 On August 22, 1944, Belsky, Ilyinsky, and Oktyabrsky Districts were transferred to newly established Velikiye Luki Oblast.On 10 March 1945, Zharkovsky District with the center in the railway station of Zharki was established from the areas which previously belonged to Belsky, Ilyinsky, and Oktyabrsky Districts.In 1950, a number of villages were merged into the urban-type settlement of Zharkovsky, which became the administrative center of the district.