Paul Goble
Staunton, Mar. 24 – A month into Putin’s war in Ukraine, Russian officials are now setting up new civil-military administrations in the areas the Russian army has taken under control in place of Ukrainian ones, restoring broadcasting of Moscow TV there, and integrating parts of these occupied areas with the already seized Crimea.
These moves follow criticism in the media in Russia itself of the failure of the Russian military command to take these steps earlier; and while it is impossible to say how widespread they are, commanders appear committed to instituting such changes now (nakanune.ru/articles/118575/ and vnnews.ru/expressnews/podkontrolnye-rf-territorii-ukrain/).
The establishment of such mixed military-civilian administrations indicates that Moscow is seeking to ensure that it will be able to keep control wherever its military forces have advanced, cares more about using the media to promote that end than many might expect, and plans to integrate at least part of the Ukrainian territory conquered into already absorbed Crimea.
All three of these developments have consequences not only for the outcome on the battlefield but also for any settlement that the two countries may seek to reach.
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