oblast

[ ob-last, -lahst; Russian aw-bluhst ]

noun

, plural o·blasts, Russian o·bla·sti [aw, -bl, uh, -styee].

1. (in Russia and the Soviet Union) an administrative division corresponding to an autonomous province.
2. region; province.

oblast

/ ˈɒblɑːst /

noun

1. an administrative division of the constituent republics of Russia
2. an administrative and territorial division in some republics of the former Soviet Union

Word History and Origins

Origin of oblast¹

1885–90; < Russian óblast', Old Russian oblastĭ, equivalent to ob- against, on + vlastĭ authority, power; volost

Word History and Origins

Origin of oblast¹

from Russian, from Old Slavonic, vlast government

Example Sentences

But the problem is, precisely, that there are no authorities who really control the situation in Donetsk Oblast just now.

From The Daily Beast