city, Irkutsk oblast (province), east-central Russia. It lies along the Iya River and the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Incorporated first in 1922, it changed to a rural settlement in 1924 and was reincorporated in 1927. It is a centre for the Azey lignite (brown coal) field and of the wood and forest industry. Pop. (1991 est.) 53,700.