Huliaipole

From the middle of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century, the village of Huliaipole was transformed into a commercial and industrial town. In 1859, the first trades fair took place in Huliaipole. There were more than fifty trading companies with a total turnover of 1 million rubles. Next to them there were a large number of shops. The increased trade contributed to a large influx of population.

In the post-reform period, industrial enterprises emerged one after another in Huliaipole. In 1882, Krieger's factory of agricultural machinery began operating. Ten years later, another such plant and steam mill was opened by the industrialist Kerner. Both factories produced harvesters, horse threshers, choppers, and so on. The landowner Schroeder also had a large steam mill. In the following years, distilleries, several oil mills, and warehouses were put into operation. There were 18 shops in the village, and about three dozen merchants traded. In 1898, the Chaplyne–Berdyansk railway was laid nearby, which had a positive effect on the economic development of the village.

There were two agricultural machinery factories, four distilleries and one brewery in Huliaipole. There were three steam mills in Huliaipole and dozens more in the surrounding villages and economies that were part of Huliaipole parish. Besides them, there were a large number of peasant "windmills" around. In addition, there were two brick and tile factories in Huliaipole and twelve in villages and hamlets.

Along with industrial enterprises, in the village there were a dozen small, semi-artisanal productions - a crew workshop, several potters, as well as oil mills, smithies, carpentry and other workshops.

From 1884 until the First World War, Zemstvo exhibitions and auctions of agricultural and industrial products took place in Huliaipole every three years.

After World War I, new socio-economic transformations took place in Huliaipole, caused by the change of state power and political regime. Between 1917 and 1921, reflective of the turbulence in the region brought about by the Russian Civil War (and concurrent Ukrainian War of Independence), the town changed hands no fewer than sixteen times. During this period, Huliaipole was variously held by Austro-Hungarian forces, the Red Army, the Ukrainian People's Republic, the Hetmanate, Anton Denikin's White Army and the Nestor Makhno's Insurgent Army, among others. During the conflict, Huliaipole became widely known as the headquarters of the Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine and the capital of the Makhnovshchina.^[10] Afterwards it was administratively part of the Zaporizhzhia Governorate of Ukraine.^[11][12]

During the industrialization of the 1930s, a rapid industrial development began to take place in Huliaipole,^[8] resulting in it gaining city status in 1938.^[13][14] Meanwhile, at least 108 residents of Huliaipole died during the Holodomor of 1932–1933.^[15]

On 5 October 1941, as a result of the German offensive, Soviet troops fled the city and it was occupied by the Wehrmacht.^[16][17] On 16 September 1943, it was liberated by the Soviet troops of the Southern Front during the Donbas strategic offensive.

In 1952, a brick factory, a butter factory, a garment and footwear factory, a pedagogical school, a secondary school, four seven-year schools, six elementary schools, a cinema and a club functioned here.^[8] In 1970, there was an agricultural machinery plant, a paint and varnish plant, an auto repair plant, a household goods plant, a cheese-making plant and a shoe factory.^[13]

By the time of the Declaration of Independence of Ukraine, the basis of the city's economy was an agricultural machinery plant, a paints and varnishes plant, a shoe factory and food industry enterprises.^[8] In May 1995, the Government of Ukraine approved the decision on the privatization of the agricultural machinery plant,^[18] the paints and varnishes plant, regional agricultural and chemistry plants.^[19] In July 1995, a decision was approved on the privatization of the state farm.^[20] On 17 December 2004, the economic court of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast filed a bankruptcy case against a privatized agricultural machinery plant.^[21] On 17 July 2020, as a result of administrative-territorial reform and liquidation of Huliaipole Raion, the city became a part of Polohy Raion.^[22]

Since 2022, Huliaipole has been severely affected by the Russo-Ukrainian war.^[23][24] Under constant bombardment by Russian forces,^[25] many of Huliaipole's residents have been evacuated by the local administration,^[26] while a number of residential buildings and civilian infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed.^[27][28][29]

On 25 December 2025, Russian forces captured the headquarters of a Ukrainian Armed Forces battalion in the center of Huliaipole, as well as equipment and documentation.^[30] On 27 December 2025, Russian forces claimed capture of the city. The Ukrainian side denied this. The Institute for the Study of War found evidence that Russian troops controlled 55% of the town.^[31] According to Euromaidan Press, the city had fallen into Russian hands.^[32] On 6 February, ISW reported that Russian forces captured Huliaipole.^[7]