how the Russian occupiers are trying to take control of the Zaporizhia region on the administrative front

Russian ambitions are no longer a big secret. Several senior officials have raised the possibility of occupying the southern regions of Ukraine, thus providing a land continuum between annexed Crimea and Russian territory. The Zaporijia region has thus been largely occupied since the beginning of the war. The city of Melitopol was conquered from the first days of the Russian offensive. The mayor, Ivan Fedorov, was notably kidnapped on March 11, before being released a few days later. Since then, a pro-Russian administration has de facto governed the sector.

“I hope that we will become a federal district of the Russian Federation”Eugene Balitsky, head of the self-proclaimed military-civilian administration, told Russian television (from 10’56”). The person in charge is sometimes decked out with the nickname of “gauleiter” in the Ukrainian press – in reference to regional officials imposed by the Nazi regime. The latter was speaking from Melitopol – the current seat of the pro-Russian authorities and a sort of “bis” capital – while the Ukrainian forces are still holding Zaporijia, the administrative capital of the oblast.

One of the main tasks of these local transitional authorities is to prepare the ground for the referendums on joining the Russian Federation, why not this summer. In this context, the occupation authorities did not hesitate to announce the pure and simple confiscation of Ukrainian property. “The liberated region of Zaporizhia nationalizes the properties of the Ukrainian state. The decree in question was signed by the head of the military-civilian administration of the region”, said one of its members on Telegram. At this stage, no one knows the structure that will be mobilized to carry out this operation – the occupants have not deigned to provide any legal varnish.

This announcement concerns all properties – “land, natural resources and infrastructure of strategic sectors of the economy” – belonging to Ukraine on February 24, the first day of the war. The latter adds that the decision was taken in order to “preserving the national heritage for the inhabitants”. The deputy head of the pro-Russian administration, Andriy Trofimov, already sees further. Questioned by the Tass agency, he envisages the future possibility of transferring part of these assets to Russia. This takeover is not isolated. In Mariupol, the leader of the Donetsk separatists announced the nationalization of around thirty Ukrainian ships, in order to revive the activity of the devastated port.

The fate of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Ukraine and Europe, was however not mentioned. This is currently under the control of Russian forces and operates with closely monitored Ukrainian employees. During a visit there in mid-May, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khassoulline said that the plant would in the future operate for the benefit of Russia, unless kyiv pulls out the checkbook. At this stage, however, this plant remains connected to the Ukrainian network.

A passport policy also accompanies this “Russian transition”. Already between 2014 and the start of the war, more than 700,000 passports had been distributed to residents of the separatist territories of Donetsk and Luhansk, under a 2019 decree making it easier to obtain these papers. On May 25, Vladimir Putin also signed an amendment offering the same facilities to the populations of the regions of Kherson, Zaporijia and the entire Donbass. Offices have already opened in Melitopol, but it is impossible for the moment to know the number of files submitted.

The objective is to issue these passports within three months, for all residents who request them. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately denounced a “flagrant violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity” from the country. While emphasizing that “the decree of the President of Russia is legally null and void” and that he “will have no legal consequences”. The Ukrainian military governor of the Kherson region, Sergei Khlan, threatened residents receiving Russian passports with criminal sanctions.

The occupation administration also wants to impose the ruble in daily exchanges, replacing the Ukrainian hryvnia. Residents can already use both currencies and since May 20 businesses are also encouraged to use the rouble, with the hryvnia theoretically banned for cash payments. Pro-Russian authorities want to get rid of the old currency in just four months and “maybe a little less”, says Vladimir Rogov to the Tass agency. The difficulty of organizing transfers of funds to the occupied zone does not plead in favor of the Ukrainian currency.

The occupation authorities in Zaporizhia also announced that businesses in the region no longer had to pay taxes in Kyiv. “Until our internal system of mandatory taxation, fees and payments is built, subjects of entrepreneurial and economic activity are not required to pay taxes in favor of Ukraine”André Trofimov had declared to the Interfax agency.

The war of influence is also being waged in the field of telecommunications, with Russian forces having cut off Ukrainian operators in the region. Moscow wants to switch the region from the Ukrainian code +380 to the Russian code +7 and distributions of SIM cards have been organized in Melitopol and Berdiansk, according to several local media. These did not include any operator name, adds Interfax, but the Russian edition of the magazine Forbes said to have discovered the activities of the Miranda Media group, based in annexed Crimea. On Friday, however, the Ukrainian media celebrated a return of the network with the incumbents.

Finally, on more symbolic ground, the Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khousnoulin himself went to the regions of Zaporijia and Kherson, in order to multiply the promises to the population. “We will apply all the support measures we have in Russia thanks to the Ministry of Agriculture”, he had launched to operators in southern Ukraine in mid-May, promising them aid in particular. It remains to be seen how the population has welcomed the Russian forces. kyiv still wants to believe that the inhabitants of Melitopol and Berdiansk will refuse to obey Moscow’s injunctions.