Balakleia

a city; center of Balakleia Raion, Kharkov Oblast, Ukrainian SSR. It is located on the Balakleika River (a tributary of the Severnyi Donets). There is a railroad station. The population of Balakleia was 30,200 in 1968. There is a plant for asbestos-cement products, a concrete plant, a plant for reinforced-concrete products, and a dairy plant. Balakleia was founded in 1663 as a stronghold against Tatar invasions.