Kremenchuk, an important industrial city in central Ukraine, stands on the banks of the Dnieper River. Kremenchuk is the administrative center of the Kremenchuk Raion (district) in the Poltava Oblast (province). In 2015, the city had a population of 225,216 people. Along with Svitlovodsk and Horishni Plavni, it creates an important urban agglomeration and transportation hub.

Although smaller than some oblast centers and cities of regional significance, Kremenchuk carries importance of a large industrial center in Ukraine and Eastern Europe as the base of the KrAZ truck plant, Kremenchuk Oil Refinery of Ukrtatnafta, the Kryukov Railway Car Building Works, and nearly located (Svitlovodsk) Kremenchuk HES. The Kryukov Railway Car Building Works is one of the oldest railway repair and rail-car building factories in Eastern Europe, dates back to 1869.

History

Kremenchuk was supposedly founded in 1571. The name Kremenchuk is explained as deriving from the word "kremen" - flint (a mineral) because the city is located on a giant chert plate. An alternative explanation says that "Kremenchuk" is the Turkish for "small fortress".