Rostov-on-Don

Rostov-on-Don, colloquially Rostov, is a city in southwestern Russia, the administrative center of the Southern Federal District and the Rostov Region. It was established by decree of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna on December 15, 1749. Rostov-on-Don is situated southeast of the East European Plain, on either side of the Don River, 46 km from its confluence with the Sea of Azov, and 1092 km south of Moscow.

Rostov is referred to as the "gates of the Caucasus," the "southern capital of Russia," as well as the "Don capital." On February 21, 2019, the city was recognized as the regional capital at the legislative level. After its establishment in 1749 as the customs post of Temernika, the city became a trade center.

The fortress of St. Dmitry of Rostov was built between 1761 and 1763, and a town developed around it, close to the Armenian settlement of Nakhichevan-na-Donu, which then merged with Rostov. In 1797, it was granted town status, and in 1806, it was renamed Rostov-on-Don. As a result of its position as a transport center and port, the town expanded with the nineteenth-century Russian colonization, the growth of the north Caucasus region, and the conquest of Transcaucasia.

Rostov-on-Don is the location of the Russian Military District and was a logistical center during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The city is just 60 miles from Ukraine's border. On June 23, 2023, the Wagner Group, a Russian state-funded paramilitary organization, declared rebellion against the Russian Ministry of Defense after believing Russian troops launched a rocket attack and killed many of the Wagner Group fighters. The group seized the Rostov military headquarters, coming in with tanks and armored trucks, smashing through barricades set up to stop them. On June 24, the fighters reached a settlement with the Russian government and military and began withdrawing from the Rostov military headquarters they had captured.