Orenburg, formerly known as Chkalov, is the administrative center of Orenburg Oblast, Russia and former capital of the Kazak ASSR. It lieā¦Orenburg, formerly known as Chkalov, is the administrative center of Orenburg Oblast, Russia and former capital of the Kazak ASSR. It lies on Eastern Europe, on the banks of the Ural River, where it forms the boundary between Europe and Asia, and is 1,478 kilometers southeast of Moscow.