The Mokri Yaly (Ukrainian: Мокрі Яли; Russian: Мокрые Ялы) is a river in western Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. From its headwaters in Volnovakha, it flows roughly west and northwest to its confluence with the Vovcha river, which forms part of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast boundary.
| Mokri Yaly | |
|---|---|
 The river near Staromlynivka | |
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | Ukraine |
| Cities | Volnovakha, Velyka Novosilka |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Azov Upland |
| • coordinates | 47°12′37″N 37°27′3″E / 47.21028°N 37.45083°E |
| • elevation | 205 m (673 ft) |
| Mouth | Vovcha |
• location | Donetsk Oblast |
• coordinates | 48°3′54″N 36°44′19″E / 48.06500°N 36.73861°E |
• elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Length | 147 km (91 mi)[1] |
| Basin size | 2,660 km2 (1,030 sq mi)[1] |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Vovcha→ Samara→ Dnieper→ Dnieper–Bug estuary→ Black Sea |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Kobylna, Sukhi Yaly, Tonka |
| • right | Shaitanka, Kashlahach |
 | |
Etymology
editThe name of the river roughly translates to 'wet shores', combining Ukrainian mokri 'wet' (plural) and Urum yaly 'shore'.[citation needed] Compare the names of the small tributary Sukha Yala 'dry shore' (feminine singular) and the sister tributary of the Vovcha Sukhi Yaly 'dry shores'. The river was known as Elkuvaty in older chronicles.[2]
Geography
edit
The river is 147 km long. Beginning near Volnovakha in Donetsk Oblast, it flows northwards, through the town of Velyka Novosilka, where the Shaitanka and Kashlahach rivers join it, while smaller rivers like the Sukhа Yalа (or Balka Sukhi Yaly) and Kobylna join it elsewhere.[3] The Mokri Yaly enters the Vovcha river near the border with Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. A dam near the village of Staromlynivka creates a reservoir used for irrigation and water supply.
History
editThe river served as an important defensive line for German forces during World War II, where fortifications along the river formed part of the wider Mius-Front in which the Germans conducted a fighting withdrawal from the Soviet Union after the failure of Operation Barbarossa. After three days of heavy fighting,[4] the Soviets crossed the river on 12 September 1943.[5]
The river saw battle again during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. During the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive, the Ukrainian military pushed Russian forces away from Velyka Novosilka and captured various villages along the river's banks. The Ukrainian military accused Russian forces of destroying the dam next to the village of Kliuchove near Staromlynivka to slow the Ukrainian forces' advance.[6][7] A few weeks later, Ukrainian forces were reported to have attempted to advance across the river with T-80 tanks.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b "Ecological Database of the Dnieper Basin". Dnipro Ecobase (in Russian). 2003. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
- ^ Lomako, Nikolai. "About the Donetsk rivers on the Kalmius road". Papacoma Narod (in Russian). Retrieved 13 June 2023.
- ^ Hrebin, Vasyl; Demyanov, Volodymyr (2019). Mokri Yali (in Ukrainian). Vol. 21. Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine. ISBN 978-966-02-2074-4.
- ^ Tarasov, German (22 November 1943). "A brief summary of generalized conclusions from the experience of the combat operations of the troops of the Southern Front for September 1943" (in Russian). Combat Journal of the 4th Ukrainian Front. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
- ^ Antonov, Vladimir (1975). Road to Berlin Chapter two: Offensive in southern Ukraine, Forward to the Dnieper (in Russian). Nauka.
- ^ Borger, Julian; Sabbagh, Dan (2023-06-12). "Ukraine accuses Russia of destroying another dam to slow counteroffensive". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
- ^ Маркіян Климковецький (11 June 2023). "Окупанти підірвали греблю на Донеччині, щоб завадити українському контрнаступу – Сили оборониМаркіян Климковецький" [The occupiers destroyed a dam in Donetsk to obstruct the Ukrainian counter-offensive – Defence Forces]. Hromadske (in Ukrainian). Wikidata Q119400109. Archived from the original on 12 June 2023.
- ^ "The Ukrainian Marine Corps' Upgraded T-80 Tanks Led The Attack Along The Mokri Yaly River". Forbes.