Kostroma Oblast

   An administrative region of the Russian Federation. Part of the Central Federal District and Economic Region, the Kostroma Oblast borders Yaroslavl, Vologda, Kirov, Nizhny Novgorod, and Ivanovo. The region’s population is 736,600 and its land area is 60,100 square kilometers. The region is heavily wooded, and forestry and woodworking are major economic drivers. Agriculture (grain, legumes, and potatoes) and animal husbandry (cattle, pigs, and sheep) are also important. Its capital, Kostroma, is situated on the Volga River and forms part of the Golden Ring of Russian cities, and thus is popular with tourists. Economically, the oblast has long been dependent on federal subsidies, an outgrowth of its creation as a hodgepodge of lands left unclaimed by neighboring regions. Kostroma was a Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF) stronghold in the early 1990s; in fact, the regional leadership was removed after supporting the parliament in the constitutional crisis of 1993. In 1996, the KPRF candidate Viktor Shershunov won office; he was reelected in 2000 and reappointed by Vladimir Putin in 2004. He died in a car crash in Moscow during the early hours of 20 September 2007. His deputy governor, Yury Tzikunin, briefly served as acting governor until he was replaced by Igor Slyunyayev, formerly the Altay Krai representative in the Federation Council.