Lozova (, , ) is a city in Kharkiv Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Lozova Raion. Lozova hosts the administration of Lozova urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. The city population was Lozova is the 2nd largest city in Kharkiv Oblast after Kharkiv in terms of population.
Etymology The name "Lozovaya" comes from the word "vine." According to one version of the origin of the city's name, the Lozovaya River (a hydronymic version of the astionim) flowed through Lozovaya. According to another, the banks of this river were filled with vines, which gave the river, and then the city, its name.
The Soviet writer Vasily Yan writes about the name "Lozovaya."
History
Foundation
Lozova was founded in 1869 as a station settlement in Kharkov Governorate of the Russian Empire in connection with the construction of the Kursk-Kharkiv-Azov Railway.Lozovaya // Great Russian Encyclopedia / editorial board, ed.-in-chief Yu. S. Osipov. Volume 17. Moscow, Scientific Publishing House "Great Russian Encyclopedia", 2011. p. 756 On 23 December 1869, the first train of the Kursk-Kharkov-Azov Railway passed through Lozovaya. Its construction initiated the development of the region, as grain-producing regions were connected to the seaports of the Russian Empire, which exported grain.
In the second half of the 19th century, the Dnieper Railway, opened in 1875, also saw the construction of the Lozova-Sevastopol Railway, which gave further impetus to the development of the entire southern region of the Russian Empire. In 1902, a new railway line was built—Lozova—Poltava, connecting the Donbass with the western region.
Before World War I, Lozova had two parts: Zarudnevskaya and Avilovskaya. Zarudnevskaya, a well-appointed part, was home to merchants, traders, and commoners. The houses were made of stone, and there was a cinema, a merchant club, and a city garden. The Avilovskaya part, near the station, was home to railroad workers: switchmen, conductors, and engine drivers; artisans and other hired laborers. Living conditions here were worse: the houses were poor, wooden, often wattle and daub huts; there were no sidewalkss.Лозовая // Большая Советская Энциклопедия. / под ред. А. М. Прохорова. 3-е изд. том 14. М., «Советская энциклопедия», 1973.
Ukrainian War of Independence (1917-1919) During the Ukrainian War of Independence, in December 1917, a 30,000-strong corps of military units led by Vladimir Antonov-Ovseenko launched an offensive deep into Sloboda Ukraine. After capturing Kharkiv, a combined detachment of Red Guards and soldiers of the 30th Infantry Regiment under the command of Nikolay Rudnev began advancing toward Pavlohrad. On 14 December (27), the Red Army soldiers approached Lozova station, after which, on the third day of fighting, having pushed back small detachments of the Lozovsky Haidamaka Kuren and the Pavlohrad Free Cossacks the active Ukrainian army that had arrived to reinforce it, they occupied the settlement.History of the Civil War in the USSR. Volume 3 (November 1917 - March 1919). Moscow, Gospolitizdat, 1958. p. 67
Soviet power lasted less than four months: on 8 April 1918, Lozova was recaptured by the 3rd Haidamaka Regiment of the Zaporizhian Division of the UPR Army under the command of General Alexander Natiev with the support of troops from Austria-Hungary and Germany (the latter were stationed here until November of the same year to ensure order and guarantee the fulfillment of the UPR's allied obligations.
Later power changed several times: in November 1918, Lozova came under the control of the Ukrainian Directorate, on 17 January 1919, it was occupied by units of the Red Army, and in July 1919, by troops of the VSYUR. On 15 December 1919, Red Army units again occupied Lozova and Soviet power was restored, after which repressions began (in particular, all churches were destroyed). Afterwards it was administratively part of the Katerynoslav Governorate of Ukraine.
Interwar period (1920–1939) From its founding until 1926, Lozova was part of the Pavlohrad District of the Yekaterinoslav Governorate. In July 1926, it was transferred to the Kharkiv Governorate. Since 1929, it has been in the Kharkiv Oblast. A local newspaper has been published in Lozova since August 1929.№ 3158. Советское слово // Летопись периодических и продолжающихся изданий СССР 1986 - 1990. Часть 2. Газеты. М., «Книжная палата», 1994. стр.413 In August 1929, publication of a local newspaper began.No. 3158. Soviet Word // Chronicle of Periodicals and Serials of the USSR 1986–1990. Part 2. Newspapers. Moscow, Knizhnaya Palata, 1994. p. 413
In 1932–33, during the Holodomor, the population of Lozova suffered less than residents of surrounding villages, as the settlement was considered industrial, and workers received rations. On 19 October 1938, Lozova was granted city status. In 1939, the city's population was 21,975 people.
Second World War (1939–1945) During the Second World War, the city changed hands several times. The first Wehrmacht units entered the city on 11 October 1941, and the city was occupied by German troops.Handbook "Liberation of Cities: A Handbook on the Liberation of Cities during the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945." M. L. Dudarenko, Yu. G. Perechnev, V. T. Eliseev, et al. Moscow: Voenizdat, 1985. 598 p.
Fierce fighting in the Lozova area took place in January 1942 during the Red Army's Barvenkovo–Lozovaya offensive (the 2nd Battle of Kharkiv). On 27 January 1942, the city was liberated from German forces by troops of the Southwestern Front: the 6th Army, consisting of the 270th Rifle Division.
On 22–23 May 1942, after the failure of the Soviet offensive on Kharkiv, the city was reoccupied. On 11 February 1943, it was liberated by troops of the Southwestern Front during the Voroshilovgrad Operation: the 1st Guards Army consisting of the 35th Guards Rifle Division and the 4th Guards Rifle Corps.Red Army website. http://rkka.ru
On 21 February 1943, it was occupied for the third time (see Third Battle of Kharkov). During the occupation, the city housed two concentration camps for Soviet prisoners of war, where the mortality rate in winter reached up to 100 people per day. Thousands of prisoners and Jews were shot in Zayachyaya Balka. Partisan detachments were active in the city, regularly distributing anti-fascist propaganda leaflets and carrying out bombings and sabotage at Lozova station. Partisan activity intensified particularly in 1943, during the Battle of Kursk.
On 16 September 1943, the city was liberated from German troops by Soviet troops of the Southwestern Front during the Donbas strategic offensive: 6th Army consisting of: 26th Guards Rifle Corps consisting of: 38th Guards Rifle Division, 35th Guards Rifle Division, 25th Guards Rifle Division; 47th Guards Rifle Division 4th Guards Rifle Corps. 17th Air Army consisting of: part of the troops of the 305th Guards Assault Aviation Division, 9th Mixed Aviation Corps; 262nd Night Bomber Aviation Division, 244th Bomber Aviation Division. These divisions were given the name "Lozovskie" by order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief dated 23 September 1943.
Post-war period After its liberation, the city was completely restored. In the 1950s, a new railway station was built. The restoration of the (almost completely destroyed) railway junction and the construction of the new station were carried out under the supervision of General-Chief of the 3rd rank Hero of Socialist Labor Mikhail Bondarenko by the restoration work department of the Southern Railway and the Yuzhtransstroy trust. In 1953, there were several railway maintenance companies, four secondary schools, two libraries, a House of Culture and one stadium.Лозовая // Большая Советская Энциклопедия. / редколл., гл. ред. Б. А. Введенский. 2-е изд. том 25. М., Государственное научное издательство «Большая Советская энциклопедия», 1954. стр.359
In January 1959, the city's population was 27,100. In January 1970 - 35,600 people. In 1972, the population was 38,800 people. In 1975, the city's population was 49,200. In January 1989 the population was 72,991 people,Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 г. Численность городского населения союзных республик, их территориальных единиц, городских поселений и городских районов по полуLozovaya // The Great Encyclopedic Dictionary (in 2 volumes). / editorial board, ed.-in-chief A. M. Prokhorov. volume 1. Moscow, "Soviet Encyclopedia", 1991. p. 724 the basis of the city's economy at that time were mechanical engineering, metalworking, railway transport enterprises and the food industry.
The city was evacuated on 27 August 2008 due to a fire in an arsenal. However, there were no serious casualties or deaths and caused significant material damage. On 28 August 2008, a gas distribution station near a military unit exploded due to a fire., the population within a 3 km radius was temporarily evacuated. // Vzglyad newspaper, 27 August 2008
As of the beginning of 2009, the population was 59,400, with the economy based on the forge and mechanical plant, the Traktorodetal combine plant, a metalworking plant, and railway maintenance enterprises. In January 2013, the population was 58,307 people.Чисельність наявного населення України на 1 січня 2013 року. Державна служба статистики України. Київ, 2013. стор.96
Until 18 July 2020, Lozova was incorporated as a city of oblast significance and the center of the Lozova Municipality. The municipality was abolished in July 2020 as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Kharkiv Oblast to seven. The area of Lozova Municipality was merged into Lozova Raion.
Russian invasion of Ukraine Russia started an invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. Lozova has come under attack several times since the beginning of Russian invasion of Ukraine as it is one of the main railway hubs and a city of strategic significance.
On 24 February 2022 at 5:52 am, a radar station located in the south of the city near Avilovka raion was hit by three Russian missiles which saw the devastation of the radar station and a gas transit station nearby.
On 20 May 2022, a Russian missile system fired three rockets, according to Ukrainian sources; two of them were anticipated by the Ukrainian anti-rocket system but the third one hit the city's Cultural Centre. According to the ministry of emergency affairs of Ukraine, 11 people were injured but no one died (however, an 11-year-old girl was among those severely injured). Russian authorities made no comment but on some unofficial Twitter handles of pro-Russian forces, it was claimed that the Ukrainian Territorial Defence Brigade was hiding in the Cultural House building. On 5 August 2025 the Sevostopil side of the station was badly damaged by a Russian Drone attack, and as a result a station railway mechanic died while ten passengers were badly injured. Among them there were two children under 10.
As of 1 January 2025, the population was 60,000.
Geography The city is located at the source of the Lozova River (a tributary of the Britai River), which flows into the Britai River after 12 km. The villages of Domakha (Kharkiv Oblast), Ukrainske (Lozova City Council), and Lesovskoye are adjacent to the city.
Climate Lozova's climate is moderately continental. It is drier than Kharkiv's climate and is classified as a steppe climate. The average July temperature is +22 to +25 degrees Celsius, and January temperatures are -5 to -8 degrees Celsius. Precipitation is approximately 500–550 mm per year. Winds are easterly and westerly.
Culture
Lozova had a well-developed cultural, sports, and recreational sector. The city's long-standing Lozova House of Culture was destroyed by a Russian missile strike during the Russian invasion in 2022.