Vladikavkaz, formerly known as Ordzhonikidze (Орджоники́дзе) and also known as Dzaudzhikau (Дзауджикау), is the capital city of North Ossetia-Alania, Russia. It is located in the southeast of the republic at the foothills of the Caucasus, situated on the Terek River. The city's population was 295,830 as of the 2021 Census. As a result, Vladikavkaz is one of the most populous cities in the North Caucasus region.

North Ossetia, officially the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, is a republic of Russia situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe. The republic borders internationally with the country of Georgia to the south, as well followed by Russian federal subjects of Kabardino-Balkaria to the west, Stavropol Krai to the north, Chechnya to the east and Ingushetia to the southeast. Its population according to the 2021 Census was 687,357. The republic’s capital city is the city of Vladikavkaz, located on the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains.