About Lugansk

Luhans'k, formerly Voroshilovgrad, city in eastern Ukraine, at the confluence of the Luhan and Olkhovaya rivers. It is an industrial center located in the Donets Basin. Manufactures include railroad and mining equipment, processed food, and machine tools. The city is the seat of a medical school and an agricultural institute. Founded in 1795 as an ironworking center, the city grew when large-scale coal mining began in the region in the 1890s. During World War II, the city was occupied by German forces from 1942 to 1943. For a total of 43 years (1935-1958, 1970-1990), the city was named Voroshilovgrad in honor of the Soviet leader K. Y. Voroshilov. Population (1998 estimate) 475,000.