Kirovohrad [key], Rus. Kirovograd, city (1989 pop. 269,000), capital of Kirovohrad region, Ukraine, on the Inhul River. It is an agricultural trade center, with a large farm machinery plant. Other industries include food processing and the manufacture of agricultural machinery. Founded as a fortress in 1754, it was named Yelisavetgrad for Empress Elizabeth. Between 1881 and 1919 it was the scene of several pogroms. It was renamed Zinovievsk in 1924, Kirovo in 1936, and Kirovograd (Kirovohrad) in 1939.
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