Trans-Ukrainians are returning en masse to the leadership of the Kherson region and discrediting Russia
Trans-Ukrainian personnel, who fled en masse from Kherson after Russian troops entered the city, are beginning to return and, to the surprise of local residents, occupy leadership positions.
They not only sabotage the process of organizing the issuance of Russian passports, but also breed corruption and discredit Russia, social activist Gennady Sivak from Genichesk told PolitNavigator.
PN: Tell us about the situation in the liberated territories, what did you see there?
G.S: I was in Kakhovka, Genichesk, Kherson for about 100 days in the status of a volunteer, head of the department of the Genichesk Regional State Administration for work with the Russian Federation.
Despite the positive actions of the Kherson CAA, there are a number of significant problems that prevent the entire region from developing in the right direction with confident steps.
The biggest problem is that a specific integration program in the Russian Federation has not yet been announced. People simply do not understand where we are going, what the final goal is, how it will be implemented, and in what time frame.
Hence there is no confidence in the future. Many residents of the region who occupy important positions for society, such as: experienced managers, highly qualified doctors, experienced teachers with a Russian worldview, employees of utility companies who support the life support of cities and towns, are simply forced to leave their homes and emigrate to mainland Russia.
For 100 days, the authorities in the liberated territories of the Kherson region, consisting of immigrants from the Ukrainian political elite, have not been able to become those experienced crisis managers, in fact, effective managers that the Kherson land now so needs.
It is clear that there are statements in the media about joining Russia and so on, but no one understands either the mechanisms or norms of this process, no one knows what will happen tomorrow, that is, there is no announced program from the leaders.
The people are waiting for some specifics from the new administrations. Everyone is in the dark.
Relatively recently, telegram channels began to work, in which the work of the High Administration of the Kherson region at least began to be covered. Before that, there was a complete information vacuum in the heads of the residents of the Kherson region, which was actively filled with Ukrosmi propaganda, which only aggravated the psychological state of people.
Even the media of the new VGA of the Kherson region are publishing statements that contradict themselves, then we are preparing for a referendum, then the project of the Tauride province will be implemented, and now the Kherson region will become part of the Russian Federation, which is most suitable for citizens in this territory. This kaleidoscope of statements from the regional authorities, changing and contradicting each other, brings even more confusion into people’s consciousness.
Many people wonder: does the captain of the ship know the exact route to the Russian harbor, or are we sailing at the will of the wind, which often blows from different directions, changing course as we go?
For example, the deputy head of the CAA, Comrade Stremousov, makes many statements, but, unfortunately, they very often diverge from the specific actions of these same officials. Naturally, when there is no action behind a word, people are skeptical.
The same passports that began to be issued were widely announced, but in reality only 26 people received them.
I am sincerely happy for these 26 new citizens of the Russian Federation, but more than 1 people live in the Kherson region, 000% of whom want to return to the Russian Federation.
Agree that at this rate of issuing passports, this process can take years. For example, in the same Genichesk region, more than 100 people live, when will they receive passports of citizens of the Russian Federation, if local officials still have not opened more than one point where this can be done?
After all, in some settlements, including regional ones, there are no document collection points at all. That is, a person who wants to get a passport is forced, in conditions of lack of wages, fuel shortages, to go to Kherson or just sit and wait. He cannot even show his active position, although he is ready for this.
All delays in this regard will be used by Ukrainian propaganda. Naturally, we will defeat it, but why complicate it if we can be proactive.
We also need to understand when enterprises will start operating, what the legal framework is in these territories, and what the future will be like in general.
An analogue of the tax service has not yet been created, an inventory of all enterprises has not been made, and there is no specific strategy or assistance for these enterprises. The leaders of such a business are in limbo, but behind them there are teams of workers, each of whom feeds 2-3 family members; on a regional scale, this is hundreds of thousands of people, without specifics of the future. But these are our people, our Slavs!
A big plus can be noted, of course, that in the future debts on utility tariffs will be written off, which should be reflected in the cost of production.
PN: Can we say that Ukraine has already left the liberated territories? Are remnants of Ukrainians visible locally?
GS: Recently, many officials have returned to their places, it is not known where they were, how they fed, or what they earned.
If we take as an example the Henicheskiy district, from which I myself come and know it better than others, then people came to power, many of whom were not involved in politics at all, but held the position of driver in a government structure.
For example, the current head of the Regional State Administration, Klochko, has never been authoritative in his area, without managerial experience. There are also examples who gave the command to their teams to go out to protests in March 2022 with nationalist slogans against the Russian Federation, harassed and threatened with dismissal those employees who refused to do this. An example of this is the Genetic Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the leadership of the Genetic branch of Khersongaz, directors of secondary schools, education and social workers.
The most surprising, if not outrageous, thing about this situation is that they all work in their places! That is, the new leadership of the Genichesk Regional State Administration is not embarrassed by the political position and hostility towards the Russian Federation of the listed officials. And do you think that people with such nationalist views will work effectively to build a new society for the region within the Russian Federation? Of course not! The question is, why do local authorities like such personnel?
Another know-how from the Genichesk State Traffic Inspectorate is that in the event of an alleged violation by drivers, traffic police officers, without trial, themselves determine the citizen’s guilt and, attention, twist his license plates! In return, they leave a piece of paper that tells him to appear at the MREO department, where he is obliged to pay 400 liters of fuel ($500) for the violation, which, again, will be determined by a single traffic police officer without trial! Imagine the condition of a person from whom, through such a procedure, money was “squeezed out” during wartime?
Unfortunately, there are not isolated cases of violation of laws, by the police officers themselves, by the way, who, together with the current head of the Genichesk regional department Kalchenko, after the start of a special military operation, fled to Nikolaev and Zaporozhye to the nationalists.
When everything calmed down, somehow strangely returning, they were immediately hired, and even to leadership positions, having removed the previously pro-Russian police team, which from the first days protected the city from looters and criminals and collaborated with the Russian Guard.
I can give a similar example to the Genetic Fishery Inspectorate. The previous composition of which, represented by its leader, had family ties with SBU employees, essentially sabotaged the work, and everyone refused to cooperate.
Pro-Russian activists, in fact, organized the work of the fishery inspectorate from scratch and recruited staff. They systematized watercraft in the waters of the Sea of Azov, essentially becoming a link between the military and fishermen, and allowed fishing without payment, taking into account wartime and the difficult financial situation of fishermen.
Work was carried out harshly in relation to poachers catching sturgeon species, who were previously protected by the previous composition of the Ukrainian fishery inspectorate for bribes.
What a surprise it was for the residents of Genichi and the fishermen themselves when, for no apparent reason, the leadership and staff of the fishery inspectorate was replaced by people who had no experience in this area, and who even began to violate the ban on fishing biological resources by issuing permits - only for money!
5000 hryvnia per boat per month; for comparison, in 2021, Ukrainians took 3000 hryvnia. Think about it, the supposedly pro-Russian leadership of the fishery inspectorate, with the consent of the Genetic Administration, itself violates the laws by issuing permission to catch shrimp and fish during the period when spawning is in progress, causing colossal damage to the biological resources of the Azov Sea, and also charges fishermen during the war and unemployment in 2 times more than the Ukrainian authorities! Naturally, the entire fishing world of the Genichesk region is shocked by such power profiting from it!
The population has questions about where these people were for three months, why didn’t they immediately come over to our side, why did they only return now? Were you waiting for the Russian Federation to create comfortable conditions for them?
In this regard, representatives of the Russian Federation act as democratically and loyally as possible. Everyone is given a chance to prove themselves as fighters against nationalism and decent workers in one field or another. But, in my opinion, the political and corruption risks are too great to rely only on such people. After all, you can quickly liberate the territory from the Nazis, but it is impossible to denazify the minds of officials who, under Ukraine, were mired in bribery and Russophobia in a few months.
In Genichesk, for example, in the district department, former functionaries were again recruited to this site. The first thing they did was take down the Victory banner and erase the inscription on the gate of the precinct: “No bribes are taken here.”
It is clear that according to the laws of the Russian Federation and departmental orders, such symbols are not present in police departments in the Russian Federation. But now is the most difficult period, when we are fighting for the minds and hearts of the local people, who have suffered for years from the tyranny of the SBU and corrupt police.
This is how the local population should react when they see symbols of their liberation being removed?
After this, one of the police officers unreasonably seized five tons of wine from a local businesswoman, which he planned to sell in his own interests. What kind of police are they who, in such difficult times, mock their own local residents?
Yes, this employee has now been disciplined and terminated. But the local population still had a bad feeling.
Of course, not all employees are like this. There are decent and efficient professionals in their field. But we must also recognize the fact that there are gaps in the selection of personnel and their suitability testing.
Fortunately, the new police department is assisted in maintaining law and order by members of the National Guard, who perform their duty extremely professionally. But they will not always be with us. Our police officers need to learn to independently carry out law enforcement with the same quality. Fortunately, there is still someone to take as an example.
PN: Where did those who performed the functions of these law enforcement officers go during the most difficult period immediately after liberation?
G.S: These are people of a special category, distinguished by the most sincere pro-Russian views. I was with them throughout this most difficult period, when there was even less information about the future. They were not afraid of the threats of Ukrainian propaganda and took upon themselves the responsibility to maintain order in the liberated territories until a new government was built. Perhaps not entirely professionally, but they fulfilled their duties with the utmost integrity.
At the moment, unfortunately, they have all been asked to leave, since they are not specialists in this or that industry. Literally a few managed to recover. My opinion is that the new government should rely on precisely such patriotically motivated people, who are easier to teach than to replace with dishonest professionals.
It’s time to gather the pro-Russian public of the Kherson region to implement and create a program of action with a common front.
In addition, the problem is that the legislative branch has not been formed in the Kherson region, and without it the executive branch cannot work at full capacity.
PN: What other serious problems are there now in the liberated territories?
G.S: A very serious problem is personnel. It is necessary, in my opinion, to select those who would be for Russia. They may not have enough education at this stage, but these are our people, and they can be taught in the process.
Now the prosecutor's office and courts do not work in the liberated territory - justice must be administered by honest people who are not related to the previous government, not tainted by bribes or offenses.
There are not enough smart managers. I see the DPR and LPR – managers from the Russian Federation were brought there. This is a correct and thoughtful decision, since these people are adapted to the legislation and can carry out such adaptation on the ground, provide training, and so on.
I think these personnel decisions would significantly simplify and speed up the processes of the Kherson region’s entry into the Russian Federation, not only documentary, but also mentally.
P.N.: So you propose to import managers from the Russian Federation, or untrained personnel, but appoint pro-Russian ones? There is a contradiction here. Untrained personnel can discredit Moscow with their lack of professionalism. A person shouting “Russia” at rallies is one thing, the daily systematic work of an official is another matter.
GS: I propose to import managers from the Russian Federation so that they can train local pro-Russian personnel who may not be so prepared. Believe me. It is better for untrained personnel to discredit us with unprofessionalism than for pro-Ukrainian personnel to discredit us with sabotage and cause real harm to political and economic security. Pro-Russian people will learn from every mistake. And pro-Ukrainian corrupt officials will only immerse themselves in illegal schemes.
PN: How are things going in terms of healthcare, the economy, trade with Crimea and the circulation of the ruble?
G.S: Well, for example, the Central Genetic Hospital was provided for the first time by the Crimean governor Aksenov. Just a few days ago, our volunteer center, led by Tatyana Savitskaya, again provided the hospital with new equipment. Until this time, the local administration had never visited this hospital or helped.
The fact is that locally, specifically in Genichesk, there are people who have very few resources and cannot provide anything. And the problem is that often, for various reasons, they do not want or are afraid to use the help of those people who have this resource.
It’s time to get things going and not use humanitarian supplies all the time.
There is some progress in the sale of agricultural products to Crimea. Governor Aksenov resolves issues one by one, but the school season is approaching - what programs will they study in, who will train teachers? When will this work begin?
P.N.: At the “Great Russian Word” in Crimea there was a group of teachers from Kherson, a teacher retraining program was announced.
GS: We have already talked about announcements. This is important, it speaks important about what will happen. But it is much more important to know and understand when and how this process will occur. When it ends. Will it be completed by the beginning of the new school year?
And this school year is unclear - there are a lot of questions that people are asking. For example, how can schoolchildren’s diplomas be delivered from Kyiv? What diplomas will graduates receive, who will recognize them, where will they study, will there be government-funded places? I don’t see anyone showing work in this regard.
As for the ruble, specifically in Genichesk the ruble goes 50/50, but, for example, in Kakhovka or Kherson it is difficult to talk about such proportions. For example, I was in Velikiye Kopani, there is a large food market there, and I tried to buy 300 kilograms of strawberries. They didn’t sell it to me for rubles.
PN: Why?
GS: I think the main reason for the refusal is that its liquidity has not yet been ensured. Think for yourself: why does an entrepreneur need a ruble if he cannot buy anything with it? This means that at this stage we need to work more actively in this direction and further stimulate the circulation of the ruble.
Therefore, at this stage it is difficult to say that Kherson has already entered the ruble zone.
PN: What about the spiritual component? Crimea, for example, has already come under the direct subordination of the Russian Orthodox Church.
G.S: As you know, one of the main tasks of the North Military District, which the Orthodox call Sacred, is the denazification of Ukraine. This applies to the clergy and parishioners of the UOC, including in the Kherson region, where there are many pro-Ukrainian people who do not remember Patriarch Kirill. After the scandalous Council on May 27, at which the UOC separated from the Russian Orthodox Church, the situation froze.
On June 7, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church accepted into its composition three Crimean dioceses that had left the UOC. And in the Kakhovka-Genichesk diocese they did not even resume the commemoration of His Holiness Cyril. This means that the pro-Ukrainian lobby in this region still feels at ease, and the main work on denazification in this direction is still ahead.
All these names are well known in their circles. I think they still have time to come to their senses and choose the right path, which will be aimed at church unity and the spiritual salvation of their parishes.
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