Russian temporary administrative agencies in occupied Ukraine

Russian-Occupied Territories shown in red

During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia set up a series of pro-Russian temporary administrative agencies in the Ukrainian territory that it occupied.

According to Ukrainian media reports, on February 27, the mayor of Kupyansk, Kharkiv Oblast, Gennady Matsegora (Геннадій Мацегора) negotiated with the Russian army to surrender the city without bloodshed, and in return he will remain as mayor of the city.[1]

According to international media reports, on March 12, the Russian army set up a temporary administrative agency in Melitopol and appointed Galina Danilchenko as the mayor of the city, while the elected Ukrainian mayor, Ivan Fedorov, was arrested by the Russian army.[2]

On March 26, 2022, the authorities of the Republic of Crimea announced that the Russia established a "Kherson military-civilian administrative agency" in the Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast, and the pro-Russian politician Volodymyr Saldo was appointed governor.

On April 22, Dmitry Belik, a member of the State Duma, stated that after the end of the "special military operation", Russia will restore the Crimea Federal District to annex Southern and Eastern Ukraine.[3] Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously stated that Russia had no intention to occupy Ukraine whatsoever.[4]

Impact on civilians in occupied territories[edit]

According to Sergei Tsekov, a member of the Federation Council, the purpose of the establishment by the Russian military of administrative branches in the occupied areas is to maintain people's livelihoods and optimize the management of settlements and territories, like maintaining hospitals, housing operations, human services and emergency services. The government of the occupied territory will provide food, receive and organize humanitarian aid and, in certain cases, may perform the functions of a law enforcement agency if necessary.[5]

However, a teacher from the Russian General Staff Military Academy told BBC News Russian that the Russian military authorities were performing their supposed duties of providing for the occupied cities and that residents, while officials of the occupied areas also reported shortages of local food and agricultural products.[6]

In order to intimidate civilians and weaken their will to resist, the Russian army often kidnapped local officials.[7] After the beginning of Russian occupation in Kherson Oblast, almost half of the inhabitants left the city of Kherson, and one in five left Kherson Oblast entirely. Many of those who remained initially took part in pro-Ukrainian rallies, but later became diminished with reports of large-scale kidnappings, tortures, robberies and rapes by the Russian military.[8] The Russian army prohibited people living in the occupied areas from traveling to Ukrainian-controlled areas, allegedly deported nearly 900,000 Ukrainian citizens to Russia,[9] which the Kremlin insists were humanitarian evacuations.[10] There were also reports that Russian authorities detained many Ukrainians in filtration camps.[11]

In addition, the Russian army regularly intimidates or kidnaps journalists,[12] forcing them to carry out propaganda for Russia. Lyudmila Denisova, the Ukrainian commissioner for human rights of the Verkhovna Rada, accused the Russian army of "establishing terror and censorship" in the occupied territories.[13] There are reports that the Russian military has forced university students in DPR and LPR-controlled areas to collectively donate blood for wounded Russian soldiers,[14] which is a violation against the Geneva Conventions if proven true.

Russian forces removed the Ukrainian flag in the occupied areas. In Yakymivka, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, they forced a local resident who had taken down the Russian flag to apologize to the camera. The occupied territory is trying to replace the Ukrainian hryvnia with the Russian ruble,[15] and also issues Russian passports in the occupied territory.[16] In addition, Ukrainian-language channels have largely stopped broadcasts in the occupied areas, and television towers have been replaced by Russian-language channels.[17]

Russian administrative agencies by Oblast[edit]

Mykolaiv Oblast[edit]

Governor: Yuriy Barbashov

Kherson Oblast[edit]

Zaporizhzhia Oblast[edit]

Donetsk Oblast (Donetsk People's Republic)[edit]

Luhansk Oblast (Luhansk People's Republic)[edit]

Kharkiv Oblast[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Mayor of Kupiansk who surrendered his city to invaders indicted for treason". Ukrayinska Pravda. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  2. ^ Folmar, Chloe (2022-03-11). "Mayor of Ukrainian city Melipotol detained by Russians". The Hill. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  3. ^ "Война. Главные события (обновляется ежедневно)". 2022-03-31. Archived from the original on 2022-03-31. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  4. ^ "Путин врал, что войны с Украиной не будет. Хронология обмана – DW – 24.02.2022". DW News (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  5. ^ "В Крыму заявили о создании на юге Украины военно-гражданских администраций". ОБЪЕКТИВ (in Russian). 2022-03-26. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  6. ^ "'We're living a nightmare': life in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine". TheGuardian.com. the Guardian. 2022-03-14. Archived from the original on 2022-04-20. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  7. ^ Katharine Fortin. "Abducting Dissent: Kidnapping Public Officials in Occupied Ukraine". Lieber Institute. Archived from the original on 2022-04-01. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
  8. ^ ""Имущество вывозят на "Камазах", насилуют даже девочек 11 лет". Исповедь жителей оккупированного Херсона". The Insider (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  9. ^ "At least 900,000 Ukrainians 'forcibly deported' to Russia, U.S. says". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  10. ^ "Захарова: Киев продолжает препятствовать эвакуации мирных жителей в РФ". Российская газета. 2022-04-20. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  11. ^ "Ukrainians endure abuse, forced transfer to Russia at filtration camps, report finds". www.cbsnews.com. September 2022. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  12. ^ "Russians use abduction, hostage-taking to threaten Ukrainian journalists in occupied zones | RSF". rsf.org. 25 March 2022. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  13. ^ "Life under occupation: how Ukrainians are resisting Russian rule". Financial Times. 2022-03-16. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  14. ^ "Омбудсмен Украины: Студентов вузов в "ЛДНР" заставляют сдавать кровь для раненых российских военных". The Insider (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  15. ^ Taylor, Adam; Westfall, Sammy (2022-05-01). "Shift to ruble in Kherson could signal consolidation of Russian control in occupied region". Washington Post.
  16. ^ "Russia hands out passports in occupied Ukraine cities". BBC News. 2022-06-11. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  17. ^ Satariano, Adam; Reinhard, Scott (2022-08-09). "How Russia Took Over Ukraine's Internet in Occupied Territories". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  18. ^ "Российские оккупационные силы назначили своих "руководителей" в Херсоне и области". Крым.Реалии (in Russian). 26 April 2022. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  19. ^ a b "Структура администрации Херсонской области" (in Russian). 2022-06-17. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g "Винтовка родила власть. Кого Россия объявляет мэрами и губернаторами захваченных территорий". Медиазона (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  21. ^ "Russian-installed official in Ukraine's Kherson region dies in car crash". Reuters. 2022-11-09. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  22. ^ "Российские оккупационные силы назначили своих "руководителей" в Херсоне и области". 26 April 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-05-09. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
  23. ^ By Helen Regan, Steve George, Maureen Chowdhury, Mike Hayes and Amir Vera (2022-03-13). "March 13, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news / Treason investigation launched into newly installed mayor of Russian-occupied Melitopol". CNN. Archived from the original on 2022-04-06. Retrieved 2022-04-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  24. ^ a b "Экс-"регионал", бухгалтерша и горный инженер: кто стал новой властью на оккупированных украинских территориях". BBC News Русская служба (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  25. ^ ""Это новый Освенцим и Майданек". Российские военные начали сжигать тела погибших в Мариуполе в мобильных крематориях". Archived from the original on 2022-04-06. Retrieved 2022-04-06.
  26. ^ Анна Тохмахчи (2022-04-21). ""Сдаваться никто здесь не собирается". Начальник патрульной полиции Мариуполя – о происходящем внутри "Азовстали"" (in Russian). Настоящее Время. Archived from the original on 2022-05-15. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
  27. ^ "Винтовка родила власть. Кого Россия объявляет мэрами и губернаторами захваченных территорий". Медиазона (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2022-05-12. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
  28. ^ "Голоса в обмен на кур" (in Russian). Важные истории. 2022-05-06. Archived from the original on 2022-05-11. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
  29. ^ a b c "Гауляйтеры Купянска и Изюма сбежали в Россию". kh.vgorode.ua (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  30. ^ "Former Russian mayor appointed head of Russian-occupied Kharkiv, TASS reports". Reuters. 2022-08-19. Retrieved 2022-08-29.
  31. ^ "Leader of Russian-occupied Ukrainian town killed by car bomb -TASS". Reuters. 11 July 2022. Retrieved 2022-07-11.

See also[edit]

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