Kremlin plans to redistribute power in occupied Crimea

On the temporarily occupied peninsula, conflicts within the occupation administration are increasing. The Kremlin is considering a large-scale redistribution of power in Crimea and the replacement of some local proteges.

This was written by experts of the Center for Countering Disinformation.

Experts noted that the struggle between groups of collaborators in Crimea is escalating and entering the public sphere. The competition for control over resources and influence has intensified on the peninsula, which may be a sign of preparation for a large-scale redistribution of power organized from Moscow.

Conflicts, mutual accusations, and media attacks between representatives of Russian law enforcement agencies and occupation administrations indicate a weakening of the positions of some Crimean officials. This creates a 'window of opportunity' for the Kremlin to replace them with more dependent and loyal to the center.

Analysts at the Center for Countering Disinformation believe that Moscow is seeking to strengthen its vertical control over the peninsula, from replacing key figures to revising the zones of influence between different Russian 'curators'. New personnel decisions can be made quickly, and access to financial flows and management resources can be redistributed.

The topic of ''reformatting'' the authorities in Crimea is increasingly appearing in Russian media and telegram channels, which may be an attempt to prepare the information ground for future decisions by the Kremlin.

In addition, under the procedural guidance of the Kherson Regional Prosecutor's Office, a former judge of the Sevastopol Commercial Court of Appeal was served in absentia with a notice of suspicion of collaboration (Part 7 of Article 111-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

According to the investigation, back in 2015, the man voluntarily sided with Russia and agreed to serve as a so-called 'magistrate judge' in Sevastopol. Subsequently, no later than February 2024, while in the temporarily occupied territory of Kherson region, he accepted a new "appointment" - to a pseudo-entity created by the Russian occupation administration called the Kherson Regional Court.

After that, the suspect began to administer"justice" under Russian law, actually working in the interests of the aggressor state and supporting the functioning of the occupation judicial system in the occupied territory.

Катерина Глушко