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The town's name is derived from the adjacent "White Lake," called Bile ozero (Білеозеро) in Ukrainian. Described as a "fishing-and-farming community," its residents are primarily engaged in agriculture, cattle husbandry, and the cultivation of seeds, gardens, and vineyards.[3]
History
Ancient history
In antiquity, the area was settled by Greek colonists as part of the territory of Pontic Olbia.[citation needed] Archeological excavations in the 19th century discovered Scythian and Sarmatian burial mounds along with artifacts from the Copper and Bronze Ages.[4]
Founding
Bilozerka has its origins in 1780 in the Russian Empire, as the estate of Lieutenant General Ivan Gannibal, a Russian military officer who is considered one of the founders of Kherson. The first settlers in what is now Bilozerka were Zaporozhian Cossacks, from nearby camps, but the bulk of the population would come from migrants from right-bank Ukraine.[4][5] Early names for the settlement included Ivanivka and Ivanivska Bilozerka after Gannibal's given name. The land was purchased in 1798 by the locally prominent Skadovsky family and became known as Skadovka, though it was still known as "Bilozerka" (and its variations) on official documents. By the end of the 18th century, Bilozerka had a population of 205 residents, 126 of whom were men and 79 were women.[4]
On 18 July 2020, Bilozerka Raion was abolished as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, which reduced the number of raions of Kherson Oblast to five. The area of Bilozerka Raion was merged into Kherson Raion.[7][8]
Russian invasion of Ukraine
At the onset of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, despite nearby engagements in Kherson and Chornobaivka, the Russian military had yet to enter Bilozerka in early March 2022.[9] The 194th Bilozerka Battalion, a territorial defense detachment primarily composed of residents of Bilozerka and the former Bilozerka Raion, participated in the Battle of Kherson, where it suffered heavy casualties and consequently ceased to exist as military unit.[3][9]
Russian columns first appeared in Bilozerka during the first week of March, moving westward through the village to participate in the Battle of Mykolaiv. Rosgvardiya troops and FSB and OMON agents took up positions within the town, and Donbass militiamen and "Asian and Caucasian minorities" were also present among the Russian forces in Bilozerka. Supermarkets, banks, and post offices were closed for the duration of the occupation. In the center of the town, a Russian flag replaced the Ukrainian flag atop an SU-100 tank monument commemorating the Great Patriotic War.[3]
On 14 March 2022 - the anniversary of the town's liberation by the Red Army during World War II - hundreds of people participated in a protest in Bilozerka carrying Ukrainian flags, singing the Ukrainian anthem, and chanting slogans such as "Glory to Ukraine" and "Putin khuilo!". The protesters approached a group of Russian soldiers, calling them "ruscists" and telling them to "go home." The soldiers fired into the air in an attempt to disperse the crowd.[3][10]
A Victory Day was parade was celebrated in Bilozerka by Russian troops and some civilians alike, but by the summer, relations between the garrison and the locals had taken a turn for the worse, with home raids, interrogations, and beatings increasing in frequency. People allegedly involved in pro-Ukrainian resistance activities were detained and tortured in ad hoc jails in the basements of a school and the courthouse.[3]
As Russian command prepared to withdraw from the right bank of the Dnieper during Ukraine's 2022 Kherson counteroffensive, the Russian presence in Bilozerka was gradually reduced throughout October and early November, with the last Russians leaving on 11 November. Ukrainian troops entered on the same day, causing celebrations in the streets.[3]
The Ukrainian military remained stationed in and around the town into 2023, as the nearby Dnieper River had become a front line during the Dnieper campaign. Bilozerka was impacted by the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in June 2023, with streets adjacent to the lake being flooded.[3]
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Ukraine
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