Ivan Bilyj

Russia keeps expropriating assets of Ukrainians on occupied territories.  “Ministry of Land and Property Relations”, created by Russians on occupied part of Zaporizhzhia oblast, collected data about over 168 thousand objects of property. It declared over 11 thousand objects as “property of Zaporizhzhia oblast”, i.e. illegally misappropriated by occupation administration of the Russian Federation. 

Russian occupants keep terrorizing inhabitants of Ukrainian lands, temporary occupied by the Russian Federation. They have abducted them, accused of fictitious crimes, falsified «evidence» and launched pseudo-trials in Russian courts or court authorities, illegally created on temporary occupied territories of Ukraine. In November 2024, 13 new criminal cases against Ukrainian citizens have been submitted to Russian Southern District Military Court in Rostov-na-Donu. Up to one hundred cases have been considered by this court since 2022.

Former pocket «voluntary battalion» of Yevhen Balytsky, Russian occupation governor of Zaporizhzhia region, is in the focus of public scandal. Volunteers left BARS-32 (its self-title – «Battalion named after P.A.Sudoplatov») whereas the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation investigates embezzlement of resources for fortifications transferred through Russian «state unitary enterprise» with the same title. Dmitrii Rogozin, Russian «senator» from occupied Zaporizhzhia region, tries to save the battalion and sends commander of his «brigade «Tsar Wolves» to manage it.

Zaporizhzhia region is among Ukrainian regions with scarce water resources. Rivers Dnipro and Berda, Kakhovka and Dnipro reservoirs and Kakhovka main water channel are key sources of water for local residents.

As an outcome of the Russian destruction of Kakhovka Hydro Power Station, the supply of water to the south of Zaporizhzhia region has been destroyed. Residents of some occupied communities experience the shortage of drinking water. The most critical situation is observed in southern communities of Melitopol and Berdyansk raions.

The Center for Journalist Investigations examined whether southern raions of Zaporizhzhia region will survive without supply of water from Dnipro.

Россияне и их прихвостни на новых оккупированных территориях Украины активно готовятся к незаконным выборам в «законодательные» и «представительные» органы, запланированные на сентябрь 2023 года. Партия «Единая Россия», позаимствовав традицию США и других «недружественных» стран, проводит так называемое электронное предварительное голосование – праймериз. На эту внутреннюю гонку оккупантов выдвинулись не только местные предатели и коллаборанты, но и жители АР Крым и Севастополя, которым дома ничего не обломилось. Среди них мы нашли фигурантов расследований ЦЖР: боевика времен так называемой «крымской весны», ряженого атамана и даже погоревшего в коррупции «министра» Сергея Аксенова.

Traitors and collaborators prepare to participate in illegal elections that Russia plans for autumn 2023 on the occupied part of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. By now, regional offices of only three Russian political parties («United Russia», «Communist Party of the Russian Federation» and «Liberal Democratic Party of Russia») have been registered in the Russian State Register. Their legal addresses are in the «capitals of new territories» – Melitopol and Genichesk. Some party offices are headed by people from Russia and occupied Crimea.

As the state-occupant, Russia is not allowed to involve population of the occupied territories into its national elections. It will be clear violation of the international law and legislation of Ukraine. «Elections» and «elected members of parliament» will be recognized as illegal and illegitimate. Organizers of «elections» will face international sanctions whereas active participants of this international crime will be brought to criminal responsibility. While registering as participants of illegal «elections», they provide documentary evidence of their illegal activity.

Russian invaders and local collaborators force residents in temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia region to receive passports of the Russian Federation. «Russian governor» Yevhen Balytsky promised to give passports to 80% of local population before illegal «elections» in September 2023.

After the Russian full scale invasion into Ukraine, occupied cities of the Ukrainian South have been controlled by various occupation “guard dogs” – “police”, “security services” or “commandant’s offices”. Their main task is to support the Russian occupation regime, “to clean” occupied cities from disloyal residents, to suppress resistance, to abduct and torture pro-Ukrainian activists, veterans of “the anti-terrorist operation” conducted by Ukraine in 2014-2022 in Eastern Ukraine, to falsify criminal investigations against Ukrainian activists. 

In order to manage occupied part of Zaporizhzhia region, Russia set up occupation authorities – “military civil administrations” (MCA). Our material “Russian “government”of occupied Zaporizhzhia region” covered Russian regional administration. Invaders divided occupied territory into five parts or five raions with respective administrations: Melitopolsky, Berdyansky, Vasylivsky, Energodarsky and Pologivsky. 

The Center for Journalist Investigations found out information about heads of occupation authorities in these raions by using Russian state databases, registers and other official sources of information. We start with Melitopol City, designated by Russians as “temporary capital” of occupied Zaporizhzhia region, and Melitopol raion.  

Russian occupation authorities on the occupied territory of Zaporizhzhia region organized the so-called “military civil administration of the oblast” (MCA). That is to say, “government” and its ministries, “departments” and “divisions” belong to the MCA. Its current website presents only traitor Yevhen Balytsky (he is also an “acting governor of the oblast”), his deputy Mykhailo Hrytsai, managing communal enterprises, and Berdyansk commandant Dmitrii Ryzhkov. It is difficult to characterize the last two persons as there is no public data about them

 The Center for Journalist Investigations (CJI) found out real managers of Russian occupation authorities of occupied Zaporizhzhia region by using data from Russian public registers and official information channels.