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FACTBOX: Slaviansk, Ukraine

© RIA Novosti . Mikhail Voskresenskiy / Go to the mediabankSlavyansk, Donetsk Region, Ukraine
Slavyansk, Donetsk Region, Ukraine - Sputnik International
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Slaviansk, a city of 130,000 in Ukraine’s Donetsk Region and the site of major pro-federalization rallies since last month, was initially founded as a fortress in 1676.

MOSCOW, April 24 (RIA Novosti) – Slaviansk, a city of 130,000 in Ukraine’s Donetsk Region and the site of major pro-federalization rallies since last month, was initially founded as a fortress in 1676.

Tor fortress was founded on the Tor River (now Kazenyy Torets) to protect nearby salt flats.

The first written record of the town dates to 1623, when the city was known as Solianoi gorod or Salty City, as the town had become a major producer of salt.

On January 22, 1784 the city was renamed Slaviansk.

The city’s major industry is machinery manufacturing. It also produces construction supplies and soda.

Slaviansk is Ukraine’s only producer of high-quality salt, containing 95 percent sodium chloride.

Modern Slaviansk is one of Ukraine’s largest railway and automobile hubs. The city also has one of the oldest mud therapy centers, located in the vicinity of the nearby salt lakes.

Slaviansk, together with several other cities in Ukraine’s southeast, has been swept by pro-federalization rallies since March 2014. Demonstrators have refused to recognize the legitimacy of the current Ukrainian government that came into force following the overthrow of President Viktor Yanukovich in February and have urged interim authorities to hold referendums similar to the one held in Crimea last month, which led to the republic's secession.

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