Administrative divisions of the Ukrainian SSR
Encyclopedia
During its existence from 1919 to 1991, the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic consisted of many administrative divisions. Itself part of a highly centralized state
, sub-national divisions in the Ukrainian SSR were subordinate to higher executive authorities and devolved their power from them. Throughout the Ukrainian SSR's history, other national subdivisions were established in the republic, including guberniya
s and okrug
s, before finally being reorganized into their present structure as oblast
s. At the time of the Ukrainian SSR's independence from the Soviet Union, the country was compromised of 25 oblast
s (province
s) and two cities with special status, Kiev
, the capital, and Sevastopol
, respectively.
s. That administrative division was confirmed during the establishment of the Ukrainian State in 1918 when the Red Army withdrew from Ukraine following the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
with Central Powers
.
In 1920-1921 series of territorial changes took place as well as changing in administrative division.
16 April 1920
18 March 1921 (Peace of Riga
)
21 October 1922
s within governorates. Later governorates were abolished and from 1925 to 1932 okrugs served as a primary administrative-territorial unit in Ukraine along with one autonomous republic.
In 1924 cities of Yuzivka and Yelyzavethrad were renamed into Staline and Zinov'ivsk, respectively. On October 1, 1924 parts of Tahanroh and Shakhty okrugs of Donetsk Governorate were transferred to the Russian SFSR. Around this time Bakhmut okrug was renamed into Artemivsk, Bohodukhiv into Okhtyrka, Malyn okrug of Kyiv Governorate was dissolved.
Initially organized as an autonomous oblast on 12 October 1924 the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was created out of parts of Podolie Governorate (part of Tulchyn okrug) and Odessa Governorate (whole Balta okrug and part of Odessa okrug) as part of the Ukrainian SSR. The new republic was divided into 10 raions.
Until the formation of the Crimean Autonomous SSR in October 1921 the administrative-territorial division of the peninsula included 10 uyezds. After the first reform Crimea was divided into seven orkugs with 20 raions, but then in November 1923 okrug administrative division system was abolished.
On 1 August 1925 the gubernial
administrative division was abolished as an obsolete. Also about 10 okrugs were dissolved and merged. Practically every governorate except one of Donetsk had at least one okrug disestablished: Zaporizhia - Berdyansk, Podillya - Haisyn, Poltava - Zolotonosha and Krasnohrad, Volyn - Novohrad-Volynsky, Chernihiv - Novhorod-Siversky and Snovsk, Katerynoslav - Oleksandria, Kharkiv - Okhtyrka, Kiev - Korsun (Shevchenko). On August 10, 1925 the Hlukhiv okrug was created.
On October 16, 1925 some territories of several uyezds Kursk Governorate were transferred to the Ukrainian SSR: most of the former Putyvl uyezd (less Krupitsk volost), Krenychan volost along with Myropillya city (today's village) of Graivoron uyezd, and two additional partial volosts from each Graivoron and Belgorod uyezds.
On July 20, 1926 Pavlohrad and Katerynoslav okrugs were merged into new Dnipropetrovsk okrug with the renaming of the administrative center from Katerynoslav to Dnipropetrovsk. Around that time few more change of names occurred: Zhytomyr okrug was renamed into Volyn, and Cherkasy into Shevchenko.
On September 2, 1930 system of okrugs were abolished and the Ukrainian SSR was divided into 484 raions.
The raion system proved very difficult to administer wholly, and on February 27, 1932 they were grouped into five oblasts, though Moldovian ASSR was kept:
The latter two, were soon partitioned in same year to create the following two oblasts:
It was during this configuration, that Ukraine underwent the first two five year plans, (a consequence of which was the catastrophic Holodomor
famine in 1933), and the collectivization and industrialization that they brought. In 1934 the capital moved to Kiev, and on 30th of January 1931, the Supreme Rada of the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic adopted its version of the 1936 Soviet Constitution
creating the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. To meet the economic and social demands, a restructure in the administrative division was initiated, and 22 September 1937 four more oblasts were added to the existing seven.
As Donbas continued to grow both industrially and in population, on 3 July 1938, the Donetsk Oblast was effectively split into two:
In a further re-structure 10 January 1939 the twelve existing oblasts and one republic were joined by a further three:
After the Soviet invasion of Poland
and the resulting annexation of Eastern Poland
by the USSR, six new oblasts were established
in Western Ukraine on 4 December 1939:
In late June 1940 the Soviet Union annexed Bessarabia
and Northern Bukovina from Romania
. On the 28th of June 1940, the Ukrainian SSR transferred most of the Moldovian ASSR to Bessarabia
creating the Moldovian SSR, a new Union Republic. In return it gained the souther Budjak
region, and Northern Bukovina where on 7 August 1940, were created, respectively:
The latter on 7 December 1940 was renamed to Izmail Oblast, and the centre moved to Izmail
. Thus, in the prelude of Soviet Union's entry to WWII, Ukraine gained eight new Oblasts, which combined with the fifteen existing previously, brought a total to twenty three.
As the Red Army
liberated Ukraine throughout 1943/1944, several changes were made. On 29 March 1944 the city of Chernivitsi was renamed to Chernivtsi as was the oblast. In a similar fashion Tarnopil became Ternopil on 15 April 1944.
The liberation left a German occupied zone in Crimea
and Taurida. To facilitate the Crimean Offensive, on 30th of March 1944, a new twenty fourth oblast was created in Taurida:
After the war ended, the USSR also gained the Carpathian Ruthenia
from Czechoslovakia
and on 21 January 1946, the territory was annexed to the Ukrainian SSR as the
During the post-war rebuilding the administrative division remained stable. However the political aftermath following Death of Stalin in 1953 brought a number of re-organisation policies into Ukraine. Already, on 7 January 1954, donating bordering raions from neighbouring oblasts created the
Due to the historic significance, in the prelude to the 300th anniversary of the Treaty of Pereyaslavl on 4 February, the city of Proskuriv was renamed to Khmelnytskyi
, after the historic Cossack leader Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, along with the oblast. On 19 February the Izmail Oblast was disbanded and merged with the Odessa Oblast. However, arguably the significant change in 1954 was the transfer of Crimea
from the Russian SFSR, and thus Ukraine gained the
After the political defeat of the so-called Anti-Party Group
, consisting of famous politicians such as Vyacheslav Molotov
and Lazar Kaganovich
, a nationwide renaming campaign was undertaken. To insure against further disturbances of such manner, Moscow passed a decree in early 1958 not to name any object or locale in honour of a living person, and on 5 March 1958, the city of Voroshylovhrad (bearing the name of its native, Kliment Voroshilov
) was renamed to its historical name of Luhansk
as was the oblast.
The largely rural Drohobych Oblast
, being a smallest in territory from the start, since its creation has been continuously reduce in size, ceding three raions to Poland
in autumn 1944 (including the city of Peremyshl
) another raion (village of Medyka
) in may 1948, and losing a further 480 km2 of territory in 1951 was also proving to be economically inefficient and was thus disbanded and merged with the Lviv Oblast
on 21 May 1959. The latter would be the last major change of internal borders of Ukraine's administrative divisions up until till present day, the Oblast count would stay stable at twenty five all right up to the republic's independence in 1991.
Minor changes would continue nonetheless. The 22nd Congress of the CPSU initiated a cosmetic face to the De-Stalinization
programme by breaking Joseph Stalin
's cult of personality
. On 9 November 1961, the city of Staline was renamed to Donetsk
and the oblast followed suit. Exactly a year later, the city and oblast of Stanislaviv was renamed to Ivano-Frankivsk
in honour of the Ukrainian writer and poet Ivan Franko
. Following the death of Kliment Voroshilov
in December 1969, the city and oblast of Luhansk became Voroshylovhrad once more on 5 January 1970.
This arrangement would enter a stable phase right into the perestroika
. On 4 May, 1990 Voroshylovhrad would be once again reverted to Luhansk, along with the oblast. On 11 June 1991, the city of Rovno was renamed to Rivne
, the oblast too. However, the most significant change took place on 12 February 1991, when the Crimean Oblast
would re-establish as the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
, which it held as part of the Russian SFSR until 18 May 1944, and would declare sovereignty on 4 September.
The present Administrative division of Ukraine remained stable since, though legal formalities such as the Crimea's status as an Autonomous republic
and the status of Sevastopol
would be settled in the mid-1990s.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, sub-national divisions in the Ukrainian SSR were subordinate to higher executive authorities and devolved their power from them. Throughout the Ukrainian SSR's history, other national subdivisions were established in the republic, including guberniya
Guberniya
A guberniya was a major administrative subdivision of the Russian Empire usually translated as government, governorate, or province. Such administrative division was preserved for sometime upon the collapse of the empire in 1917. A guberniya was ruled by a governor , a word borrowed from Latin ,...
s and okrug
Okrug
Okrug is an administrative division of some Slavic states. The word "okrug" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "district", or "region"....
s, before finally being reorganized into their present structure as oblast
Oblast
Oblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...
s. At the time of the Ukrainian SSR's independence from the Soviet Union, the country was compromised of 25 oblast
Oblast
Oblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...
s (province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
s) and two cities with special status, Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, the capital, and Sevastopol
Sevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
, respectively.
Governorates
Until the Riga Peace Treaty with Poland on 18 March 1921 the Ukrainian SSR had the governotorial administrative division of Imperial Russia and consisted of ten guberniyaGuberniya
A guberniya was a major administrative subdivision of the Russian Empire usually translated as government, governorate, or province. Such administrative division was preserved for sometime upon the collapse of the empire in 1917. A guberniya was ruled by a governor , a word borrowed from Latin ,...
s. That administrative division was confirmed during the establishment of the Ukrainian State in 1918 when the Red Army withdrew from Ukraine following the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was a peace treaty signed on March 3, 1918, mediated by South African Andrik Fuller, at Brest-Litovsk between Russia and the Central Powers, headed by Germany, marking Russia's exit from World War I.While the treaty was practically obsolete before the end of the year,...
with Central Powers
Central Powers
The Central Powers were one of the two warring factions in World War I , composed of the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria...
.
- Chernihiv GovernorateChernigov GovernorateThe Chernigov Governorate , also known as the Government of Chernigov, was a guberniya in the historical Left-bank Ukraine region of the Russian Empire, which was officially created in 1802 from the disbanded Malorossiya Governorate with an administrative centre of Chernigov...
- Katerynoslav GovernorateYekaterinoslav GovernorateThe Yekaterinoslav Governorate or Government of Yekaterinoslav was a governorate in the Russian Empire. Its capital was the city of Yekaterinoslav .-Administrative divisions:...
- Kharkiv GovernorateKharkov GovernorateKharkiv Governorate or Kharkov Governorate was a governorate of the Russian Empire originally founded in 1780. It was renamed to Sloboda Ukraine Governorate in 1797 and back to Kharkiv Governorate in 1835....
- Kherson GovernorateKherson GovernorateThe Kherson Governorate or Government of Kherson was a guberniya, or administrative territorial unit, in the Southern Ukrainian region, between the Dnieper and Dniester Rivers, of the Russian Empire. It was one of three governorates created in 1802 when the Novorossiya guberniya was abolished...
, later reformed into Odessa Governorate - Kiev GovernorateKiev GovernorateKiev Governorate , or Government of Kiev, was an administrative division of the Russian Empire.The governorate was established in 1708 along with seven other governorates and was transformed into a viceroyalty in 1781...
- Podillia Governorate
- Poltava GovernoratePoltava GovernorateThe Poltava Governorate or Government of Poltava was a guberniya in the historical Left-bank Ukraine region of the Russian Empire, which was officially created in 1802 from the disbanded Malorossiya Governorate which was split between the Chernigov Governorate and Poltava Governorate with an...
- Volhynia Governorate
In 1920-1921 series of territorial changes took place as well as changing in administrative division.
16 April 1920
- The Donetsk Governorate was created out of the surrounding Kharkiv, Katerynoslav Govrnorates and the Don Army Oblast. It was initially created in 1919, but with the advance of Anton Denikin its reorganization was temporarily halted.
- The Kremenchuk Governorate was created out of bordering areas of Poltava, Kiev, and Kherson Governorates.
- The Zaporizhia Governorate was created out Katerynoslav GovernorateYekaterinoslav GovernorateThe Yekaterinoslav Governorate or Government of Yekaterinoslav was a governorate in the Russian Empire. Its capital was the city of Yekaterinoslav .-Administrative divisions:...
and Taurida GovernorateTaurida GovernorateThe Taurida Governorate or Government of Taurida was a historical governorate of the Russian Empire. It included the Crimean peninsula and the mainland between the lower Dnieper River and the coasts of the Black Sea and Sea of Azov It was formed after the defunct Taurida Oblast in was abolished in...
(initially as Aleksandrovsk) - Odessa Governorate was split from the Kherson GovernorateKherson GovernorateThe Kherson Governorate or Government of Kherson was a guberniya, or administrative territorial unit, in the Southern Ukrainian region, between the Dnieper and Dniester Rivers, of the Russian Empire. It was one of three governorates created in 1802 when the Novorossiya guberniya was abolished...
once again with the last changing name to Mykolaiv Governorate and acquiring the Dniprovsk uyezd of the Taurida GovernorateTaurida GovernorateThe Taurida Governorate or Government of Taurida was a historical governorate of the Russian Empire. It included the Crimean peninsula and the mainland between the lower Dnieper River and the coasts of the Black Sea and Sea of Azov It was formed after the defunct Taurida Oblast in was abolished in...
while the peninsula became part of the Russian SFSR (later forming an autonomous republic).
18 March 1921 (Peace of Riga
Peace of Riga
The Peace of Riga, also known as the Treaty of Riga; was signed in Riga on 18 March 1921, between Poland, Soviet Russia and Soviet Ukraine. The treaty ended the Polish-Soviet War....
)
- The Kholm Governorate being occupied by Polish forces was secured after Poland.
- Five full uyezds and partially the Ostroh uyezd of Volhynia Governorate were transferred to Poland.
- Four uyezds of Chernigov GovernorateChernigov GovernorateThe Chernigov Governorate , also known as the Government of Chernigov, was a guberniya in the historical Left-bank Ukraine region of the Russian Empire, which was officially created in 1802 from the disbanded Malorossiya Governorate with an administrative centre of Chernigov...
were transferred to the Homel Governorate of Russian SFSR.
21 October 1922
- Zaporizhia Governorate was annexed to Katerinoslav GovernorateYekaterinoslav GovernorateThe Yekaterinoslav Governorate or Government of Yekaterinoslav was a governorate in the Russian Empire. Its capital was the city of Yekaterinoslav .-Administrative divisions:...
- Mykolaiv GovernorateKherson GovernorateThe Kherson Governorate or Government of Kherson was a guberniya, or administrative territorial unit, in the Southern Ukrainian region, between the Dnieper and Dniester Rivers, of the Russian Empire. It was one of three governorates created in 1802 when the Novorossiya guberniya was abolished...
was annexed to Odessa Governorate - Kremenchuk Governorate was liquidate
Okrugs
On March 7, 1923 uyezds were reorganized as okrugOkrug
Okrug is an administrative division of some Slavic states. The word "okrug" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "district", or "region"....
s within governorates. Later governorates were abolished and from 1925 to 1932 okrugs served as a primary administrative-territorial unit in Ukraine along with one autonomous republic.
Volhyn Governorate
Donetsk Governorate
|
Katerynoslav Governorate
|
Kyiv Governorate
Odessa Governorate
|
Podillya Governorate
Poltava Governorate
|
Kharkiv Governorate
Chernihiv Governorate
|
In 1924 cities of Yuzivka and Yelyzavethrad were renamed into Staline and Zinov'ivsk, respectively. On October 1, 1924 parts of Tahanroh and Shakhty okrugs of Donetsk Governorate were transferred to the Russian SFSR. Around this time Bakhmut okrug was renamed into Artemivsk, Bohodukhiv into Okhtyrka, Malyn okrug of Kyiv Governorate was dissolved.
Initially organized as an autonomous oblast on 12 October 1924 the Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was created out of parts of Podolie Governorate (part of Tulchyn okrug) and Odessa Governorate (whole Balta okrug and part of Odessa okrug) as part of the Ukrainian SSR. The new republic was divided into 10 raions.
Until the formation of the Crimean Autonomous SSR in October 1921 the administrative-territorial division of the peninsula included 10 uyezds. After the first reform Crimea was divided into seven orkugs with 20 raions, but then in November 1923 okrug administrative division system was abolished.
On 1 August 1925 the gubernial
Guberniya
A guberniya was a major administrative subdivision of the Russian Empire usually translated as government, governorate, or province. Such administrative division was preserved for sometime upon the collapse of the empire in 1917. A guberniya was ruled by a governor , a word borrowed from Latin ,...
administrative division was abolished as an obsolete. Also about 10 okrugs were dissolved and merged. Practically every governorate except one of Donetsk had at least one okrug disestablished: Zaporizhia - Berdyansk, Podillya - Haisyn, Poltava - Zolotonosha and Krasnohrad, Volyn - Novohrad-Volynsky, Chernihiv - Novhorod-Siversky and Snovsk, Katerynoslav - Oleksandria, Kharkiv - Okhtyrka, Kiev - Korsun (Shevchenko). On August 10, 1925 the Hlukhiv okrug was created.
On October 16, 1925 some territories of several uyezds Kursk Governorate were transferred to the Ukrainian SSR: most of the former Putyvl uyezd (less Krupitsk volost), Krenychan volost along with Myropillya city (today's village) of Graivoron uyezd, and two additional partial volosts from each Graivoron and Belgorod uyezds.
On July 20, 1926 Pavlohrad and Katerynoslav okrugs were merged into new Dnipropetrovsk okrug with the renaming of the administrative center from Katerynoslav to Dnipropetrovsk. Around that time few more change of names occurred: Zhytomyr okrug was renamed into Volyn, and Cherkasy into Shevchenko.
On September 2, 1930 system of okrugs were abolished and the Ukrainian SSR was divided into 484 raions.
Oblasts
- Vinnytsia OblastVinnytsia OblastVinnytsia Oblast is an oblast of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Vinnytsia.-Geography:The area of the region is 26,500 km²; its population is 1.7 million....
- Odessa OblastOdessa OblastOdesa Oblast, also written as Odessa Oblast , is the southernmost and largest oblast of south-western Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Odessa.-History:...
- Dnipropetrovsk OblastDnipropetrovsk OblastDnipropetrovsk Oblast is an oblast of central Ukraine, the most important industrial region of the country. Its administrative center is Dnipropetrovsk....
- Kiev OblastKiev OblastKyiv Oblast, sometimes written as Kiev Oblast is an oblast in central Ukraine.The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Kyiv , also being the capital of Ukraine...
- Kharkiv OblastKharkiv OblastKharkiv Oblast is an oblast in eastern Ukraine. The oblast borders Russia to the north, Luhansk Oblast to the east, Donetsk Oblast to the south-east, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast to the south-west, Poltava Oblast to the west and Sumy Oblast to the north-west...
The latter two, were soon partitioned in same year to create the following two oblasts:
- Donetsk OblastDonetsk OblastDonetsk Oblast is an oblast of eastern Ukraine. Its administrative center is Donetsk. Historically, the province is an important part of the Donbas region...
on 17 July 1932 - Chernihiv OblastChernihiv OblastChernihiv Oblast is an oblast of northern Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Chernihiv.-Geography:The total area of the province is around 31,900 km²....
on 15 October 1932
It was during this configuration, that Ukraine underwent the first two five year plans, (a consequence of which was the catastrophic Holodomor
Holodomor
The Holodomor was a man-made famine in the Ukrainian SSR between 1932 and 1933. During the famine, which is also known as the "terror-famine in Ukraine" and "famine-genocide in Ukraine", millions of Ukrainians died of starvation in a peacetime catastrophe unprecedented in the history of...
famine in 1933), and the collectivization and industrialization that they brought. In 1934 the capital moved to Kiev, and on 30th of January 1931, the Supreme Rada of the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic adopted its version of the 1936 Soviet Constitution
1936 Soviet Constitution
The 1936 Soviet constitution, adopted on December 5, 1936, and also known as the "Stalin" constitution, redesigned the government of the Soviet Union.- Basic provisions :...
creating the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. To meet the economic and social demands, a restructure in the administrative division was initiated, and 22 September 1937 four more oblasts were added to the existing seven.
- Zhytomyr OblastZhytomyr OblastZhytomyr Oblast is an oblast of northern Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Zhytomyr.-History:The oblast was created as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on September 22, 1937....
- Kamianets-Podilskyi OblastKhmelnytskyi OblastKhmelnytskyi Oblast is an oblast of western Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Khmelnytskyi.The current estimated population is around 1,401,140 .-Geography:...
with its centre in Proskuriv - Mykolaiv OblastMykolaiv OblastMykolaiv Oblast is an oblast of Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Mykolayiv.-Geography:The Mykolaiv Oblast is located in the southern half of Ukraine...
- Poltava OblastPoltava OblastPoltava Oblast is an oblast of central Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Poltava.Other important cities within the oblast include: Komsomolsk, Kremenchuk, Lubny and Myrhorod.-Geography:...
As Donbas continued to grow both industrially and in population, on 3 July 1938, the Donetsk Oblast was effectively split into two:
- Staline OblastDonetsk OblastDonetsk Oblast is an oblast of eastern Ukraine. Its administrative center is Donetsk. Historically, the province is an important part of the Donbas region...
- Voroshylovhrad OblastLuhansk OblastLuhansk Oblast ) is the easternmost oblast of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Luhansk. The oblast was established in 1938 and bore the name Voroshilovgrad Oblast in honor of Kliment Voroshilov....
In a further re-structure 10 January 1939 the twelve existing oblasts and one republic were joined by a further three:
- Zaporizhia OblastZaporizhia OblastZaporizhia Oblast is an oblast of southern Ukraine. Its capital is Zaporizhia.This oblast is an important part of Ukraine's industry and agriculture.-Geography:...
- Kirovohrad OblastKirovohrad OblastKirovohrad Oblast is an oblast of Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Kirovohrad.-Geography:The area of the province is , its population is 1.1 million....
- Sumy OblastSumy OblastSumy Oblast is an oblast in the northeastern part of Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Sumy.Other important cities within the oblast include Konotop, Okhtyrka, Romny, and Shostka....
After the Soviet invasion of Poland
Soviet invasion of Poland
Soviet invasion of Poland can refer to:* the second phase of the Polish-Soviet War of 1920 when Soviet armies marched on Warsaw, Poland* Soviet invasion of Poland of 1939 when Soviet Union allied with Nazi Germany attacked Second Polish Republic...
and the resulting annexation of Eastern Poland
Kresy
The Polish term Kresy refers to a land considered by Poles as historical eastern provinces of their country. Today, it makes western Ukraine, western Belarus, as well as eastern Lithuania, with such major cities, as Lviv, Vilnius, and Hrodna. This territory belonged to the Polish-Lithuanian...
by the USSR, six new oblasts were established
Soviet annexation of Western Ukraine, 1939–1940
On the basis of a secret clause of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union , the Soviet Union invaded Poland on September 17, 1939, capturing the eastern regions of Poland , with Galicia and Volhynia, facing little Polish opposition and occupying the principal city of...
in Western Ukraine on 4 December 1939:
- Volyn OblastVolyn OblastVolyn Oblast is an oblast in north-western Ukraine. Its administrative center is Lutsk. Kovel is the westernmost town and the last station in Ukraine of the rail line running from Kiev to Warsaw.-History:...
(with its centre in LutskLutskLutsk is a city located by the Styr River in northwestern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Volyn Oblast and the administrative center of the surrounding Lutskyi Raion within the oblast...
) - Rovno OblastRivne OblastRivne Oblast is an oblast of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Rivne. The area of the region is 20,100 km²; its population is 1.2 million...
- Lviv OblastLviv OblastLviv Oblast is an oblast in western Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Lviv.-History:The oblast was created as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on December 4, 1939...
- Drohobych OblastDrohobych OblastDrohobych Oblast , was an oblast in the Ukrainian SSR. It had a territory of 9.6 thousands of km³, and population of 853 thousand .-History:...
- Stanislaviv OblastIvano-Frankivsk OblastIvano-Frankivsk Oblast is an oblast in western Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Ivano-Frankivsk. As is the case with most other oblasts of Ukraine this region has the same name as its administrative center – which was renamed by the Soviets after the Ukrainian writer, nationalist...
- Tarnopil OblastTernopil OblastTernopil Oblast is an oblast' of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Ternopil, through which flows the Seret River, a tributary of the Dnister.-Geography:...
In late June 1940 the Soviet Union annexed Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
and Northern Bukovina from Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. On the 28th of June 1940, the Ukrainian SSR transferred most of the Moldovian ASSR to Bessarabia
Bessarabia
Bessarabia is a historical term for the geographic region in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the east and the Prut River on the west....
creating the Moldovian SSR, a new Union Republic. In return it gained the souther Budjak
Budjak
Budjak or Budzhak is a historical region in the Odessa Oblast of Ukraine. Lying along the Black Sea between the Danube and Dniester rivers this multiethnic region was the southern part of Bessarabia...
region, and Northern Bukovina where on 7 August 1940, were created, respectively:
- Chernivitsi OblastChernivtsi OblastChernivtsi Oblast is an oblast in western Ukraine, bordering on Romania and Moldova. It has a large variety of landforms: the Carpathian Mountains and picturesque hills at the foot of the mountains gradually change to a broad partly forested plain situated between the Dniester and Prut rivers....
- Akkerman OblastIzmail OblastIzmail Oblast was an oblast in the Ukrainian SSR. It had a territory of 12.4 thousand km².The oblast was organized on August 7, 1940 on the territory, known as Budjak or southern Bessarabia, occupied by the Soviet Union from Romania. It was originally known as Akkerman Oblast until December 1,...
The latter on 7 December 1940 was renamed to Izmail Oblast, and the centre moved to Izmail
Izmail
Izmail is a historic town near the Danube river in the Odessa Oblast of south-western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of the Izmail Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast....
. Thus, in the prelude of Soviet Union's entry to WWII, Ukraine gained eight new Oblasts, which combined with the fifteen existing previously, brought a total to twenty three.
As the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
liberated Ukraine throughout 1943/1944, several changes were made. On 29 March 1944 the city of Chernivitsi was renamed to Chernivtsi as was the oblast. In a similar fashion Tarnopil became Ternopil on 15 April 1944.
The liberation left a German occupied zone in Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
and Taurida. To facilitate the Crimean Offensive, on 30th of March 1944, a new twenty fourth oblast was created in Taurida:
- Kherson OblastKherson OblastKherson Oblast is an oblast in southern Ukraine, just north of Crimea. Its administrative center is Kherson. The area of the region is 29000 km², its population is 1.12 million.Important cities in the oblast include:...
After the war ended, the USSR also gained the Carpathian Ruthenia
Carpathian Ruthenia
Carpathian Ruthenia is a region in Eastern Europe, mostly located in western Ukraine's Zakarpattia Oblast , with smaller parts in easternmost Slovakia , Poland's Lemkovyna and Romanian Maramureş.It is...
from Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
and on 21 January 1946, the territory was annexed to the Ukrainian SSR as the
- Zakarpattia OblastZakarpattia OblastThe Zakarpattia Oblast is an administrative oblast located in southwestern Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Uzhhorod...
During the post-war rebuilding the administrative division remained stable. However the political aftermath following Death of Stalin in 1953 brought a number of re-organisation policies into Ukraine. Already, on 7 January 1954, donating bordering raions from neighbouring oblasts created the
- Cherkasy OblastCherkasy OblastCherkasy Oblast is an oblast of central Ukraine located along the Dnieper River. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Cherkasy).-Geography:...
Due to the historic significance, in the prelude to the 300th anniversary of the Treaty of Pereyaslavl on 4 February, the city of Proskuriv was renamed to Khmelnytskyi
Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine
Khmelnytskyi is a city in Ukraine in the region of Podillia. It is located on the Southern Buh River and about from the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. The town's original name was Płoskirów, later Proskurov, but in 1954 was renamed Khmelnytskyi. It is the center of the Khmelnytskyi Oblast in western...
, after the historic Cossack leader Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, along with the oblast. On 19 February the Izmail Oblast was disbanded and merged with the Odessa Oblast. However, arguably the significant change in 1954 was the transfer of Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
from the Russian SFSR, and thus Ukraine gained the
- Crimean OblastCrimean OblastThe Crimean Oblast was an oblast of the former Russian SFSR and Ukrainian SSR , which was at the time part of the Soviet Union. Its capital was the city of Simferopol....
After the political defeat of the so-called Anti-Party Group
Anti-Party Group
The Anti-Party Group was a group within the leadership of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union that unsuccessfully attempted to depose Nikita Khrushchev as First Secretary of the Party in May 1957. The group, named by that epithet by Khrushchev, was led by former Premiers Georgy Malenkov and...
, consisting of famous politicians such as Vyacheslav Molotov
Vyacheslav Molotov
Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov was a Soviet politician and diplomat, an Old Bolshevik and a leading figure in the Soviet government from the 1920s, when he rose to power as a protégé of Joseph Stalin, to 1957, when he was dismissed from the Presidium of the Central Committee by Nikita Khrushchev...
and Lazar Kaganovich
Lazar Kaganovich
Lazar Moiseyevich Kaganovich was a Soviet politician and administrator and one of the main associates of Joseph Stalin.-Early life:Kaganovich was born in 1893 to Jewish parents in the village of Kabany, Radomyshl uyezd, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire...
, a nationwide renaming campaign was undertaken. To insure against further disturbances of such manner, Moscow passed a decree in early 1958 not to name any object or locale in honour of a living person, and on 5 March 1958, the city of Voroshylovhrad (bearing the name of its native, Kliment Voroshilov
Kliment Voroshilov
Kliment Yefremovich Voroshilov , popularly known as Klim Voroshilov was a Soviet military officer, politician, and statesman...
) was renamed to its historical name of Luhansk
Luhansk
Luhansk also known as Lugansk is a city in southeastern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Luhansk Oblast . The city itself is also designated as its own separate municipality within the oblast...
as was the oblast.
The largely rural Drohobych Oblast
Drohobych Oblast
Drohobych Oblast , was an oblast in the Ukrainian SSR. It had a territory of 9.6 thousands of km³, and population of 853 thousand .-History:...
, being a smallest in territory from the start, since its creation has been continuously reduce in size, ceding three raions to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in autumn 1944 (including the city of Peremyshl
Peremyshl
Peremyshl may refer to:*Peremyshl, Russia, a village in Kaluga Oblast, Russia*Peremyshl, a Cyrillic alphabet transliteration of the city of Przemyśl...
) another raion (village of Medyka
Medyka
Medyka is a village in Przemyśl County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland, close to the border with Ukraine. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Medyka...
) in may 1948, and losing a further 480 km2 of territory in 1951 was also proving to be economically inefficient and was thus disbanded and merged with the Lviv Oblast
Lviv Oblast
Lviv Oblast is an oblast in western Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Lviv.-History:The oblast was created as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on December 4, 1939...
on 21 May 1959. The latter would be the last major change of internal borders of Ukraine's administrative divisions up until till present day, the Oblast count would stay stable at twenty five all right up to the republic's independence in 1991.
Minor changes would continue nonetheless. The 22nd Congress of the CPSU initiated a cosmetic face to the De-Stalinization
De-Stalinization
De-Stalinization refers to the process of eliminating the cult of personality, Stalinist political system and the Gulag labour-camp system created by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Stalin was succeeded by a collective leadership after his death in March 1953...
programme by breaking Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
's cult of personality
Cult of personality
A cult of personality arises when an individual uses mass media, propaganda, or other methods, to create an idealized and heroic public image, often through unquestioning flattery and praise. Cults of personality are usually associated with dictatorships...
. On 9 November 1961, the city of Staline was renamed to Donetsk
Donetsk
Donetsk , is a large city in eastern Ukraine on the Kalmius river. Administratively, it is a center of Donetsk Oblast, while historically, it is the unofficial capital and largest city of the economic and cultural Donets Basin region...
and the oblast followed suit. Exactly a year later, the city and oblast of Stanislaviv was renamed to Ivano-Frankivsk
Ivano-Frankivsk
Ivano-Frankivsk is a historic city located in the western Ukraine. It is the administrative centre of the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast , and is designated as its own separate raion within the oblast, municipality....
in honour of the Ukrainian writer and poet Ivan Franko
Ivan Franko
Ivan Yakovych Franko was a Ukrainian poet, writer, social and literary critic, journalist, interpreter, economist, political activist, doctor of philosophy, the author of the first detective novels and modern poetry in the Ukrainian language....
. Following the death of Kliment Voroshilov
Kliment Voroshilov
Kliment Yefremovich Voroshilov , popularly known as Klim Voroshilov was a Soviet military officer, politician, and statesman...
in December 1969, the city and oblast of Luhansk became Voroshylovhrad once more on 5 January 1970.
This arrangement would enter a stable phase right into the perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
. On 4 May, 1990 Voroshylovhrad would be once again reverted to Luhansk, along with the oblast. On 11 June 1991, the city of Rovno was renamed to Rivne
Rivne
Rivne or Rovno is a historic city in western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Rivne Oblast , as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Rivne Raion within the oblast...
, the oblast too. However, the most significant change took place on 12 February 1991, when the Crimean Oblast
Crimean Oblast
The Crimean Oblast was an oblast of the former Russian SFSR and Ukrainian SSR , which was at the time part of the Soviet Union. Its capital was the city of Simferopol....
would re-establish as the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was created on October 18, 1921 as Crimean Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic of RSFSR in place of Taurida Governorate and within the Crimean Peninsula,...
, which it held as part of the Russian SFSR until 18 May 1944, and would declare sovereignty on 4 September.
The present Administrative division of Ukraine remained stable since, though legal formalities such as the Crimea's status as an Autonomous republic
Autonomous republic
An autonomous republic is a type of administrative division similar to a province. A significant number of autonomous republics can be found within the successor states of the Soviet Union, but the majority are located within Russia. Many of these republics were established during the Soviet...
and the status of Sevastopol
Sevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
would be settled in the mid-1990s.
See also
- Administrative divisions development in UkraineAdministrative divisions development in UkraineAdministrative divisions development in Ukraine reviews the history of changes in the administrative divisions of Ukraine.-1958 - 1991:Before the fall of Soviet Union in 1992 the Ukrainian SSR consisted of 25 oblasts and two cities of republican subordination Kiev and Sevastopol.In 1991 Crimea...
- Administrative divisions of UkraineAdministrative divisions of UkraineUkraine is subdivided into 24 oblasts , one autonomous republic, and two "cities with special status".- Overview :...