Станіслав Цалик

In the early Soviet period Ukraine and Russia engaged in a prolonged administrative struggle over the borders of Donbas, focused primarily on whether Taganrog and surrounding districts belonged to Ukraine or Russia. Repeated resolutions, telegrams and interventions from Ukrainian, Russian and central Soviet authorities produced cycles of conflicting decisions, while local populations, census data and economic arguments often supported remaining within Ukraine. Despite sustained opposition from Ukrainian institutions and local councils in Taganrog and Shakhty, the Soviet leadership ultimately reassigned major parts of the Taganrog and Shakhtynsk districts to Russia on 1 October 1924, finalizing the border in 1925. The dispute demonstrated competing national, economic and political interests that foreshadowed later tensions in the region.