city, south-central Ukraine, on the Inhulets River. Founded as Usivka in the early 18th century, it was renamed Becheyu (also Becha, or Bechka) in the 1750s, Oleksandriysk in 1784, and Oleksandriya shortly thereafter. The nearby lignite (brown coal) field was used beginning in the 1950s to power local rayon-fibre engineering plants and other industries. Pop. (2001) 93,357; (2005 est.) 88,916.