How Russia attempted to annex and administer a region it could not hold
In short: When Russian forces captured Kherson in March 2022, they initiated a complex, often brutal, attempt to integrate the Ukrainian territory into the Russian Federation. From currency shifts to staged referendums, the occupation sought to erase Ukrainian identity, yet the effort faced immediate resistance and eventual military collapse on the ground.
The occupation began on 24 February 2022, when Russian forces invaded from Crimea. By 1 March, they had captured Kherson, the only regional capital seized during the invasion. The administration immediately moved to solidify control, imposing the Russian ruble, distributing Russian passports, and forcing the Ukrainian hryvnia out of circulation. By May 2022, officials had adopted a four-month plan for a full currency transition and introduced a new coat of arms based on the 1803 Russian Empire design.
The occupation authorities utilized various methods to suppress dissent, including detaining hundreds of protesters and restricting public gatherings. In April 2022, they appointed new leadership, including former KGB agent Oleksandr Kobets as mayor. By September 2022, Russia declared the annexation of the oblast, a move condemned by the United Nations as illegal. Despite these declarations, the military situation remained precarious. As a Ukrainian counteroffensive gained momentum in late summer, Russian defensive lines in the north collapsed.
By 11 November 2022, Ukrainian forces successfully liberated the city of Kherson. The Russian administration was forced to evacuate its executive bodies to the left bank of the Dnieper River, establishing a new administrative centre in Henichesk. Even after this withdrawal, the Kremlin maintained that the region remained a federal subject of Russia. The occupation’s legacy includes the 2023 breach of the Kakhovka Dam, which caused widespread flooding and an environmental disaster, further complicating the region's status as Russia continues to treat the territory as its own, even creating a separate electoral district for future Russian State Duma elections.
The occupation was marked by internal instability and administrative chaos. Beyond the military pressure, the Russian-appointed leadership faced corruption scandals, such as the detention of deputy head Ekaterina Gubareva, and the violent deaths of several officials, including Kirill Stremousov in a car crash and the assassination of the occupation administration's vice-president. These events underscore the volatility of the Russian project in Kherson, which persists in name despite the loss of the region's primary urban center.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Russian occupation of Kherson Oblast
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