Rostov-on-Don in the context of "Rostov Oblast"

Voronezh (/vəˈroʊnɪʃ, -ˈrɒn-/ və-ROH-nish, -⁠RO-; Russian: Воронеж, IPA: [vɐˈronʲɪʂ] ) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia, straddling the Voronezh River 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on the Southeastern Railway, which connects western Russia with the Urals and Siberia, the Caucasus and Ukraine, and the M4 highway (Moscow–Voronezh–Rostov-on-Don–Novorossiysk). In recent years the city has experienced rapid population growth, rising to 1,057,681 in the 2021 Census, up from 889,680 recorded in the 2010 Census, making it the 14th-most populous city in the country.

Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt (12 December 1875 – 24 February 1953) was a German Generalfeldmarschall (Field Marshal) in the Heer (Army) of Nazi Germany and Oberbefehlshaber West (Commander-in-Chief in the West) during World War II. At the end of the war, aged 69, with over 52 years of service, he was the Army's most senior officer.

Born into a Prussian family with a long military tradition, Rundstedt entered the Prussian Army in 1892. During World War I, he served mainly as a staff officer. In the interwar period, he continued his military career, reaching the rank of Generaloberst (Colonel General) before retiring in 1938. He was recalled at the beginning of World War II as commander of Army Group South in the invasion of Poland. He commanded Army Group A during the Battle of France, and requested the Halt Order during the Battle of Dunkirk. He was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal in 1940. In the invasion of the Soviet Union, he commanded Army Group South, responsible for the largest encirclement in history, the Battle of Kiev. He was relieved of command in December 1941 after authorizing the withdrawal from Rostov but was recalled in 1942 and appointed Commander-in-Chief in the West.

North Caucasus Krai (Russian: Се́веро-Кавка́зский край, Severo-Kavkazskiy kray) was an administrative division (krai) within the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic of the Soviet Union. It was established on 17 October 1924. Its administrative center was Rostov-on-Don until 10 January 1934, Pyatigorsk until January 1936, then Ordzhonikidze (today Vladikavkaz) and, from 15 December 1936, Voroshilovsk (today Stavropol).

As of 1932, the population of the krai was estimated at 10,290,000 in an area of 351,800 km. 45.9% of the overall population was Russian, and 37.2% of the overall population was Ukrainian.

The Battle of the Caucasus was a series of Axis and Soviet operations in the Caucasus as part of the Eastern Front of World War II. On 25 July 1942, German troops captured Rostov-on-Don, opening the Caucasus region of the southern Soviet Union to the Germans and threatening the oil fields beyond at Maykop, Grozny, and ultimately Baku. Two days prior, Adolf Hitler had issued a directive to launch an operation into the Caucasus named Operation Edelweiß. German units would reach their high water mark in the Caucasus in early November 1942, getting as far as the town of Alagir and city of Ordzhonikidze, some 610 km from their starting positions. Axis forces were compelled to withdraw from the area later that winter as Operation Little Saturn threatened to cut them off.

North Caucasus Economic Region (Се́веро-Кавка́зский экономи́ческий райо́н; tr.: Severo-Kavkazskiy ekonomicheskiy rayon) is one of 12 economic regions of Russia. It comprises the whole of the North Caucasian Federal District and the western federal subjects of the Southern Federal District.

In this area, descending northward from the principal chain of the Caucasus Mountains to a level plain, are found rich deposits of oil, natural gas, and coal. Major cities include Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don, Makhachkala, Stavropol, Grozny, Vladikavkaz and Novorossiysk. Sochi is a popular resort city. Farm machinery, coal, petroleum, and natural gas are the chief products. The Kuban River region, a fertile black-earth area, is one of the chief granaries of Russia. Wheat, sugar beets, tobacco, rice, and sunflower seeds are grown, and cattle are raised. Other rivers include the Don, the Kuma, and the Terek, and the Volga–Don Canal is a major transportation route.

Mineralnye Vody (Min-Vody) (Russian: Минеральные Воды (Мин-Воды), IPA: [mʲɪnʲɪˈralʲnɨjə ˈvodɨ, mʲɪn ˈvodɨ]; lit. mineral waters) is a town in Stavropol Krai, Russia, located along the Kuma River and the main rail line between Rostov-on-Don in Russia and Baku in Azerbaijan. Population: 76,728 (2010 census); 75,644 (2002 census); 70,961 (1989 Soviet census).

Mineralnye Vody also has an airport inside of the city named Mineralnye Vody Airport.