Russian occupation administrators attended the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) to secure additional investment and development opportunities for the occupied regions of Ukraine. SPIEF took place from June 18 to June 21, and occupation officials from Kherson, Zaporizhia, Luhansk, Donetsk oblasts, and Crimea took part in various panels, meetings, and discussions at the event. Sevastopol occupation governor Mikhail Razvozhaev reported that his administration secured 200 billion rubles ($2.5 billion) in investment pledges for the development of the Sevastopol seaport, for the “integrated development” of occupied Sevastopol, and for the construction of new housing. Razvozhaev also highlighted several agreements he signed with Russian companies regarding building projects in occupied Sevastopol. Crimea occupation head Sergei Aksyonov reported that he signed two agreements and six memoranda of cooperation amounting to a 68 billion ruble ($866 million) investment in various development projects in occupied Crimea. Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) Head Denis Pushilin claimed that he secured 53 billion rubles ($675 million) in investments in economic, housing, and employment projects for the occupied Donetsk Oblast. Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) Head Leonid Pasechnik highlighted his efforts at SPIEF, reporting that he signed a partnership agreement with Russia’s Vologda Oblast, which will increase bilateral trade and require Vologda Oblast to provide economic assistance to occupied Luhansk Oblast. Zaporizhia Oblast occupation head Yevgeny Balitsky similarly signed a partnership agreement with Leningrad Oblast, and the Kherson Oblast occupation administration signed a partnership agreement with the Chuvash Republic. The Kherson Oblast occupation administration also signed an agreement on developing trade and economic relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Vietnam, and the Asia-Pacific countries.
Key Takeaways:
- Russian occupation administrators attended the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) to secure additional investment and development opportunities for the occupied regions of Ukraine. Russia’s investment in occupied Ukraine is driven by two predominant factors: first, the desire to reap economic benefit from the occupation, and second, to further integrate occupied Ukraine into the Russian sphere of influence using economic levers.
- Russia is expanding its infrastructure for the forced removal and militarization of Ukrainian children in occupied Crimea and is opening a new children’s camp on the premises of the sanctioned “Artek” international children’s center.
- Russian occupation authorities continue to target religious minority communities in occupied Ukraine.
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