View source for Autonomous oblasts of the Soviet Union

{{short description|Administrative units within the Soviet Union}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2022}}

'''[[Autonomous oblast]]s of the [[Soviet Union|Union of Soviet Socialist Republics]]''' were administrative units created for a number of smaller nations, which were given autonomy within the fifteen [[Republics of the Soviet Union|republics of the USSR]].

According to the [[Constitution of the Soviet Union|constitution of the USSR]], in case of a union republic voting on leaving the Soviet Union, [[Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics|autonomous republics]], autonomous oblasts and [[Autonomous okrugs of the Soviet Union|autonomous okrugs]] had the right, by means of a [[referendum]], to independently resolve whether they will stay in the USSR or leave with the [[Republics of the Soviet Union|seceding union republic]], as well as to raise the issue of their state-legal status.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://docs.cntd.ru/document/902002993|title=СОЮЗ СОВЕТСКИХ СОЦИАЛИСТИЧЕСКИХ РЕСПУБЛИК. ЗАКОН О порядке решения вопросов, связанных с выходом союзной республики из СССР|language=ru|access-date=13 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160912024819/https://docs.cntd.ru/document/902002993|archive-date=12 September 2016}}</ref>

==Russian SFSR==
While the [[Russian Constitution of 1978|1978 Constitution of the RSFSR]] specified that the autonomous oblasts are subordinated to the [[krai]]s, this clause was removed in the December 15, 1990, revision, when it was specified that the autonomous oblasts were to be directly subordinated to the [[Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic|Russian SFSR]]. In June 1991, five autonomous oblasts existed within the RSFSR, four of which were elevated to the status of republic on July 3, 1991:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Name
!Capital
!Established
!Krai
!{{Nowrap|Post-Soviet}} {{Nowrap|[[federal subjects of Russia]]}}
|-
|[[Adyghe Autonomous Oblast]]
|[[Maykop]]
|1922
|[[Krasnodar Krai]]
|{{flag|Adygea}}
|-
|[[Gorno-Altai Autonomous Oblast]]
|{{Nowrap|[[Gorno-Altaysk]]}}
|1922
|[[Altai Krai]]
|{{flag|Altai}}
|-
|[[Jewish Autonomous Oblast]]
|[[Birobidzhan]]
|1934
|[[Khabarovsk Krai]]
|{{flag|Jewish Autonomous Oblast}}
|-
|{{Nowrap|[[Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Oblast]]}}
|[[Cherkessk]]
|1922{{efn|Split in 1926 and reestablished in 1957.}}
|[[Stavropol Krai]]
|{{flag|Karachay-Cherkessia}}
|-
|[[Khakas Autonomous Oblast]]
|[[Abakan]]
|1930
|{{Nowrap|[[Krasnoyarsk Krai]]}}
|{{flag|Khakassia}}
|}

Other autonomous oblasts also existed at earlier points of the Soviet history. They were either merged together or promoted to  autonomous republics:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Name
!Capital
!Years of membership
!Soviet successor
|-
|[[Chechen Autonomous Oblast]]
|[[Grozny]]
|1922–1934
| rowspan="2" |[[Checheno-Ingush Autonomous Oblast]]
|-
|[[Ingush Autonomous Oblast]]
|[[Vladikavkaz]]
|1924–1934
|-
|[[Cherkess Autonomous Oblast]]
|[[Cherkessk]]
|1926–1957{{efn|1926–1928:Cherkess National Okrug}}
| rowspan="2" |[[Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Oblast]]
|-
|[[Karachay Autonomous Oblast]]
|[[Karachayevsk]]
|1926–1943
|-
|[[Checheno-Ingush Autonomous Oblast]]
|[[Grozny]]
|1934–1936
|Chechen-Ingush ASSR
|-
|[[Chuvash Autonomous Oblast]]
|[[Cheboksary]]
|1920–1925
|[[Chuvash Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic|Chuvash ASSR]]
|-
|[[Kabardino-Balkarian Autonomous Oblast]]
|[[Nalchik]]
|1921–1936{{efn|1921–1922:Kabardin Autonomous Oblast}}
|[[Kabardino-Balkarian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic|Kabardino-Balkarian ASSR]]
|-
|[[Kalmyk Autonomous Oblast]]
|[[Astrakhan]]<br/>[[Elista]]
|1920–1935<br/>1957–1958
|[[Kalmyk Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic|Kalmyk ASSR]]
|-
|[[Kara-Kirghiz Autonomous Oblast|Kirghiz Autonomous Oblast]]
|[[Pishpek]]
|1924–1926{{efn|1924–1925:Kara-Kirghiz Autonomous Oblast}}
|[[Kirghiz Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic (1926–1936)|Kyrgyz ASSR]]
|-
|[[Komi-Zyryan Autonomous Oblast|Komi (Zyryan) Autonomous Oblast]]
|[[Syktyvkar|Ust-Sysolsk]]
|1922–1936
|[[Komi Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic|Komi ASSR]]
|-
|[[Mari Autonomous Oblast]]
|[[Yoshkar-Ola|Krasnokokshaysk]]
|1920–1936
|[[Mari Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic|Mari ASSR]]
|-
|[[North Ossetian Autonomous Oblast]]
|[[Vladikavkaz]]
|1924–1936
|[[North Ossetian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic|North Ossetian ASSR]]
|-
|[[Tuvan Autonomous Oblast]]
|[[Kyzyl]]
|1944–1961
|[[Tuvan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic|Tuvan ASSR]]
|-
|[[Udmurt Autonomous Oblast]]
|[[Glazov]]<br/>[[Izhevsk]]
|1920–1934{{efn|1920–1932:Votyak Autonomous Oblast}}
|[[Udmurt Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic|Udmurt ASSR]]
|-
|[[Karakalpak Autonomous Oblast]]
|[[Turtkul]]
|1925–1932{{efn|Under [[Kazakh Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic|Kazakh ASSR]] until 1930.}}
|[[Karakalpak Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic|Karakalpak ASSR]]
|}

==Other union republics==
The two autonomous oblasts in the [[South Caucasus]] region both became self-declared break-away states during the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]]:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Name
!Capital
!Established
!Soviet Socialist Republic
!{{Nowrap|Post-Soviet}} subject
|-
|[[Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast]]
|[[Khorog]]
|1925
|{{flag|Tajik SSR}}
||{{flag|Tajikistan}}<br>([[Gorno-Badakhshan]])
|-
|[[Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast]]
|[[Stepanakert]]
|1923
|{{flag|Azerbaijan SSR}}
|{{flag|Nagorno-Karabakh}}
|-
|[[South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast]]
|[[Tskhinvali]]
|1922
|{{flag|Georgian SSR}}
|{{flag|South Ossetia}}
|}

[[Moldavian Autonomous Oblast]] was established in 1924 under [[Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic|Ukrainian SSR]] and became an autonomous republic ([[Moldavian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic|Moldavian ASSR]]) only months after its formation, a union republic ([[Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic|Moldavian SSR]]) in 1940, and now the independent [[Moldova]]. However, [[de facto]], almost all original areas are controlled by [[Transnistria]].

==See also==
*[[Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics|Autonomous republics of the Soviet Union]]
*[[Autonomous okrugs of the Soviet Union]]
*[[Subdivisions of the Soviet Union]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Autonomous Oblasts of the Soviet Union}}
{{Soviet Union topics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Autonomous Oblasts Of The Soviet Union}}
[[Category:Autonomous oblasts of the Soviet Union| ]]
[[Category:Subdivisions of the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Autonomous oblasts|Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Countries and territories where Russian is an official language]]
[[Category:1920 establishments in Russia]]
[[Category:1991 disestablishments in the Soviet Union]]