of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko signed a bill into law that started a six-month period for the removal of communist monuments and the mandatory renaming of settlements with names related to Communism. On 23 September 2015, the city council voted to restore the city's former name of Bakhmut. The final decision was made by the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's national parliament) on 4 February 2016. 2022 Russian invasion During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Bakhmut became a frontline city in May, and is regularly shelled by the Russian army. , according to local authorities about 20,000 people remained in the city. Russia prioritised Bakhmut as its main offensive effort through August 2022. According to the Associated Press in October 2022, "taking Bakhmut would rupture Ukraine’s supply lines and open a route for Russian forces to press on toward Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, key Ukrainian strongholds in Donetsk province." In a December analysis of the offensive, however, the UK Ministry of Defence said "the capture of the town would have limited operational value although it would potentially allow Russia to threaten the larger urban areas of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk." On 11 December 2022, Ukraine President Zelenskyy said that Russian forces had turned the city of Bakhmut into "burned ruins". Climate Demographics , the population of Bakhmut was 75,900. According to the Ukrainian Census of 2001, the majority of residents are ethnic Ukrainians who speak Russian as a first language: Economy Since 1951, the European Bakhmut Winery is located in the city. The Artemsil salt mine is located in the suburb of Soledar, which contains the world's largest underground room. It is large enough that a hot air balloon has been floated inside, symphonies have been played before, and two professional football matches have been held at the same time. Transport The highways of Kharkiv-Rostov and Donetsk-Kyiv run through Bakhmut. The towns of Chasiv Yar and Soledar are included in the Bakhmut municipality. The city has a public transport system consisting of a network of trolleybuses and buses. Education There are 20 schools (11,600 students), 29 kindergartens (3500 children), 4 vocational schools (2,000 students), 2 technical schools (6,000 students), and several music schools. Some include: Artemivsk Industrial College (Tchaikovsky Street) Donetsk Musical College named after Ivan Karabyts (Lermontov Street) Donetsk Pedagogical School (St. Annunciation) Donetsk Medical School (St. W. Nosakova) Artemivsk professional school (St. Defence) After the 2014 outbreak of the War in Donbas