Mtsensk (Russian: Мценск) is a town in Oryol Oblast, Russia, located on the Zusha River (a tributary of the Oka) 49 kilometers (30 mi) northeast of Oryol, the administrative center of the oblast.

Principality of Chernigov 1146–1320 Grand Duchy of Lithuania 1320–1505 Grand Duchy of Moscow 1505–1547 Tsardom of Russia 1547–1721 Russian Empire 1721–1917 Russian Republic 1917 Soviet Russia 1917–1922 Soviet Union 1922–1991 Russian Federation 1991–present It was first mentioned in the Nikon Chronicle in 1146 as a part of the Principality of Chernigov.

[citation needed] The name comes from the Mtsena River, a tributary of the Zusha, beside which the fortress stood.

Since the beginning of the 19th century, Mtsensk was rapidly developing as an industrial town.

During Operation Barbarossa, German armoured forces captured the town in the fall of 1941.