ORYOL OBLAST

An administrative region of the Russian Federation. Oryol is a small, particularly riverineoblastin the CentralEconomic RegionandFederal District. Seventieth in size among federal subjects, the region covers an area of 24,700 square kilometers and has a population of 860,000. It is bordered by theBryansk,Kaluga,Tula,Lipetsk, andKurskoblasts. At its closest point, the oblast is less than 60 kilometers from theUkrainianborder. Its geography is dominated bysteppeand forest steppe, and it is part of thechernozembelt of European Russia.

The regionaleconomyis balanced betweenagricultureand heavyindustry. The oblast is a center of milk production for European Russia, as well as an exporter of sugar beets, potatoes, and grains. Post–World War II reindustrialization endowed the region with steel-rolling plants and other large factories. Instrument making, metallurgy,foodprocessing, and lightindustryare major sources of employment. There are significant, but undeveloped iron ore deposits in the region, which is part of the Kursk Magnetic Anomaly. Much of the oblast’s energy needs are met bynuclear energyplants in neighboring regions.Along with its western neighbors, the oblast continues to suffer the effects of theChernobyl disaster, including high levels of thyroid diseases among the population.

Oryol supportedCommunist Party of the Russian Federation(KPRF) candidates during the 1990s, making it a dependableRed Beltregion (the region is home to KPRF leaderGennady Zyuganov). In the wake of theconstitutional crisis of 1993, the KPRF governor was dismissed and replaced byYeltsinappointee Nikolay Yudin. He was quickly unseated by Yegor Stroyev, a former member of the Soviet Politburo; Stroyev advocated a statist approach to economic reform based on the model employed by the People’s Republic ofChina. During much of his governorship, Stroyev held a senior position within theFederation Counciluntil he was forced to step down from national office due to new legislation. Despite his leadership of the oblast, Stroyev was a vehement critic of power-sharing agreements between Moscow and itsfederal subjects. After several reelections, including one in 2001 where Stroyev won 90 percent of the vote,Vladimir Putinreappointed the governor in 2005. As early as 2000, Stroyev publicly endorsed Putin’s plans to create avertical of powerwithin the Russian Federation after having urged Yeltsin to step down in 1999; he was later elected to an executive position with the pro-PutinUnited Russiaparty. Stroyev maintained an international profile by meeting with heads of state fromFinland, Nigeria, Romania, and other countries. In early 2009, he stepped down along with several other regional executives; PresidentDmitry Medvyedevappointed Aleksandr Kozlov to replace him.