in Kharkiv, 1933 During the
Soviet administrative reform of 1923–1929, the
Kharkov Governorate was abolished in 1925 leaving its five
okruhas: Okhtyrka (originally Bohodukhiv), Izium, Kupiansk, Sumy, and Kharkiv. Introduced in the Soviet Union in 1923, a similar subdivisions existed in Ukraine back in 1918. In 1930 all okruhas were also abolished with
raions becoming the first level of subdivision of Ukraine until 1932. The modern Kharkiv Oblast was established on 27 February 1932. In the summer of 1932, some parts of the oblast were included in the newly created
Donetsk Oblast originally centered in
Artemivsk (later in
Stalino). Then in the fall, some territories of the Kharkiv Oblast were used in the creation of
Chernihiv Oblast. More territories became part of
Poltava Oblast in fall of 1937 and
Sumy Oblast in winter of 1939. During the
Holodomor the population of the Kharkiv Oblast together with Kyiv Oblast suffered the most. During
World War II, it was the site of large Soviet massacres of Poles (
Piatykhatky) and German massacres of Jews (
Drobytsky Yar). The region saw major fighting during World War II in several
Battles of Kharkov between 1941 and 1943. During the
1991 referendum, 86.33% of votes in Kharkiv Oblast were in favor of the
Declaration of Independence of Ukraine. A survey conducted in December 2014 by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found 4.2% of the oblast's population supported their region joining Russia, 71.5% did not support the idea, and the rest were undecided or did not respond. Following the
Euromaidan, there was
pro-Russian unrest in the region, and central government buildings were taken over by separatists in a failed attempt to create a separatist 'Kharkov's People's Republic'. The region also became a very popular destination for refugees from the
Russian-occupied Donetsk and
Luhansk Oblast regions. In early September 2022, the Ukrainian military commenced a
counteroffensive in the region. Several settlements in the region were recaptured from Russian control. By 10 September 2022, Ukraine had recaptured
Kupiansk and
Izium. and the Russian Ministry of Defense announced a formal withdrawal of Russian forces from most of Kharkiv Oblast stating that an "operation to curtail and transfer troops" was underway." By 12 September 2022, as the Russian front lines in Kharkiv Oblast continued to collapse, Ukrainian forces had managed to push back to the northeastern border with Russia in some areas of the region. By 3 October 2022, Russian forces had almost completely withdrawn from Kharkiv Oblast. As of 2023, fighting continues in the easternmost parts of the oblast in the
Battle of the Svatove–Kreminna line. In May 2024, Russia launched a
renewed offensive in northern Kharkiv Oblast, however the frontline stabilised shortly after and has remained at a halt since, with only marginal advances reported. In late 2024, amidst a
Russian offensive in Donetsk Oblast and a
Ukrainian offensive into Russia’s Kursk Oblast, Russian forces
started new offensive operations in eastern Kharkiv Oblast, with the aim of recrossing the Oskil river and capturing
Kupiansk. ==Demographics==