Vladimir Oblast

   An administrative region of the Russian Federation. Located 50 kilometers east of Moscow, Vladimir Oblast is situated on the Eastern European Plain. The region borders the oblasts of Moscow, Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Ivanovo, and Yaroslavl, and is adjacent to Tver. It is part of the Central Economic Region and Federal District. The regional capital, Vladimir (pop. 315,000), is part of the Golden Ring and one of the oldest cities in Russia. Two of its cathedrals are listed as UNESCO Heritage Sites. The region covers an area of 29,000 square kilometers and has a population of 1.5 million, 80 percent of whom live in urban areas, making it one of Russia’s most densely populated oblasts. Vladimir Oblast comprises much of the historical region of Zalesye, a heavily wooded area that was central to the state-building process of medieval Russia. Today, half of the territory remains forested, and the oblast includes the Meschera National Park. A number of historically important Russian towns are located in the area, including Suzdal, Yuriev-Polsky, Aleksandrov, and Murom. The major rivers in the region are the Dubna and the Oka. Economically, the region is highly developed and ranks among Russia’s 20 highest-performing federal subjects.

   Important industrial sectors include electricity generation, engineering, metalworking, food processing, glassmaking, forestry, woodworking, construction materials, and petrochemicals. The Vladimir Tractor Plant is the largest employer in the capital. Research and development is also a key sector of the local economy. Agriculture employs less than 10 percent of the population, focusing mainly on animal husbandry and vegetables.

   During the 1990s, no single political bloc dominated the region, though the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF) was the single most popular party. Boris Yeltsin, however, won the regional poll in the second round of the 1996 presidential election. Nikolay Vinogradov, a former cement company engineer and chair of the Central Executive Committee of the KPRF, won the governorship in 1996 by defeating incumbent Yury Vlasov. Vinogradov, though remaining within the Communist Party, ultimately joined the pro-Kremlin Our Home—Russia movement. He was reelected by a wide margin in 2000 and was later reappointed by Vladimir Putin (2005) and by Dmitry Medvyedev (2009). The most recent appointment was seen as a sign of the Communists’ newfound power within Russia, a result of the 2008–2009 global financial crisis.

   See also Tourism.