Starodub

a city and the administrative center of Starodub Raion, Briansk Oblast, RSFSR. A terminal station on the branch line of the Unecha-Khutor-Mikhailovskii railroad line, the city lies along the Babinets River (Dnieper basin), 169 km southwest of Briansk. Population, 16,000(1975).

In the 11th century Starodub was part of the Seversk Land in Kievan Rus’. After being burned by the Mongol-Tatars in the 13th century, it was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 14th century and later into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It belonged to the Muscovite state, from 1503 to 1618, when it was ceded to Poland. Regained by Russia in 1648, it became the administrative center of the Starodub Polk. In 1781 it was made a district capital, and in 1796 it was included in Chernigov Guberniia (province).

The city was occupied by German troops in 1917–18. After Soviet power was restored in November 1918, it became part of Gomel’ Guberniia in 1919. From 1926 to 1929 it was included in Briansk Guberniia. Subsequently, the city was part of Zapadnaia Oblast from 1929 to 1939 and of Orel Oblast from 1939 to 1945. Starodub was occupied by fascist German troops from August 1941 to Sept. 22, 1943. It has been part of Briansk Oblast since 1945.

The city’s leading industries are a hemp-processing plant, a vegetable-dehydrating plant, a butter and cheese plant, a brewery, and a branch of the Briansk Metallist Association.