Zaporozhye Oblast
Запорожская область | |
---|---|
Occupied country | Ukraine |
Occupying power | Russia |
Russian-installed occupation regime | Zaporozhye military–civilian administration[a] (2022) |
Disputed oblast of Russia | Zaporozhye Oblast[b] (2022–present) |
Southern Ukraine campaign | 24 February 2022 |
Annexation by Russia | 30 September 2022 |
Administrative centre | Melitopol[1] |
Largest settlement | Melitopol[1] |
Government | |
• Head of Administration | Yevgeny Balitsky (United Russia)[2] |
• Deputy Head of Administration | Mikhail Gritsai[3] |
• Head of military–civilian administration government | Anton Koltsov |
Website | zo |
The Russian occupation of Zaporizhzhia Oblast began on 24 February 2022 when Russian forces invaded Ukraine and seized southern areas of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. On 26 February, the city of Berdiansk fell under Russian control, followed by Russian victory at Melitopol on 1 March. Russian forces besieged the city of Enerhodar, home of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, then captured it on 4 March. They did not take the oblast's capital city of Zaporizhzhia, however, which remained under Ukrainian government control.
In May, the Russian government began offering Russian passports to the region's inhabitants.[4] In July, it issued a decree that extended Russian 2022 war censorship laws to the oblast, and included deportation to Russia as a penalty.[5] In September, occupation forces held largely disputed referendums in the occupied areas of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson Oblast to join the Russian Federation.[6][7] On 27 September, Russian officials claimed that Zaporizhzhia Oblast's referendum passed with 93.11% of voters in favour of joining the Russian Federation.[8][9] Russia signed an accession treaty with the Russian administration of the region on 30 September 2022.[10] Russia annexed Zaporizhzhia Oblast on 30 September 2022, including parts of the oblast that it did not control at the time.[10] The United Nations General Assembly demanded that Russia "immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw, and passed a resolution calling on countries not to recognise what it described as an "attempted illegal annexation".[11]
Initially called the Zaporozhye military–civilian administration,[a] the name of the Russian-installed occupation force changed after annexation to Zaporozhye Oblast,[b] the Russian equivalent. Melitopol serves as the Russian seat of administration because the Russians do not control Zaporizhzhia. In March 2023, Melitopol became the official capital of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast after the acting head of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Yevgeny Balitsky, signed a decree on moving the de jure capital to Melitopol until Zaporizhzhia is captured.[12]
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