Civil-Military Administrations in the New Territories of Russia: the Experience of the Zaporozhie and Kherson Regions

The article is devoted to the activities of the civil-military administrations (CMA) of the Zaporozhie and Kherson regions after the start of the Special Military Operation of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in Ukraine in February 2022 and up to the entry of both regions into Russia in October 2022. The study identified and analyzed the main regulatory legal acts through which the activities of the CMA were regulated. The practical activities of the CMA on the normalization of vital activity in the subordinate territory are highlighted, and the mistakes and shortcomings made in this process are revealed. It is indicated that the tasks of an economic nature, social support for the population and ensuring public order were solved separately from military issues, which were entirely within the area of responsibility of the command of the Russian armed forces. Despite all the difficulties, the CMA managed to organize its activities in such a way that, with significant assistance from the Russian federal authorities, it was possible to restore normal functioning in the territories of the Zaporozhie and Kherson regions in just a few months and successfully hold a referendum on the entry of both regions into the Russian Federation.