at the event every year between 2004 and 2009.

The 2015 IIHF World Championship Division I ice hockey tournament had been scheduled for 18 to 24 April 2015 in Donetsk but was later moved to Kraków, Poland due to the ongoing war.

During the Nazi occupation of Donetsk, the Gestapo occupied the hotel as a headquarters; the building was partially destroyed during the war.

A 2 km (1.24 mi) long greenway that features fountains, cafes, and a number of statues such as the monument to Taras Shevchenko.

Originally created for an exhibition in 1896 by Aleksei Mertsalov, a local blacksmith, out of a single rail, it was meant to represent the skills and power of the heavy industry in Czarist Russia.

In 2014, a leaflet carrying the signature of the "Chairman of Donetsk's temporary government Denis Pushilin" was distributed to Jews on the festival of Passover.

Donetsk Region History Museum reveals the city's true identity and covers to the entire local community, diverse as it is.

[77] Donetsk's main railway station, which at the beginning of the 21st century served about 7 million passengers annually,[76] is located in the northern part of the city.