Kropyvnytskyi

Kropyvnytskyi is a city in central Ukraine on the Inhul River and the administrative centre of Kirovohrad Oblast. It was estimated at 219,676 people in 2022, which made it the twenty-ninth largest city in Ukraine and the largest in its oblast. Its history begins in 1764, when the Russian government built the Fortress of St. Elizabeth to guard the frontier; settlement grew around the fortress, which became the city of Yelysavethrad and a regional trade centre. The city later took the name Kirovohrad under Soviet rule, became the seat of the new oblast in 1939, was largely destroyed in the Second World War, and received its present name in 2016. Today it is the main industrial centre of the oblast, strong in agricultural machinery and food processing, and its cultural landmarks include the ruins of the fortress, the Arboretum and the theatre named after Marko Kropyvnytskyi. The State Flight Academy of Ukraine and two universities are based there.