city, Kursk oblast (province), western Russia. It is located 80 miles (130 km) northwest of Kursk city and was founded in 1958 in connection with the development of the KMA (Kursk Magnetic Anomaly), one of the Soviet Union's largest iron-ore-mining basins. It is now one of the leading KMA mining centres and has some light industries and a metallurgical institute. Zheleznogorsk achieved city status in 1962. Pop. (1993 est.) 91,300.