city and administrative centre of Tikhoretsk rayon (sector), Krasnodar kray (region), southwestern Russia. It is a railway junction and grain centre with flour mills and locomotive repair shops. An oil pipeline was opened in 1969 from the northern Caucasus to join an existing pipeline at Tikhoretsk for export via Novorossiysk. A rail-transport technical college is in the city. Pop. (1985 est.) 66,000.