Information about collembolans from eastern Ukraine is fragmentary (Prokopenko, 1988). During 1993-96 collembola of the virgin steppes, forests and disturbed ecosystems of Donetsk Oblast were studied. In total, 111 species in 46 genera and 12 families were found: 62 species in virgin steppes, 28 in forests and 60 in disturbed areas. There were 33 species new for Ukraine, of which 22 were found in the steppes, 5 from forests and 11 from disturbed ecosystems. Another 18 species had not previously been recorded from eastern Ukraine. In all ecosystems the Isotomidae and Entomobryidae were the most diverse families. Apart from them, the Onychiuridae and Sminthuridae had the richest species composition in the steppes, the Neanuridae and Hypogastruridae in the forests, and the Onychiuridae in disturbed ecosystems. The most abundant species everywhere were Isotoma notabilis Schaff. and Schoettella ununguiculata (Tullb.). In steppe and disturbed localities Orchesella bifasciata Nic., Pseudosinella octopunctata Born., Sphaeridia pumilis (Krausb.) were widespread. In forests, Neanura muscorum (Tullb.), Willowsia buski Lubb., Folsomia volgensis Martynova, Orchesella taurica Stach., Isotomiella minor Shaff., Tomocerus vulgaris Tullb. were common. Lepidocirtus violaceus (Geoffroy), Protaphorura procampata Gisin, Isotoma viridis Bourl., Sminthurus viridis L., Sminthurus nigromaculata Tullb. were abundant in steppe areas, whereas Folsomides parvulus Stach., Entomobrya handschini Stach., Protaphorura armata Tullb., Sminthurinus niger (Lubb.), Sminthurus elegans Fitch. were abundant only in disturbed regions. The research found that there were groups of species characteristic for every ecosystem, with 29 species in the steppe group, 22 for disturbed landscapes, and 11 for forests. Analysis of the list in terms of the "arid-humid balance" (Taraschuk, 1993) shows that collembolan families categorized as preferring dry conditions tend to occur in south-eastern Ukraine, particularly steppes and disturbed areas, whereas those preferring wetter conditions are more common in forests.