July 25, 2014, the recapture of Horlivka became a priority, for the city was seen as "a direct path to the regional center – Donetsk". As of July 28, the city was reported to be fully surrounded by Ukrainian troops, with rebels holding their positions inside. However, Horlivka continued to be controlled by separatist forces. As of June 2015 it was situated ten kilometers from the war front. Suburbs of Horlivka stayed under Ukrainian army control. In November 2017 they regained control of the villages of Travneve and Hladosove north of Horlivka. As reported by the city administration, from the beginning of the conflict until late January 2015, 274 local civilians were wounded and 92 killed, including nine children. Because of the conflict the city's population shrank to 180,000. In late March 2019, according to Ukrainian media reports, Ukrainian army mine clearance specialist Andriy Shor, who participated in both battles for the Donetsk Airport and the Battle of Pisky, announced on Facebook that the Ukrainian army had recently taken control of Horlivka city. Unian reported that Ukrainian forces had secured the outskirts of the city and are slowly advancing further towards the center of Horlivka, citing Ukrainian volunteer Yuriy Mysiahin. In May the separatists tried to push the Ukrainian forces back, but failed. As of 2020, the majority of the town remains under separatist control. In June 2020, the former head of DPR propaganda in Horlivka handed himself to SBU. 2022 Horlivka offensive In 2022, Ukrainian reports claimed there was a military offensive in the city. On 15 September 2022, the Intelligence Directorate under the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence reported that the occupying Russian forces have "mobilised" 6,000 local residents leaving Horlivka devoid of male population of military age. On 14 November 2022, the Russian Armed Forces claimed to have forced the remaining units of the Ukrainian Army out of the northern Mayors'k district. The claim was repudiated by the spokesperson of Ukraine's Operational Command East Serhii Cherevatyi, who claimed that the area remains contested. Demographics Ethnic composition as of the Ukrainian Census of 2001: First language as of the Ukrainian Census of 2001: Russian 85.1% Ukrainian 13.9% Belarusian 0.1% Armenian 0.1% Culture The Museum of the City History, the Art Museum (the largest collection of paintings by N. Roerich in Ukraine), the Miniature Book Museum by V.A. Razumov (the only state in the world). 62 out of 84 comprehensive