Chekalin

For the surname, see Chekalin (surname).

Chekalin (Russian: Чека́лин), formerly known as Likhvin (Лихвин) until 1945, is a town in Suvorovsky District of Tula Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Oka River. Population: 994 (2010 Census);^[8] 1,151 (2002 Census);^[9] 1,319 (1989 Soviet census).^[10] In 2010 it was the least populous inhabited locality in Russia with town status.^[8] For awhile, the smallest town in Russia was Innopolis with 96 inhabitants according to the 2016 Census, but since then has grown to a population of 3,955, ^[11] and Chekalin is back to being the smallest town in Russia, with a population of 884 according to the 2024 census. ^[12]

Chekalin Чекалин Čekalin
Town[1]
Chekalin Church
Coat of arms
Location of Chekalin
Chekalin Location of Chekalin Show map of Russia Chekalin Chekalin (Tula Oblast) Show map of Tula Oblast
Coordinates: 54°06′N 36°15′E
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Tula Oblast[1]
Administrative district	Suvorovsky District[1]
Town under district jurisdiction	Chekalin[2]
Founded	1565 (Julian)
Elevation	190 m (620 ft)
Population
• Estimate  (2024)[3]	884
Administrative status
• Capital of	Chekalin Town Under District Jurisdiction[1]
Municipal status
• Municipal district	Suvorovsky Municipal District[4]
• Urban settlement	Chekalin Urban Settlement[4]
• Capital of	Chekalin Urban Settlement[5]
Time zone	UTC+3 (MSK [6])
Postal code(s)[7]	301414
OKTMO ID	70640108001

History

During World War II, Likhvin was under German occupation from 19 October 1941 until 26 December 1941.^[13] In 1944, Likhvin was renamed Chekalin in honor of Soviet partisan Alexander Chekalin.^[14]

Administrative and municipal status

Within the framework of administrative divisions, it is incorporated within Suvorovsky District as Chekalin Town Under District Jurisdiction.^[2] As a municipal division, Chekalin Town Under District Jurisdiction is incorporated within Suvorovsky Municipal District as Chekalin Urban Settlement.^[4]