SHAKHTY

also spelled achty, formerly (until 1920) Aleksandrovsk-grushevsky, city, Rostov oblast (province), western Russia. It lies along the upper Grushevka River, 47 miles (75 km) northeast of Rostov-na-Donu. Shakhty developed in the early 19th century as a coal-mining centre and became a city in 1881. It is now the main city of the eastern end of the Donets Basin coalfield and is surrounded by many pits and their waste heaps. (The city's name means pits in Russian.) The coal is of high quality, and production is mostly anthracite; coking coal is also mined. In the southern suburb of Kamenolomni there are stone quarries. Among Shakhty's other industries are iron casting, canning, brewing, and footwear and clothing manufacture. The city also has a polytechnic institute. Pop. (1993 est.) 228,000.