SARATOV OBLAST

Straddling theVolga River, the Saratov Oblast shares an international border withKazakhstanand internal borders withVolgograd,Voronezh,Tambov,Penza,Ulyanovsk, andSamara; it is adjacent toOrenburg Oblast. Theoblastforms part of the VolgaEconomic RegionandFederal District. The regional capital, Saratov (pop. 873,000), is a major port located on the western bank of the Volga; once a closed city, it is now a major academic, scientific, and industrial center of southern Russia. Saratov Oblast includes areas that once comprised the Volga GermanAutonomous Soviet Socialist Republic(1924–1941), including its old capital, Engels; however, the region’s ethnicGermanshave, for the most part, been permanently resettled elsewhere in the former Soviet Union or repatriated toGermany.

The region covers an area of 100,200 square kilometers of mountainous territory in the west andsteppeland in the east. Out of a total population of 2.7 million,ethnic Russiansaccount for 86 percent of all inhabitants; othernational minoritiesincludeKazakhs(3 percent),Ukrainians(2.5 percent), andTatars(2 percent).The region has long been a center ofagriculturalactivity, owing to the centuries of settlement of skilled farmers from Europe, particularly Germany. Today, Saratov is a major producer of wheat, as well as rye, sunflowers, sugar beets, and meat. However, industrialization, which began in the late 19th century, has endowed the region withoilrefineries, petrochemical plants, and numerous mechanical engineering factories.

During theCold War, Saratov Oblast was a major producer of chemical weapons; in 2002, federal authorities opened a chemical weapons destruction plant at Gorny. The first person in space, Yury Gagarin, studied in the region and landed there upon his return from space; the oblast remains an important center for aerospace research and development. There is lowunemploymentin the region, and a large number of small businesses. Exports from the region totaled $2.4 billion in 2008; majorforeign tradepartners includeTurkey, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and theUnited States. The largest companies in the region are Saratov Refinery, Balakovo Mineral Fertilizers, andLukoil-Neftekhim.

During the 1990s, theYeltsingubernatorial appointee Dmitry Ayatskov introduced significant reforms in the agricultural andindustrialsectors of the regionaleconomy, including passing one of Russia’s first laws on landprivatization. He also backed the legalization of prostitution. During the 1990s, Ayatskov developed close ties withMoscowMayorYury Luzhkovand signed a number of bilateral agreements with the region. His popularity began to wane after his 2000 reelection as governor. In 2004, charges of misappropriation of funds were brought against him, forcing a leave of absence. In 2005, he was replaced by Pavel Ipatov, a director of anuclear energyplant and a member of the pro-KremlinUnited Russiaparty. Ayatskov has since moved to develop closer relations withBelarus. Ironically, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko blocked the appointment of Ayatskov as ambassador to Minsk in 2005 after the former Saratov governor made light of Belarusian sovereignty vis-àvis Russia.

See alsoCorruption; Space program; Weapons of Mass Destruction.