Okruha refers to the historical administrative divisions of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic that existed between 1923 and 1930. The system was intended as a transitional system between the Russian Imperial division of governorates and the modern equivalent of oblasts. As a literal translation, the word"okruha" means vicinity or neighborhood. This level of subdivision is roughly equivalent to that of a county, parish, or borough. Okruhas were first established in 1918 when the Polissya Okruha and Taurida Okruha were created as temporary territories of the Ukrainian State of 1918.
History
Formation
First okruhas, created just before 1918, were Polissya Okruha centered in Mozyr and Taurida Okruha centered in Berdyansk. Okruhas were first introduced on a widespread scale on April 12, 1923 at the 2nd session of the Central Executive Committee of Ukraine which accepted the declaration "About the administrative-territorial division of Ukraine". According to the declaration, the Ukrainian SSR was divided into 53 okruhas that included 706 raions, thus replacing the imperial division consisting of 102 powiats that included 1989 volosts.
Reorganization of 1923-1926
September 25, 1923 Bohodukhiv Okruha changed name to Okhtyrka Okruha after transferring the okruha seat from Bohodukhiv to Okhtyrka
June 3, 1925 the Ukrainian Central Executive Committee accepted the decision "About liquidation of governorates and transition to the three-level system of administration", according to which governorates were becoming liquidated on August 1, 1925, while June 15, 1925 eight okruhas were to be liquidated as well. After the reform the Ukrainian SSR was divided into 41 okruhas and 680 raions.
* other two incomplete volosts of Graivoron and Belgorod uyezds
June 16, 1926 Pavlohrad Okruha was split between Kharkiv Okruha and Katerynoslav Okruha
July 20, 1926 Katerynoslav Okruha changed name to Dnipropetrovsk Okruha after the okruha seat changed name from Katerynoslav to Dnipropetrovsk
1926 Cherkasy Okruha changed name to Shevchenko Okruha
Disestablishment
On August 5, 1930, the "News of Central Executive Committee of Ukraine" reported that on August 3, 1930, there was a session of the Central Executive Committee of Ukraine Presidium chaired by Grigoriy Petrovsky where a report by Mykola Vasylenko on the liquidation of the system of okruhas was discussed. In the adopted resolution, the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee of Ukraine generally approved and endorsed the submitted projects from the government commission. Likewise, the Presidium of Central Executive Committee of Ukraine generally approved the principle and order in the organization of local and central authorities. The Presidium requested that the commission and the Council of Commissars of the Ukrainian SSR, on the basis of the approved principles, develop a draft resolution on the liquidation of okruhas and the structure of authorities, both local and central, in connection with the transition to the rayon system.
