Voroshylovhrad is a city located in
Donbas in eastern
Ukraine known as
Luhansk after the
Soviet Union dissolved. English translators from Russia used historical Russian transliteration of the city's name (with
i for
и and
g for
г) when initially translated. In an effort to break the colonial tradition of writing names using Russian phonetics, guidelines from the Ukrainian government (with
y for
и and
h for
г) translate the title to "Voroshylovhrad". Both spellings are still used. Donbas is an industrial region known for its
steppe land and
coal mining located along the Russian border. Under
Stalin, Donbas became the setting for the
Stakhanovite movement. In May 2014, when Voroshylovhrad was controlled by the self-declared
Luhansk People’s Republic, Zhadan wrote the unrecognised state "exists exclusively in the fantasies of the self-proclaimed 'people's mayors' and 'people's governors.'" == Plot ==