History
The name of the region originates from the coal-field discovered in late 19th century which was named after the Donets river flowing across the region.
In 1676, the first town of the Donbas emerged: Solanoye (now Slavyansk) which was built for the profitable business of extracting newly-discovered rock-salt reserves. In 1721, vast and rich coal fields were found, which started the "industrial boom" which led to the flourish of the region in 18th–first half of 20th century.
Ukrainian scholar and politician Hryhoriy Nemyria said:
The fact that you came from the Donbas was more important than that you were Russian or Ukrainian; so of course the break-up of the Soviet Union also meant a raising of this regional identity and loyalty... In any case, most people here honestly couldn't say what they are ethnically, because most families, like mine, are mixed.
Surveys of regional identities in Ukraine have shown that around 40% of Donbas residents claim to have a "Soviet identity".
Read more about this topic: Donets Basin
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