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.

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:

Other autonomous oblasts also existed at earlier points of the Soviet history. They were either merged together or promoted to autonomous republics:

The two autonomous oblasts in the South Caucasus region both became self-declared break-away states during the dissolution of the Soviet Union:

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.

• Autonomous republics of the Soviet Union
• Autonomous okrugs of the Soviet Union
• Subdivisions of the Soviet Union