This chapter provides all basic political, economic, and demographic data on a territorial unit of the Russian Federation, the Voronezh Oblast. Voronezh Oblast is located in the center of the East European plain, in the basin of the middle Don River. It is part of the Black Earth economic region and borders Rostov, Volgograd, Saratov, Tambov, Lipetsk, Kursk, and Belgorod oblasts, and Lugansk Oblast in Ukraine. The oblast’s territory is rich in non-ore raw materials such as clays, mineral ochre, limestone, chalk, granite, and sands. Forests cover about one-tenth of the land. The new structure allows Shabanov to concentrate on larger strategic issues and conveniently pass the blame for any regional difficulties on to the new oblast prime minister. On 16 January 1999, the Voronezh Oblast Duma approved the controversial Aleksandr Sisoev as the new oblast prime minister.