Initial military occupation (March 2022) Shortly after
Russian forces captured Melitopol, residents of the city held a
street protest against
military occupation. The protestors marched and used their bodies to block a convoy of Russian military vehicles. On 4 March 2022, the former leader of the
Anti-Maidan of Zaporizhzhia,
Vladimir Rogov, who calls himself "a member of the Main Council of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military-Civilian administration of the Zaporozhye", posted part of the program of "comprehensive financial and economic measures for the economic development of the regions of Ukraine controlled by the Russian Federation" on his
Telegram channel. This program was written in its entirety in the newspapers published by the occupying authorities, as well as on 9 March in the public "Military-Civilian Administration of Melitopol". According to the BBC, the program was written in a complex bureaucratic style like that of other similar documents by Russian authorities. On 10 March, the director of the
Melitopol Museum of Local History, Leila Ibragimova, was arrested at her home by Russian forces, and was detained in an unknown location. The next day,
Melitopol's mayor,
Ivan Fedorov, was abducted by Russian troops for refusing to cooperate with them and continuing to fly a Ukrainian flag in his office. Russian authorities did not comment on Fedorov's disappearance, but the prosecutor's office of the
Luhansk People's Republic (a Russian-backed self-proclaimed
breakaway state within Ukraine) accused him of "terrorist activities". Matvieyev had participated in a 27 February protest preventing Russian tanks from entering the town.
Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant crisis Director-General
Rafael Grossi and other mission team members at the nuclear power plant on 1 September 2022 On 4 March 2022, the city of
Enerhodar and the
Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) came under Russian military occupation. Since then, the ZNPP has been the center of
an ongoing nuclear safety crisis. Russia has used the plant as a base to hold military equipment and troops, heightening risk of damage to the plant and a fuel meltdown. On 6 March 2022, the
IAEA released a statement saying that Russian forces were interfering in the operations of the power plant, and "any action of plant management—including measures related to the technical operation of the six reactor units—requires prior approval by the Russian commander," further stating that "Russian forces at the site have switched off some mobile networks and the internet so that reliable information from the site cannot be obtained through the normal channels of communication". On 9 March, Herman Galushchenko, Energy Minister of Ukraine, claimed that Russian forces were holding the workers at the power plant hostage and had forced several to make propaganda videos.
Military–civilian administration (March–June 2022) The Russians proclaimed
Halyna Danylchenko acting mayor of
Melitopol on 12 March, but Ukrainian sources said that
Yevgeny Balitsky had become the unofficial
de facto head of the city. Meanwhile, hundreds of people joined a protest outside Melitopol city hall to demand the release of Fedorov. Olga Gaysumova, head of the
non-governmental organization "Conscientious Society of Melitopol" and the organizer of local protests against Russian forces, was arrested. On 13 March, the Melitopol City Council declared that "occupying troops of the Russian Federation are trying to illegally create an occupation administration of the city of Melitopol." It appealed to
Prosecutor General of Ukraine Iryna Venediktova, to launch an investigation into Danylchenko and her party Opposition Bloc for treason. Russian military vehicles were seen announcing via loudspeakers that rallies and demonstrations had been prohibited and that a curfew imposed from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am. On 14 March
Ukrayinska Pravda reported that Russian forces had prevented new protests by blocking off the central square of Melitopol. On 16 March, Fedorov was freed from captivity. Some Ukrainian officials said he was freed in a "special operation". Zelenskyy's press aide
Daria Zarivna however later said he was exchanged for nine Russian conscripts captured by Ukrainian forces. On 22 April 2022, Fedorov said that over 100 Russian soldiers had been killed by locals during the occupation of Melitopol. On 24 August 2022, the Russian-appointed head of Mykhailivka, Ivan Sushko, was assassinated in a car bombing. On 18 May 2022,
Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Marat Khusnullin said during a visit to the region that "the region's prospect is to work in our friendly Russian family," and announced the imminent implementation of plans to launch the maximum turnover of the ruble. According to him, pensions and salaries would be paid to residents of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast in Russian currency within a calendar month. On 23 March 2022, Mayor Fedorov reported that Melitopol was experiencing supply problems with food, medication and fuel, while the Russian military seized businesses, intimidated the local population, and held several journalists. On 25 May, Vladimir Rogov announced that after the complete capture of the region, it would be annexed by Russia. He also said that a dual-currency zone was introduced in the occupied territory and the coat of arms of
Aleksandrovsk from the times of the
Russian Empire were installed, with which they began to issue new license plates with the signature "TVR" (a reference to the
Taurida Governorate; old numbers are used, but with a "TVR" sticker over the
Ukrainian flag). Later a report revealed that Balitsky still sometimes used the Ukrainian coat of arms of Zaporizhzhia Oblast on documentation. The same day, Russian President
Vladimir Putin issued a decree to simplify provision of
Russian passports to residents of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, under the same procedure as the population of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts.
Annexation by Russia (July 2022–present) with pro-Russian leaders of the occupied territories on 30 September 2022 On 28 July,
Meduza reported that temporary departments of the
Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation had been set up in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. On 8 August, Balitsky announced that a
referendum on "reunification" with Russia in the region, and signed the order of the Central Election Commission. The commission, according to the statement, began to form as early as 23 July. On 8 September 2022, it was announced that referendums would be held in all the occupied territories of Ukraine from 23 to 27 September, the purpose of which was the annexation of these territories. According to the military–civilian administration, 93.11% of voters in the referendum voted for the region to become part of Russia. Balitsky said that "Zaporizhzhia Oblast de facto separated from Ukraine". On 28 September, the Zaporizhzhia military–civilian administration announced the secession of the region from Ukraine. Russia did not control the entire oblast at the time of the referendum, and it was widely dismissed as a sham referendum by international observers. It was also condemned as illegal in international law by the
United Nations. On 29 September, Vladimir Putin recognized the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions as
independent countries, hours before signing a decree on the annexation of all four regions. In September 2022, the administration founded the
Pavel Sudoplatov Battalion, a pro-Russian volunteer militia. In spring and summer 2023, Russian forces heavily fortified areas near major cities in Zaporizhzhia Oblast in anticipation of the
2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive. On 8–10 September 2023, the
2023 Russian elections took place in the
occupied Ukrainian territories, which Melitopol mayor
Ivan Fedorov described as "hellish pseudo-elections". During this period, on 9 September, Fedorov reported that the headquarters of
United Russia – the Russian ruling party – in the small city of
Polohy was blown up. Fedorov alluded to casualties among the occupation authorities, stating on Telegram that "Some went to the hospital, and some went straight to the morgue". == Administrative divisions ==