Uyezd

An uyezd (Russian: уе́зд) was an administrative subdivision of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the Russian Empire, and the early Russian SFSR, which was in use from the 13th century. For most of Russian history, uyezds were a secondary-level of administrative division.

Originally describing groups of several volosts, they formed around the most important cities. Uyezds were ruled by the appointees (namestniks) of knyaz and, starting from the 17th century, by voyevodas.

In 1708, an administrative reform was carried out by Peter the Great, dividing Russia into governorates. The subdivision into uyezds was abolished at that time but was reinstated in 1727, as a result of Catherine I's administrative reform.

By the Soviet administrative reform of 1923–1929, most of the uyezds were transformed into raions (districts). In Ukraine, uyezds were reformed into forty okrugs which between 1923 and 1932 were the primary-level of administrative division.

The uyezds of Bessarabia Governorate were called Ținut or Județ in Romanian, which would translate as "county".

In Ukraine uyezd was known as povit (Ukrainian: повіт).

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