Smolensk Governorate
In the course of the administrative reform carried out in 1708 by Peter the Great, the area was split between Smolensk Governorate and Ingermanlandia Governorate (since 1710 known as Saint Petersburg Governorate). In 1727 Novgorod Governorate split off from Saint Petersburg Governorate. In 1775, Tver Viceroyalty was formed from the lands which previously belonged to Moscow and Novgorod Governorates, and the northeastern part of the area was transferred to Tver Viceroyalty, which in 1796 was transformed to Tver Governorate. In 1775, Rzhevsky Uyezd was established, with the center in Rzhev. The southeastern part belonged to Belsky Uyezd of Smolensk Governorate, with the exception of the brief periods between 1713 and 1726, when it belonged to Riga Governorate, and between 1775 and 1796, when Smolensk Governorate was transformed into Smolensk Viceroyalty. Olenino was founded in 1898 as a settlement serving the railway station.