Salavat, city, Bashkortostan, western Russia, on the Belaya (White) River. It was founded in 1948 as a major oil centre of the Volga-Urals oil field, and the city has a large refinery and petrochemical industry. Technical glass and machinery for the petroleum industry are also produced in Salavat. A network of pipelines links Salavat to the petroleum-drilling areas. Pop. (2006 est.) 156,964.