Oblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region". The last translation may lead to confusion, because the subdivision of "oblast" is called "raion" which is translated as "region" or "district", depending on the context.

Oblasts are a type of administrative division of Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Ukraine, and the now-defunct Soviet Union. Official terms in successor states of the Soviet Union differ, but some still use a cognate of the Russian term, e.g. voblast (voblasts, voblasts' , [ˈvobɫasʲtsʲ]) is used for provinces of Belarus, and oblys (plural: oblystar) for provinces of Kazakhstan.

Since 1997, Bulgaria has been divided into 28 oblasti, usually translated as provinces. Before, the country was divided into nine bigger units, also called oblast.

In the Russian Empire, oblasts were considered to be administrative units and were included as parts of Governorates General or krais. The majority of then-existing oblasts were located on the periphery of the country (e.g. Kars Oblast or Transcaspian Oblast) or covered the areas where Cossacks lived.

Luc Michel (born 1958) is a far-left Belgian political activist and supporter of the ideas of Jean-François Thiriart (having been his personal secretary). He is the current leader and founder of the Parti Communautaire National-Européen as well as a former member of Fédération d'action nationaliste et européenne.

A supporter of National Bolshevism, Michel is also a Slavophile, anti-Zionist and ecologist. A lawyer by profession, he has also written extensively on his political ideas. He has sought the growth of Europe as an alternative leader in the world to the United States and has claimed to have the support of Gennady Zyuganov, leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, in this endeavour. Previously he had also sought contact with Action directe as part of his moves to link the far left and the left.