# Autonomous oblasts of the Soviet Union

Autonomous oblasts of the 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 USSR.
According to the constitution of the USSR, in case of a union republic voting on leaving the Soviet Union, autonomous republics, autonomous oblasts and autonomous okrugs had the right, by means of a referendum, to independently resolve whether they will stay in the USSR or leave with the seceding union republic, as well as to raise the issue of their state-legal status.

## Russian SFSR

While the 1978 Constitution of the RSFSR specified that the autonomous oblasts are subordinated to the krais, 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 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:
| Name | Capital | Established | Krai | Post-Soviet federal subjects of Russia |
| Adyghe Autonomous Oblast | Maykop | 1922 | Krasnodar Krai | Adygea |
| Gorno-Altai Autonomous Oblast | Gorno-Altaysk | 1922 | Altai Krai | Altai |
| Jewish Autonomous Oblast | Birobidzhan | 1934 | Khabarovsk Krai | Jewish Autonomous Oblast |
| Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Oblast | Cherkessk | 1922 | Stavropol Krai | Karachay-Cherkessia |
| Khakas Autonomous Oblast | Abakan | 1930 | Krasnoyarsk Krai | Khakassia |
Other autonomous oblasts also existed at earlier points of the Soviet history. They were either merged together or promoted to autonomous republics:
| Name | Capital | Years of membership | Soviet successor |
| Chechen Autonomous Oblast | Grozny | 1922–1934 | Checheno-Ingush Autonomous Oblast |
| Ingush Autonomous Oblast | Vladikavkaz | 1924–1934 | Checheno-Ingush Autonomous Oblast |
| Cherkess Autonomous Oblast | Cherkessk | 1926–1957 | Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Oblast |
| Karachay Autonomous Oblast | Karachayevsk | 1926–1943 | Karachay-Cherkess Autonomous Oblast |
| Checheno-Ingush Autonomous Oblast | Grozny | 1934–1936 | Chechen-Ingush ASSR |
| Chuvash Autonomous Oblast | Cheboksary | 1920–1925 | Chuvash ASSR |
| Kabardino-Balkarian Autonomous Oblast | Nalchik | 1921–1936 | Kabardino-Balkarian ASSR |
| Kalmyk Autonomous Oblast | Astrakhan Elista | 1920–1935 1957–1958 | Kalmyk ASSR |
| Kirghiz Autonomous Oblast | Pishpek | 1924–1926 | Kyrgyz ASSR |
| Komi (Zyryan) Autonomous Oblast | Ust-Sysolsk | 1922–1936 | Komi ASSR |
| Mari Autonomous Oblast | Krasnokokshaysk | 1920–1936 | Mari ASSR |
| North Ossetian Autonomous Oblast | Vladikavkaz | 1924–1936 | North Ossetian ASSR |
| Tuvan Autonomous Oblast | Kyzyl | 1944–1961 | Tuvan ASSR |
| Udmurt Autonomous Oblast | Glazov Izhevsk | 1920–1934 | Udmurt ASSR |
| Karakalpak Autonomous Oblast | Turtkul | 1925–1932 | 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:
| Name | Capital | Established | Soviet Socialist Republic | Post-Soviet subject |
| Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast | Khorog | 1925 | Tajik SSR | Tajikistan (Gorno-Badakhshan) |
| Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast | Stepanakert | 1923 | Azerbaijan SSR | Nagorno-Karabakh |
| South Ossetian Autonomous Oblast | Tskhinvali | 1922 | Georgian SSR | South Ossetia |
Moldavian Autonomous Oblast was established in 1924 under Ukrainian SSR and became an autonomous republic (Moldavian ASSR) only months after its formation, a union republic (Moldavian SSR) in 1940, and now the independent Moldova. However, de facto, almost all original areas are controlled by Transnistria.