While the Defense Forces of Ukraine fight for the liberation of all occupied territories on the battlefield, the state continues to develop reintegration policies, including for Crimea. After all, we must have a clear plan. It is much easier to adjust and finalize it than to do it from scratch later.

An explicit algorithm of actions will help ensure order in the first days after the peninsula’s liberation. More importantly, it will give Ukrainian citizens an understanding of what awaits them after de-occupation, how to act the first time, how to get the necessary assistance and protection from the Ukrainian state, how restoring justice will proceed, etc.

One of these tools is the Mission’s work on the state’s priority steps after the de-occupation of Crimea. We started this work in September 2022, at the direct instruction of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in cooperation with several state authorities, NGOs, and experts.

Today, we describe the first step, which concerns restoring Ukrainian power on the peninsula. And this is a priority. For the past ten years, the Russian occupation administrations have been controlling all processes of public life on the peninsula, from taxation to issuing birth certificates. Therefore, restoring Ukrainian public authorities on the peninsula is not a matter of one day; it requires preparing steps today.

The Mission, jointly with the government bodies and the expert community, has developed a draft law on amendments to the Law of Ukraine, “On the Legal Regime of Martial Law.” It will address the peculiarities of restoring public authority in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. The draft law was approved by the government and submitted to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

According to the draft law, temporary state bodies—military administrations—will operate in Crimea until the constitutional state authorities resume their activities.
The creation of military administrations is planned at all levels, from the military administration of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea to the military administrations of local settlements. During this transitional period, the activities of all state authorities, law enforcement and judicial institutions, and local self-government bodies should be restored.

Under the leadership of the President of Ukraine, the establishment of military administrations can occur at any stage of the de-occupation and reintegration processes. This proactive approach allows for the proper training of personnel and management decisions necessary for the full functioning of the government immediately after regaining control of the territory.

Military administrations have their advantages in the context of de-occupation and preparation for it:

• Rapid implementation of the provisions of the Constitution and Laws of Ukraine in the de-occupied territories
• Reducing the risks of losing stability in the area of governance
• Providing essential services to Ukrainian citizens, etc.

Qualified employees need to be hired to work in government agencies. For Crimea alone, approximately 50,000 people are required to work in various areas of public administration. The following tools have already been developed for this purpose:

• The Reintegration Management Program, a project to train management for the de-occupied territories, was initiated by the Mission and implemented by the MIM Business School with the support of the Office of the President of Ukraine.
• The Personnel Reserve Program, initiated by the National Agency for Civil Service in cooperation with the Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine and the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
• The Mission developed the educational programs Post-Conflict Governance and Governance in the Post-War Territories in cooperation with the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.
• A free online course, ProKrym: State Policy of Reintegration of Crimea. The resource is available on the Zrozumilo educational online platform.