Yampil, Donetsk Oblast


Yampil is a rural settlement in Lyman urban hromada, Kramatorsk Raion, Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It is located to the southeast of Lyman, lying north of local road T05-13. Previously, it was administered as part of Lyman Raion. It is also home to Yampil railway station.

History

Yampil's history is documented as early as 1665. Historical records indicate that the lands of present-day Yampil belonged to the Sviatohirsk Lavra monastery, which was established under the protection of the settlements of, Repin Yurt, and Khrestovskyi. These lands later came under the control of the Torsk and Mayak Cossacks.
A survey conducted in 1703 identified 117 Cossack yards associated with the Izyum Cossack Regiment in Yampil. During this period, a chapel and a prayer house were constructed in the village. It is also likely that Pavlo Ruban served as the village head at that time.
In 1712, Yampil was designated as an outpost for Russian imperial dragoons tasked with guarding the Torsk Bakhmut salt works.
In 1718, the village faced a devastating plague outbreak. The inhabitants, led by Yampil's priest Maxim, reached out to the monks of the Sviatohirsk Lavra for assistance.
During the 1720s, severe flooding from the Donets caused significant damage, prompting the village to relocate to higher ground nearby. By 1729, this new settlement was referred to as "Old Village," as it was situated near where the Repin Yurt monastery had once stood.
In 1729, a fortress was constructed in Yampil, complete with a powder cellar and cannons. However, during Catherine II's reign, this fortress was dismantled. When Emperor Alexander I ascended to the throne in 1801, all military equipment, including cannons, was removed from Yampil.
After the abolition of the in 1765 and the establishment of the Kharkov Governorate, Yampil became part of the Izyumsky Uyezd within this province.
The village narrowly escaped a cholera outbreak in 1831, which claimed only five lives. However, in 1833, a significant bread crop failure led to famine among residents. Cholera returned in 1847 and 1848, resulting in 26 deaths. In 1848, cattle disease devastated local farms, and scurvy also affected Yampil in 1849, causing five deaths among non-locals.
In 1938, Yampil was officially classified as an urban-type settlement.

Russo-Ukrainian War

On June 19, 2014, the Armed Forces of Ukraine reportedly secured the settlement from pro-Russian separatists during the war in Donbas.
On April 28, 2022, the town was occupied by Russia as part of its invasion of Ukraine during the battle of Donbas. On September 30, 2022, during the second battle of Lyman in the Kharkiv counteroffensive, the town was liberated by the 214 Separate Rifle Battalion of the SOF and 103rd Territorial Defense Brigade.
The town was heavily shelled by Russian forces after the town was liberated, with it reported not a single building was left undamaged. this resulted in several inhabitants being killed or wounded as a result of this shelling. By 2024, the town was still subjected to shelling by the Russian forces.
On 29 September 2025, Russian forces re-entered the town from the north, as part of the Northeast Donetsk Oblast campaign. As of 13 November, it remained contested with further Ukrainian counterattacks. By 20 November 2025, Russian forces fully recaptured the town.

Demographics

According to the census of 1762, there were 350 male residents in the village.
In 1750, there were 450 men and 405 women.
In 1790, there were 1,364 men and 1,475 women.
In 1810, there were 1710 men and 1733 women.
In 1830, there were 1,090 men and 1,200 women.
In 1850, there were 1170 men and 1248 women.
In 1970, there were 3100 inhabitants.
In 2001, there were 2,302 residents.

Language

Distribution of the population by native language according to 2001 Ukrainian census:
LanguageNumberPercentage
Ukrainian208390.49%
Russian2139.24%
Belarusian20.09%
Romanian20.09%
others/not specified20.09%
Total2302100%

Culture

Religion

In 1704, it is indicated that there was a chapel and a prayer house in the village. It is not known whether there was a church in the Turnip yurt, but as noted by Philaret Gumilevsky, most likely there was a chapel there.
In 1718, the village already had its own priest named Maxim.
By order of 1724 year, it was allowed to build the Mykolaiv Church in Yampil. It is unknown whether there was a church in the village before that, or whether the parishioners were content with a chapel with a priest.
In 1725, Yampil already had its own, Mykolaiv Church, whose priest was ordained, at the request of the parishioners, Athanasius Pavlov.
In 1731, as a result of the request of sotnik Stepan Gukovsky with the foreman, and priest Athanasius Pavlov, it was allowed to move the Polish Mykolaiv Church to a new place, in the "Old Village".
Among the dragoons who were brought to Yampol from all over the Russian Empire, schism spread. For this, an imperial decree was issued from 11 August 1732 year, which was ordered to search for schismatics and bring their hiders to trial. In response to this, on February 17, 1733, priest Athanasius replied that there were 13 schismatic families in the village. The Consistory demanded that schismatics be brought in for investigation. The schism remained in place, but already in 1858, there were no more schismatics in Yampil.
In 1733, archbishop issued an antimins to the church of St. Nicholas in Yampil.
From 1745, Yakiv Luchynskyi became a priest.
In 1798, a new church was built to replace the old one. The iconostasis and other things came from the previous temple.
Yampil belonged to the and was part of the fourth district Izyumsky Uyezd.
In 1871, the wooden church of St. Nicholas was renovated.

Landmarks and infrastructure

School (Yampilʹsʹkyy Nvk)

Most of the towns children go to the Yampil educational complex.
School website: https://yampnvk2018.e-schools.info

Church

In the centre of the town stands the Tserkva Mykoly Chudotvortsya, an old orthodox church.

Railway

The towns railway station is important to the town and acts as logistical node. It was opened in 1911 by the North-Donetsk-Railway.

Ostrich farm

To the north of the town, there is a privately owned petting zoo, owned by Olga Mesha. Though, after the occupation by Russian forces most of the animals were dead and the farm is mostly destroyed. Reportedly, Russian soldiers had eaten some of the animal in the zoo, including a kangaroo and a bison.
The zoo also housed ostriches, raccoons, rabbits, squirrels and a bear.

Lisove Namysto (Forest necklace) trail

Lisove Namysto is a forestry and trail, was built in 2011 and is located near the ostrich farm. It was utterly destroyed by the Russian forces and requires rebuilding.
Melody of the Forest Arboretum
Melody of the Forest is an Arboretum and part of the Lisove Namysto trail.

Economy

The majority of the population works in the factories of the city Lyman.
Yampil is known in the region as a place where strawberries are grown en masse, because the climate and sandy soils are the most favorable for this berry. During the season, dealers from the surrounding towns and districts gather for it, who then sell it in Bakhmut, Lyman, Soledar and others. Close to the station is a large pine forest of Liman Forestry, which stretches from Lyman through Yampil to the next railway station.

Notable people