Yaroslavl Oblast

   An administrative region of the Russian Federation. Yaroslavl Oblast is part of the Central Economic Region and Federal District. The region is bordered by the oblasts of Tver, Vologda, Kostroma, Ivanovo, and Vladimir, and is adjacent to Moscow Oblast. The majority of the Rybinskoye Reservoir is located within the oblast, along with many natural lakes. The Volga is the region’s major river; however, there are more than 4,000 smaller rivers, making the region a natural tourism destination. Nearly half of the region is forested, allowing for a great diversity of wildlife and flora. The oblast has a population of 1.3 million and covers an area of 36,400 square kilometers. The regional capital, Yaroslavl (pop. 613,000), is a major river port, and its old town is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site; it is considered the preeminent member of the Golden Ring of cities northwest of Moscow.

   Natural resources include peat and materials for construction; the region possesses unexploited reserves of oil and, possibly, natural gas. Major local industries include chemicals and petrochemicals (particularly rubber, tires, and paints), oil refineries, forestry, textiles, engineering, and manufacturing of diesel engines for heavy machinery. Agriculture is comparatively underdeveloped, focusing on potatoes, grains, vegetables, and animal husbandry; fishing is also important around the Rybinskoye Reservoir. Given the excellent rail, road, and river links of the region, transit is an important source of income.

   The city of Yaroslavl has a long tradition of merchant activity, and a number of banks and foreign and joint-stock companies are active in the capital, including Komatsu (Japan). Given the historical association with free-market enterprise, the region proved to be fairly liberally oriented in its politics during the 1990s. Anatoly Lisitsyn, the former mayor of Rybinsk and a Yeltsin appointee, won the popular election in 1995; he was easily reelected in 1999 and 2003. Lisitsyn was reappointed in 2006, despite an earlier rebuke from Moscow for overstepping his authority by giving interestfree loans to churches and other organizations. In December 2007, he was removed from office due to the pitiful performance of the pro-Kremlin United Russia party in local elections; however, his criticism of federal social reforms also played a role in the dismissal. President Vladimir Putin nominated one of his personal envoys, Sergey Vakhrukov, to fill the post. The appointment has provoked a backlash in the region that has been largely directed at the new president, Dmitry Medvyedev.