Melitopol
A city of cherries and the Scythian gold of the Melitopol kurgan.
The Melitopol museum held finds from a 4th-century BC Scythian burial mound — gold pectorals and ornaments of world significance, looted by the occupiers in 2022. The city is known for its cherry orchards and for nearby Kamiana Mohyla, a sanctuary with petroglyphs thousands of years old. In the first weeks of occupation its people held rallies against it.
Temporarily occupied since 2022.
Chronicle
- 25 February 2022 — Russian columns entered the city.
- 1 March 2022 — The city came fully under the occupiers' control.
- March 2022 — Rallies against the occupation: thousands came out onto the square despite the guns.
- 11 March 2022 — The occupiers abducted mayor Ivan Fedorov; he was freed five days later.