It was founded in 1764—1766 as the
German colony of
Baltser (; ); the last name of one of the colonists. The other name of the colony was
Goly Karamysh (), after the
river on which it was located. The "Karamysh" part in the river's name means
muddy,
silty,
smudgy, while the "Goly" part alludes to the
steppes and the lack of forests in the area; cf.
Lesnoy Karamysh River (lit.
the Karamysh River in the forests). In the mid-19th century, the double name of
Goly Karamysh (Balzer) () was officially used, but it was shortened to just Baltser in 1926. Town status was granted in 1918. During
World War II, the region was cleansed of German geographic names, with Baltser renamed Krasnoarmeysk (after the
Red Army) in 1942. ==Administrative and municipal status==