Pe o , Nikolaj V.
Resea ch Repo
The "Donbasisa ion" o Russia: How occupa ion is
in luencing Russia's poli ical sys em
SWP Commen , No. 22/2025
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
S i ung Wissenscha und Poli ik (SWP), Ge man Ins i u e o In e na ional and Secu i y A ai s,
Be lin
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Pe o , Nikolaj V. (2025) : The "Donbasisa ion" o Russia: How occupa ion is
in luencing Russia's poli ical sys em, SWP Commen , No. 22/2025, S i ung Wissenscha und Poli ik
(SWP), Be lin,
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NO.
22
MAY 2025
In oduc ion
The “Donbasisa ion” o Russia
How Occupa ion Is In luencing Russia’s Poli ical Sys em
Nikolay Pe o
Russia is going o g ea leng hs o ensu e ha he wa in Uk aine is pe cei ed by i s
ci izens as a dis an mili a y ope a ion ha does no a ec hem di ec ly. Bu he
consequences o bo h he wa and he o ced in eg a ion o he occupied Uk ainian
e i o ies a e la ge-scale, di e se and angible h oughou Russia. They include he
g owing numbe o human losses, c iminalisa ion and legal nihilism. Mo eo e , he
sp ead o gangs e -like no ms and p ac ices om he occupied e i o ies o Russia
p ope could e en ually lead o he “Donbasisa ion” o Russia.
Russia launched i s ull-scale in asion o
Uk aine in Feb ua y 2022 based on he
enuous assump ion ha i could de ea he
neighbou ing coun y in a ma e o days
o weeks a mos . Du ing wha is now mo e
han h ee yea s, he in asion has in lic ed
eno mous damage on Uk aine: millions o
people ha e been inju ed, killed, displaced
and/o auma ised. Like any o he wa o
agg ession, Russia’s wa agains Uk aine is
ha ing a p o oundly de o ming e ec on
he agg esso coun y. Russian soldie s and
in o mal igh e s a e being killed and
maimed, hei amilies and en i e commu-
ni ies a e be ea ed. Russian socie y is unde -
going a p ocess o mo al deg ada ion and
de-mode nisa ion imposed by he egime
in o de o pe pe ua e he con lic .
Cu en ly, he e a e wo eali ies ha
ha e he po en ial o p o oundly ans o m
he exis ing Russian poli ical sys em and
uling poli ical class. Fi s , he Russian s a e
has o deal wi h a huge numbe o wa
e e ans e u ning om he ba le ield. Thei
e u n poses a signi ican h ea o he
coun y’s poli ical s abili y as a esul o he
eme gence o a as and o ganised mass
o a med indi iduals no sui ed o peace ul
ci ilian li e.
Second, he Russian s a e also has o
go e n he Uk ainian e i o ies i occupies
and p omo e hei o ced in eg a ion in o
he Russian poli ical space. I is doing so by
sending adminis a i e pe sonnel om he
Russian egions o he occupied e i o ies.
These “new egions” – oge he wi h C imea
and Se as opol, which we e annexed in
2014 – a e becoming wha is called in Rus-
sian a “pe sonnel o ge”: hund eds and
housands o o icials a e being selec ed o
ans e o hese egions and unde go ain-
ing he e. In sho , he occupied egions
a e p oducing a new ype o Russian admin-
is a i e eli e.
SWP Commen 22
May 2025
2
(No) ime o he oes
In his p esiden ial add ess o 29 Feb ua y
2024, Vladimi Pu in decla ed ha hose
aking pa in he so-called Special Mili a y
Ope a ion (SMO – he K emlin’s euphem-
ism o Russia’s wa o agg ession agains
Uk aine) should become he “ eal eli e”
o Russia and eplace hose who en iched
hemsel es in he 1990s and s ill hold
leading posi ions wi hin he s a e appa-
a us. Tha decla a ion signalled he s a
o he “Time o He oes” p og amme, which
was launched immedia ely a e Pu in’s
speech. The p og amme p o ides aining
o e wo yea s (including ou ull- ime
one-mon h modules) and is o e seen by he
P esiden ial Academy o Na ional Economy
and Public Adminis a ion, which he K em-
lin uses o implemen new app oaches o
aining adminis a i e eli es and pe son-
nel. Fo example, he academy has been
unning he “Leade s o Russia” p og amme
and he “School o Go e no s” p ojec since
2017 and launched he “School o Mayo s”
p og amme in 2023.
Acco ding o o icial sou ces, he i s call
o applica ions o he “Time o He oes”
p og amme a ac ed 44,000 candida es,
om which jus 83 we e selec ed. T aining
began in mid-May 2024. Fi s , he p o-
g amme pa icipan s we e sen o he No h
Pole on he iceb eake 50 Yea s o Vic o y.
La e , hey a ended lec u es by leading go -
e nmen o icials and manage s, including
Fi s Depu y Chie o S a o he P esiden-
ial Adminis a ion Se gei Ki ienko, who is
he p og amme cu a o , Depu y Chai man
o he Russian Secu i y Council Dmi y
Med ede , Depu y P ime Minis e Ma a
Khusnullin and Minis e o Fo eign A ai s
Se gei La o . The p og amme also includes
p ac ice-o ien ed in e nships men o ed by
high- anking o icials wi hin he p esiden-
ial adminis a ion, ede al minis ies and
depa men s, he S a e Duma and he Fed-
e a ion Council, as well as egional au ho -
i ies and majo s a e-owned companies.
Be o e e en comple ing he p og amme,
wo dozen o so i s -yea pa icipan s we e
appoin ed o new posi ions in Sep embe –
Oc obe 2024. The mos p ominen among
hem was A em Zhoga, a o me ield com-
mande and speake o he “pa liamen ”
o he Done sk People’s Republic (DPR). A
a mee ing be ween Vladimi Pu in and
wa e e ans in Decembe 2023, Zhoga had
been ins uc ed o ask he head o s a e
o un again in he upcoming p esiden ial
elec ions. Pu in la e esponded by ecom-
mending him as a candida e o he “Time
o He oes” p og amme, om which he
would no mally ha e been disquali ied
owing o his lack o a highe educa ion.
Zhoga was appoin ed p esiden ial en oy o
he U als Fede al Dis ic in Oc obe 2024
and is now a igu ehead o he poli ical
in eg a ion o wa e e ans.
O he “Time o He oes” alumni ha e
become sena o s o he Ku sk egion, he
Al ai Republic and he annexed C imea.
O he s ha e gone on o wo k in he p esi-
den ial adminis a ion o in s a e en e p ises
such as Russian Railways and he Fede al
Ai T anspo Agency, he Sama a Resea ch
and P oduc ion Cen e o Unmanned Ai -
c a Sys ems and Rosa om. And he pos
o head he “Mo emen o he Fi s ”, an all-
Russian o ganisa ion o child en and young
people ounded by Pu in in Decembe 2022,
has been illed by a “Time o He oes” pa -
icipan .
Many o he p og amme pa icipan s
ha e been gi en high- anking pos s in he
egions, including ha o minis e o you h
and social communica ions (Republic o
Sakha), depu y chai man o he Commi ee
on Law O de and Secu i y o S Pe e sbu g
and chai man o he Duma o he ci y o
Nizhny No go od.
The posi ions o which SMO e e ans
ha e been appoin ed a e la gely i ele an
and limi ed o a eas o seconda y impo -
ance, such as spo s and pa io ic educa-
ion, wi hin egional adminis a ions and
a ious minis ies as well as s a e-owned
companies. E en A em Zhoga’s pos as
p esiden ial plenipo en ia y o he U als
Fede al Dis ic is one o s a us a he han
pu pose: in he pas , such posi ions se ed
o p o ide an hono a y pension o leading
o icials. This only goes o show ha e en
SWP Commen 22
May 2025
3
in he Russian sys em – whe e bu eauc a s
a e no equi ed o be independen and
almos anyone can pe o m he unc ion
o ansmi ing a signal om he op o
he bo om – he e is no way ha he eal
le e s o con ol would be en us ed o
comple ely unp epa ed hands.
I has also been e iden du ing he pas
yea ha he “he oes” o he SMO enjoy
li le popula i y wi hin Russian socie y.
Acco ding o he esul s o he egional and
municipal elec ions in Sep embe 2024,
SMO e e ans who an as candida es – and
we e ac i ely p omo ed by he K emlin –
won only 331 ou o mo e han 30,000
manda es. Thi y- ou o hose e e ans
we e admi ed o he new con oca ions o
egional pa liamen s (equi alen o some
5 pe cen o he 659 manda es dis ibu ed
a his le el), 46 o he councils o egional
capi als (7.5 pe cen o he 610 manda es)
and 233 o he municipal bodies o smalle
ci ies and owns (less han 1 pe cen ).
One possible eason why ci izens a e no
inclined o o e o e e ans o he SMO is
ha he K emlin depic s he wa in Uk aine
as a emo ed om, and i ele an o, he
e e yday li e o o dina y ci izens bu a he
same ime is a aid o seek o capi alise on
he opic o wa – unpopula among Rus-
sians – du ing he elec ion campaigns.
Because olun ee s ecei e huge sums om
he Russian au ho i ies o signing up o
se e, hey a e pe cei ed by he majo i y as
“soldie s o o une”, lucky o ha e su i ed
and ea ned money o boo , a he han
na ional he oes; and his allows he K em-
lin o a e any widesp ead public discon-
en o e he wa losses.
Mo eo e , many o he e e ans come
om wo social g oups ha command li le
espec o app ecia ion in Russian socie y:
bu eauc a s and c iminals se ing p ison
sen ences who we e mobilized by p i a e
mili a y companies like “Wagne ” and he
Minis y o De ence. The K emlin’s a emp s
o p omo e such indi iduals ha e been
mos ly unsuccess ul – as, o example, in
he elec ions o he head o he Republic
o Khakassia in Sep embe 2023. In he Sep-
embe 2024 elec ions, he o e whelming
majo i y o newly elec ed depu ies wi h a
mili a y pas an on he lis s o he uling
Uni ed Russia pa y.
‘He oes’ p og amme
in he egions
A he Uni ed Russia cong ess in Moscow
in Decembe 2024, Pu in exp essed he
wish ha he “Time o He oes” p og amme
should be eplica ed a he egional le el,
“as has al eady been done in he S a opol
Te i o y, in he Belgo od, Vo onezh,
Ryazan, Sama a [and] Tula egions and in
he Khan y-Mansi Au onomous Dis ic ”.
Pu in also no ed ha Uni ed Russia mem-
be s should ensu e SMO pa icipan s a e
ac i ely in ol ed in pa y p ojec s, in o de
o suppo “ alen ed, goal-o ien ed people”
who can se e as ole models o he
younge gene a ion.
Acco dingly, he egions ushed o launch
local e sions o he “Time o He oes” p o-
g amme and c ea ed go e nmen pos s o
hose g adua ing om i . In he Sa a o
egion, he special pos o depu y head o
he local adminis a ion wi h esponsibili y
o pa io ic educa ion was in oduced a
he egional and dis ic le el. In Yaku ia,
he heads o egional and municipal dis-
ic s we e ins uc ed o appoin SMO e -
e ans o simila pos s as in Sa a o . And a
leas wo g adua es o he “Time o He oes”
p og amme ha e become heads o la ge
municipal councils (Nizhny No go od and
Tomsk).
Since 2025, he Moscow egion has
o e ed SMO e e ans aining in ou a eas:
“ci il ac i is ”, “manage ”, “p o ile special-
is ” and “en ep eneu ”. Fo i s pa , he
Vo onezh egion now has a comp ehensi e
ehabili a ion p og amme in which SMO
pa icipan s a e able o lea n one o 13 p o-
essions.
F om he abo e, i seems ha he in e-
g a ion o wa e e ans in o go e nmen
s uc u es is p oceeding mo e apidly in
he Russian egions han a he ede al
le el. This inc eases he isk ha egional
go e nance – al eady poo – will de e io-
SWP Commen 22
May 2025
4
a e e en u he . And while wa e e ans
do no ye pose a eal h ea o he K emlin
owing o hei ela i ely small numbe ,
hund eds o housands o a med and au-
ma ised e e ans will e u n o Russia when,
e en ually, demobilisa ion akes place.
They will be accus omed o he laws o a
bloody wa and many o hem will ind i
di icul o e u n o ci ilian li e. Up oo ed
om socie y, imbued wi h cynicism and
dehumanised, hey could become a se ious
h ea o Russia’s poli ical and socie al
s abili y.
Russian adminis a i e pe sonnel
in he occupied e i o ies
O e he pas h ee yea s o so, hund eds o
Russian o icials a a ious le els ha e been
passing h ough he occupied e i o ies.
They include o icials sen o pe o m shi
wo k wi hin he occupa ion adminis a-
ions, hose who isi ed ci ies, adminis a-
i e dis ic s and mili a y uni s unde he
pa onage sys em (see below) and hose who
saw he SMO as a ca ee oppo uni y o a
chance o a one o pas ac ions.
Da a om 2024 show ha in he occu-
pied egions, jus unde hal o leading ci il
se an s – ha is, a he le el o depu y
p ime minis e o highe – a e local eli es.
In he case o he DPR and he Luhansk
People’s Republic (LPR), hese a e g oups
ha ha e o med o e mo e han a decade
o “independence”. In he Khe son and
Zapo izhzhia egions, hey comp ise mainly
Uk ainian o icials who aligned wi h Russia
ollowing he occupa ion. Howe e , a g ow-
ing majo i y o ci il se an s in he occu-
pied e i o ies as a whole a e om Russia.
Among he o icials examined, almos one
in i e (se en ou o 37) wo ked a he Rus-
sian Minis y o Indus y and T ade, while
o he s came om he Russian Minis y o
Economic De elopmen , o he ede al min-
is ies and a ious Russian egions.
The Russian egions a e also in ol ed
in he adminis a ion o he occupied e i-
o ies. They send pe sonnel o he e i o-
ies unde he pa onage sys em ha was
i s implemen ed in 2014 and e i ed in
2022. Fo example, he Vologda egion
assumed pa onage o Alche sk in he LPR
and Alexei Lyso , who came om Vologda,
was ini ially depu y head o he local ad-
minis a ion be o e aking o e as depu y
p ime minis e o Zapo izhzhia. A he
beginning o he wa , he K asnoda egion
became pa on o he Kha ko egion and
And ei Alekseenko, he o me mayo o
K asnoda , wen he e be o e assuming
he pos o p ime minis e o he Khe son
egion. Se as opol is pa on o Meli opol,
he capi al o he occupied Zapo izhzhia
egion, which may well explain he la ge
numbe o people om C imea in he
egional adminis a ion. Municipal o icials
om Russia p ope a e also ep esen ed in
he leade ship o he occupied e i o ies.
Fo example, Yego Ko alchuk, cu en ly
se ing as p ime minis e o he LPR, was
p e iously mayo o Miass in he Chelya-
binsk egion. No ably, in almos e e y case,
he pos gi en o a ci il se an in he “new
egion” in ol es a p omo ion, o en a sig-
ni ican one.
A he same ime, he K emlin is keen
o a oid he pe cep ion ha he egional
adminis a ions o he “new egions” a e
occupa ion au ho i ies. The ou side s ap-
poin ed as heads o egional go e nmen s
end no o b ing hei own people o only
a e y small numbe , op ing ins ead o
wo k wi h he eams al eady in place. The
no able excep ion was Vi aly Kho senko,
who a i ed in he DPR in he summe o
2022 wi h a la ge eam; howe e , by he
ollowing yea , bo h he and his colleagues
had e u ned o Russia. Meanwhile, some
o icials “escape” o he occupied e i o ies
a e acing legal issues in hei home
egions; howe e , his does no ba hem
om being appoin ed o high o ice. P omi-
nen examples a e And ei Alekseenko,
who became p ime minis e o he Khe son
egion, and Oleg Kol uno , who, despi e
ha ing allen in o dis epu e, was la e ap-
poin ed in e nal a ai s minis e o Zapo-
izhzhia.
SWP Commen 22
May 2025
5
Occupa ion as ca ee boos e :
High expec a ions, sobe eali y
When egional adminis a ions we e being
es ablished in he occupied e i o ies in
2022, i was widely hough ha wo king
he e would o e a ange o ca ee oppo -
uni ies o newly a i ed o icials and could
se e as a sp ingboa d o p o essional
ad ancemen . Bu in eali y, such p ospec s
ha e p o ed e y limi ed. O hose o icials
who ha e wo ked in he occupied e i o-
ies, jus h ee – o i e i he “Time o
He oes” p og amme is aken in o accoun –
ha e gone on o become go e no s, mos ly
o smalle egions.
Vi aly Kho senko, who had headed a
depa men a he Russian Minis y o In-
dus y and T ade be o e assuming he pos
o p ime minis e o he DPR, e u ned o
Russia wi hin less han a yea o ake up
he pos o go e no o he Omsk egion.
Vladisla Kuzne so , who had se ed as
depu y leade o he Ku gan egion be o e
being appoin ed depu y p ime minis e o
he LPR, became head o Chuko ka on his
e u n o Russia.
Ye geny Pe ysho , he o me mayo o
K asnoda and la e a S a e Duma depu y,
olun ee ed in Oc obe 2022 o join he
comba a my ese e uni called “Cascade”,
in which depu ies and o icials se e unde
ela i ely com o able condi ions. In May
2024, he joined he “Time o He oes” p o-
g amme; and, six mon hs la e , in No em-
be 2024, he was appoin ed ac ing go e no
o he Tambo egion.
Ma ia Kos yuk, head o he “Time o
He oes” p og amme, was appoin ed ac ing
go e no o he Jewish Au onomous Region
in No embe 2024. I ina Gekh , o me ly
i s depu y go e no o he Chelyabinsk
egion, was named head o he go e nmen
o he Zapo izhzhia egion in May 2024
bu emained in o ice o less han a yea .
Following a con lic wi h he go e no o
he egion, she was ans e ed o se e as
ac ing go e no o he Nene s Au onomous
Dis ic .
Abo e all, i is ca ee -d i en o icials who
choose o wo k in he occupied e i o ies
in he hope o being apidly p omo ed
he ea e . Many a e alumni o he K em-
lin’s “School o Go e no s” p og amme and
ha e aken pa in he “Leade s o Russia”
compe i ion, launched in 2017 by Se gei
Ki ienko, who became he K emlin’s o e -
see o he occupied e i o ies a e he
beginning o he wa . Financial incen i es
play a ole, oo: in he “new egions”, o i-
cials can ea n wo o h ee imes mo e han
in Russia.
Some o icials – ypically om egions
ha ha e assumed pa onage o pa s o
he occupied e i o ies – a e dispa ched
on sho e - e m assignmen s ( o example,
las ing jus se e al mon hs). Unde a Rus-
sian go e nmen dec ee, hey ecei e double
hei sala y while se ing he e.
On a e age, o icials emain in he “new
egions” o abou 18 mon hs. Bu he leng h
o s ay can a y widely: some Russians who
began wo king in Donbas be o e he ull-
scale wa o sho ly a e i had begun con-
inue o se e he e o his day, while o he s
ha e emained o less han six mon hs.
I is ela i ely a e o an o icial who has
wo ked in one o he occupied e i o ies o
Uk aine o e u n o he egion whe e hey
p e iously se ed.
While he e is no ye su icien ma e ial
e idence o make b oad gene alisa ions, i
seems he e is conce n among he Russian
poli ical es ablishmen abou he conduc
o o icials who, a e spending ime in he
occupied egions, ha e been eassigned o
new posi ions back in Russia. “The ac is
ha in he annexed e i o ies, o icials
‘lea n o handle’ budge unds alloca ed o
‘ es o a ion’ wi h a oo much eedom –
e en by he s anda ds o he Russian ci il
se ice,” one egional o icial old Meduza,
an independen Russian media ou le in
exile. The same o icial desc ibed he si ua-
ion in he occupied e i o ies as a “ eal
school o co up ion”.
SWP Commen 22
May 2025
6
Ca ee pa hs in
educa ion and cul u e
The “new egions” ha e al eady become an
impo an aining g ound o manage s in
Russian educa ion and cul u e. Hund eds
o ambi ious bu eauc a s and academics
be ween he age o 30 and 40 ha e been
ans e ed he e, and many o hose now
occupying key posi ions in cul u e and edu-
ca ion in Russia we e selec ed – and hei
iews and ou look shaped – while se ing
in he occupied e i o ies. These indi id-
uals could o m he backbone o a new
managemen eli e in bo h ields.
The mo e han h ee yea s ha ha e
passed since he Russian occupa ion o
Uk ainian e i o ies is oo sho a ime o be
able o ully assess he ca ee ajec o ies o
o icials who ha e se ed in hose egions –
especially ou side he op ie s o egional
bu eauc acies. Howe e , he ou lines o a
b oade end a e beginning o eme ge om
he ew ca ee pa hs documen ed so a .
Fo example, Dmi y Sido o , o me
minis e o cul u e o he LPR and a g adu-
a e o he Russian Minis y o Cul u e’s
“Highe School o Manage s in he Sphe e
o Cul u e” p og amme, was appoin ed
head o he Moscow Ins i u e o Cul u e in
2025. A o me classma e o his, Roman
Oleksin, was ecen ly named minis e o
cul u e o he Zapo izhzhia egion. And an-
o he young ca ee o icial, Igo Na ozhny,
o me ly a depa men head a he Peoples’
F iendship Uni e si y o Russia (RUDN) in
Moscow, ook o e om Sido o as minis e
o cul u e o he LPR.
Sido o , bo n in he Luhansk egion in
1989, is he i s Russian uni e si y ec o
o come om “No o ossiya”. A e 2014,
he s a ed building his ca ee unde he
new au ho i ies, se ing as a local depu y
in Luhansk and o ganising pseudo-pa io ic
e en s. His e o s did no go unno iced: he
was appoin ed minis e o cul u e, spo s
and you h o he LPR in 2017 and, ollow-
ing an o e haul o he egional go e nmen
s uc u e, minis e o cul u e in 2023. Two
yea s la e , he ans e ed o Moscow o
ake up his cu en pos .
His successo , Igo Na ozhny, was bo n
in 1989, oo, and g adua ed om RUDN
Uni e si y. Ini ially, he had a modes aca-
demic ca ee , ising slowly h ough he
anks o become a senio lec u e . In 2023,
his ca ee ook o when he was appoin ed
depu y ec o o he Luhansk Academy
o Cul u e and A s and, some 18 mon hs
la e , minis e o cul u e o he LPR.
Among Na ozhny’s colleagues in he
LPR go e nmen is I an Kusko , he minis-
e o educa ion, who was bo n in 1987 and
g adua ed om Moscow S a e Uni e si y. In
Ap il 2014, he was appoin ed depu y di ec-
o o de elopmen a he Se as opol b anch
o Moscow S a e Uni e si y; one yea la e ,
he ook o e as di ec o . Ha ing wo ked as
depu y ec o o Se as opol S a e Uni e si y
om 2019 onwa ds, he was named minis e
o educa ion o he LPR in 2022.
Oleg T o imo has se ed as minis e
o educa ion and science o he DPR since
Augus 2024. Bo n in Tyumen in 1986, he
g adua ed and ea ned a PhD om he local
uni e si y and e en ually became a depu y
head o depa men he e. A e winning
he “Leade s o Russia” compe i ion, he was
appoin ed depu y minis e o educa ion o
he DPR in July 2022, e en be o e he egion
had been o mally annexed by Russia. Two
yea s la e , he assumed he pos o minis e
o educa ion and science.
T o imo ’s p edecesso , Olga Koluda o a,
was bo n in a -o Izhe sk in 1983. Ha ing
begun he ca ee in a lowly posi ion a he
Minis y o Educa ion and Science o Ud-
mu ia, she la e ans e ed o Moscow o
se e as a depu y depa men al head a he
Russian Minis y o Educa ion and Science.
She was appoin ed minis e o educa ion
o he DPR in July 2022 and was p omo ed
o he pos o depu y minis e o educa ion
o he Russian Fede a ion in 2024.
Igo As anin, minis e o you h policy o
he Khe son egion, was bo n in As akhan
in 1991. A o me leade o he local b anch
o he p o-K emlin “Nashi” you h mo e-
men , he wo ked on elec ion campaigns in
a ious egions. In 2022, he was appoin ed
o he pos o depu y ec o o he Khe son
Pedagogical Uni e si y and, in Augus 2023,
SWP Commen 22
May 2025
7
o his cu en posi ion as minis e o you h
policy.
Such ca ee ajec o ies a e illus a i e
bu ew and a be ween. The numbe o
young ca ee is s in educa ion and cul u e
who ha e locked o “No o ossiya” a
exceeds he numbe o minis e ial posi ions
a ailable, e en aking in o accoun he high
u no e . In 2023, no ewe han 29 uni e -
si ies in he “new e i o ies” we e g an ed
he same legal s a us as Russian uni e si-
ies; and his has led o an in lux o admin-
is a o s om Russia’s highe educa ion
sys em. Thus, i can be seen ha he “new
e i o ies” ha e al eady become an impo -
an “pe sonnel o ge” o managemen
s uc u es in Russian educa ion and cul-
u e.
Conclusions
The in eg a ion o wa e e ans in o Rus-
sia’s adminis a i e class emains la gely
illuso y. Those who ha e aken pa in he
“Time o He oes” p og amme a e appoin ed
o poli ically i ele an , symbolic posi ions
wi hin he bu eauc acy. Mo eo e , hei
numbe is limi ed. Tha said, i canno be
gua an eed ha he K emlin will be able
o ensu e he e is no poli ical allou in
he u u e, pa icula ly as he numbe o
people e u ning om he on will in-
c ease sha ply. The g adual in eg a ion o a
la ge numbe o wa e e ans could become
a majo challenge o he es ablished poli i-
cal class and h ea en he s abili y o he
Russian au oc acy.
Meanwhile, he K emlin’s a emp s o
accele a e he in eg a ion o he occupied
Uk ainian e i o ies in o Russia’s poli ical
and economic space a e con on ed wi h
he same challenges as hose in C imea
a e 2014, albei on a much la ge scale.
The ambiguous legal en i onmen o his
“g ey zone,” along wi h he oppo uni ies
o ca ee ad ancemen , a ac s a wide
ange o ca ee is s and ad en u e s. Upon
hei e u n o Russia, hey ha e no only
in e nalised he p ac ice o ci cum en ing
laws and ci il se ice no ms; hey ha e also
acqui ed he co e ed s a us o “he o”.
In his con ex , Chechnya may se e as
a his o ical p eceden . Du ing and a e he
second Chechen wa , he p ac ice o o a -
ing law en o cemen o ice s om o he
Russian egions led o he widesp ead no -
malisa ion o lawlessness, o u e and police
b u ali y h oughou he coun y. Sending
mid-le el manage s o “No o ossiya” os e s
he sp ead o beha iou al s anda ds and
go e nance p ac ices ha a e ypical o
occupa ion zones. In addi ion, i con ib-
u es o he o ma ion o ne wo ks o people
who sha e he expe iences and iden i y
acqui ed du ing s in s in he occupied
Uk ainian e i o ies. Once he indi iduals
who ha e passed h ough hose e i o ies
each a c i ical mass in he ede al and
egional adminis a ions, hey could s a
o pose a se ious p oblem o he K emlin.
A e mo e han h ee yea s o ull-scale
wa and occupa ion, he nega i e epe cus-
sions o Russia’s poli ical sys em and [ad-
minis a i e] class a e e iden . The p ocess
o “Donbasisa ion” will con inue o lead o
a de e io a ion in he quali y o go e nance
and will ha e an in luence on he u u e
de elopmen o bo h he Russian s a e and
socie y.
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Ge man Ins i u e o
In e na ional and
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ISSN (P in ) 1861-1761
ISSN (Online) 2747-5107
DOI: 10.18449/2025C22
D Nikolay Pe o is a Visi ing Fellow a he Eas e n Eu ope and Eu asia Resea ch Di ision o SWP.
