# Chernihiv Oblast

Chernihiv Oblast (Ukrainian: Чернігівська область, romanized: Chernihivska oblast), also referred to as Chernihivshchyna (Ukrainian: Чернігівщина), is an oblast (province) in northern Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Chernihiv. There are 1,511 settlements in the oblast, with a total population of 959,315 (2022 estimate).

## Geography

The total area of the province is around 31,900 km².
On the west, the oblast is bordered by the Kyiv Reservoir of the Dnieper River and Kyiv Oblast, which has a enclave known as Slavutych, which was created from Chernihiv Oblast for the inhabitants of Chernobyl following the Chernobyl disaster. It is bordered by Sumy Oblast to the east and Poltava Oblast to the south. The northern border of the oblast is part of Ukraine's international border abutting Belarus's Gomel Region in the north-west and the Russian Bryansk Oblast in the north-east, respectively.
The oblast is bisected into northern and southern sections by the Desna River, which enters the Dnieper just north of the Kyiv city limits.

## History

Chernihiv Oblast was created as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on 15 October 1932.
The capital city of Chernihiv has known human settlement for over 2,000 years, according to archaeological excavations. Chernihiv Oblast comprises a very important historical region, notable as early as the Kievan Rus' period, when the cities of Chernihiv and Novhorod-Siverskyi were frequently mentioned. The city of Chernihiv was the second most important Ukrainian city during the Rus' period of Ukrainian history, often serving as a major regional capital. Danylo of Chernihiv wrote of his pilgrimage to Jerusalem during this era. The region at various times was ruled by the Kievan Rus', Mongol Empire, Lithuania, Poland and Russia. Numerous tragic events have taken place in the region, such as the Battle of Kruty and the Koriukivka massacre. During World War II, the province was occupied by Germany in 1941–1943.
During the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Chernihiv Oblast was one of the first regions where Russian and Ukrainian forces clashed. On 4 April 2022 Governor of Chernihiv Oblast Vyacheslav Chaus stated that the Russian military had left Chernihiv Oblast, but that it had planted mines in many areas. On 4 and 5 April 2022 units of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine retook control of their border crossing in Chernihiv Oblast. But the Russian troops crossed the border and entered Chernigov, capturing three Towns, The video shows the Russian soldier placing the Russian flag on the destroyed bridge in the Chernigov region.
The oblast is located in the historic regions of Left-bank Ukraine and Polesia.

## Administrative subdivisions

Since July 2020, Chernihiv Oblast is administratively subdivided into 5 raions (districts).
The following data incorporates the number of each type of administrative divisions of Chernihiv Oblast:
* Administrative centre — 1 (Chernihiv),
* Raions — 5,
* Hromadas — 57, including:
** Urban hromadas — 16,
** Settlement hromadas — 24,
** Rural hromadas — 17.
The local administration of the oblast is controlled by the Chernihiv Oblast Rada. The governor of the oblast is the Chernihiv Oblast Rada speaker, appointed by the President of Ukraine.

### Important settlements
#### Largest cities

* Chernihiv (294,727)
* Nizhyn (72,422)
* Pryluky (58,456)
* Bakhmach (18,798)
* Nosivka (14,185)
* Novhorod-Siverskyi (14,025)

#### Other settlements

* Borzna (historical city)
* Kozelets (historical town)
* Liubech (historical city of Middle Ages)
* Baturyn (Hetman residence and fort)

### Raions

| Name | Ukrainian name | Administrative centre | Area (km$^2$) | Population estimate (2021) |
| Chernihiv Raion | Чернігівський район | Chernihiv | 10,249 | 445,430 |
| Koriukivka Raion | Корюківський район | Koriukivka | 4,578 | 86,435 |
| Nizhyn Raion | Ніжинський район | Nizhyn | 7,226 | 215,908 |
| Novhorod-Siverskyi Raion | Новгород-Сіверський район | Novhorod-Siverskyi | 4,630.5 | 62,141 |
| Pryluky Raion | Прилуцький район | Pryluky | 5,214 | 149,401 |
| Chernihiv Oblast | Чернігівська область | Chernihiv | 31,865 | 959,315 |
The Slavutych municipality is located in Chernihiv Oblast on the eastern bank of the Dnieper, but officially belongs to Kyiv Oblast (being an administrative exclave).

## Demographics

The current estimated population of the oblast is around 976,701 (as of 2021).
The population of the oblast is predominantly Ukrainian, with minority Belarusian and Russian populations concentrated in the northern districts.
The province has experienced long-term population decline. The population has fallen 37% from the 1959 figure of 1,554,000, the steepest decline of any Ukrainian oblast. It has the lowest population density in the country.

### Age structure

    0-14 years: 12.9% (male 70,680/female 67,487)
    15-64 years: 68.4% (male 352,230/female 378,864)
    65 years and over: 18.7% (male 61,722/female 138,277) (2013 official)

### Median age

    total: 42.8 years
    male: 38.5 years
    female: 46.9 years (2013 official)

## Economy
### Industry

The economy of Chernihiv Oblast is centered around petroleum and natural gas extraction, transport, machinery, tobacco and the textile industry. A major tobacco factory is situated in Pryluky. The cities of Bakhmach and Nizhyn are important railway junctions on the route from Russia and Belarus to Southeast Europe. There are notable machinery and electronics industries in Chernihiv. Chernihiv also has a brewery producing beer under the name "Chernihivske".

## Religion

The religion among believers in the oblast is overwhelmingly Eastern Orthodox. A substantial percentage of the population is atheist. Small minorities of Ukrainian Catholics, Roman Catholics (including the descendants of earlier Polish colonists), and recent converts to Protestantism are also present.

## Culture and tourist attractions

There are several outstanding historical Orthodox churches and buildings in Chernihiv, Novhorod-Siverskyi, Liubech, Nizhyn, Kozelets, and Pryluky. Nizhyn is a historical Cossack city and home to a university.
* Saint Anthony's Caves
* Churches of Chernihiv, including Saviour-Transfiguration Cathedral, Boris and Gleb Cathedral, Yeletsky Monastery, Trinity Monastery, St. Catherine's Church, Piatnytska Church
* Hustynia Monastery
* Kniazhyi hrad
* Kachanivka Palace and Sokyryntsi Palace
Chernihiv Oblast was famous for its specific style of folk icon-painting. Brightness and realistic depictions of the saints were typical for it, with red and hot yellow paints used. The icons were decorated by flowers in a manner reminiscent of Slavonic pre-Christian traditions. The icons from Chernihiv Oblast were spread outside its territory. Many of them are preserved in the Museum of Ukrainian home icons of the Radomysl Castle.

## Nomenclature

Most of Ukraine's oblasts are named after their capital cities, officially referred to as "oblast centres" (Ukrainian: обласний центр, translit. oblasnyi tsentr). The name of each oblast is a relative adjective, formed by adding a feminine suffix to the name of respective centre city: Chernihiv is the centre of the Chernihivs'ka oblast' (Chernihiv Oblast). Most oblasts are also sometimes referred to in a feminine noun form, following the convention of traditional regional place names, ending with the suffix "-shchyna", as is the case with the Chernihiv Oblast, Chernihivshchyna.

## Gallery

* Krasna Square in Chernihiv
* Transfiguration Cathedral in Chernihiv, one of the oldest surviving buildings of pre-Mongol Rus'
* St. Nicholas Cathedral in Nizhyn, the prototype of Ukrainian Baroque
* Nativity of the Theotokos Cathedral in Pryluky
* Transfiguration Monastery in Novhorod-Siverskyi
* Kachanivka Palace
* Sokyryntsi Palace
* Kyrylo Rozumovskyi's Palace in Baturyn
* Baturyn Fortress Citadel
* Mizhrichynskyi Regional Landscape Park