Donetsk Oblast

Donetsk Oblast (Ukrainian: Донецька область, Donets’ka oblast’; also referred to as Donechchyna — Ukrainian: Донеччина Donechchyna; Russian: Донецкая область, Donetskaya oblast) is an oblast (province) of eastern Ukraine. Its administrative center is Donetsk. Historically, the province is an important part of the Donbas region. Until November, 1961, it bore the name Stalino Oblast in honour of Joseph Stalin. Important cities within the oblast include: Sloviansk, Horlivka, Kramatorsk, Makiivka, Mariupol, Yenakiieve. Donetsk Oblast is located in southeastern Ukraine. The area of the oblast (26,900 km²), comprises about 4.4% of the total area of the country. The oblast borders the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia Oblasts on the southwest, the...