How Zaporozhye is preparing for a referendum on reunification with the Russian Federation
The Zaporozhye authorities in early August officially confirmed their intention to hold a referendum on the reunification of the region with Russia. In Berdyansk, a queue of those wishing to apply for citizenship of the Russian Federation is lined up in the morning, Russian banks and mobile operators are already working in the city, and you can pay in rubles in cafes and shops. Military observer of Izvestia Alexey Ramm found out on the spot how Zaporozhye has changed over the past few months, what worries its residents and what tasks the leaders set for themselves.
A long way
— The center is working very slowly. I handed in my documents a week ago. But my passport is not ready yet. How long can I wait? Elena, a resident of Berdyansk, asks me emotionally.
We are talking on Unity Square — this is the very center of the city. Despite the fact that it's a weekday, it's very busy here. Literally a few meters away from us, on the Azov Avenue, there is a multifunctional center where residents of the Zaporozhye region can get passports of citizens of the Russian Federation. Although it is only 9 o'clock in the morning, there is already a tight queue at the entrance to the institution.
I haven't been to Berdyansk for several months. Back in the spring, when heavy fighting was going on in Mariupol around Azovstal, there was a peaceful life in Berdyansk. Shops were open, public transport was running and nothing reminded of the fighting.
Of course, the residents had their own serious problems. On the day of my visit, the Kiev authorities turned off cellular communication and partially the Internet in the entire Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. There were no hryvnias in the banks and this seriously complicated not only the work of the financial system, but also affected the inhabitants. But at the same time, rubles were not taken at retail outlets. The main question that bothered the Zaporozhtzi at that time was how the fate of their region would turn out?
Photo: IZVESTIA/Alexey Ramm
Image source: iz.ru
Departure from Donetsk to Berdyansk — at four o'clock in the morning. Now that Mariupol has already been liberated, the way to the west has become much shorter. But the road system inherited from Ukraine still eats up a lot of time. There is no direct route connecting Donetsk, Mariupol, Berdyansk and Kherson as such. We have to continuously loop between numerous settlements. And the coating itself leaves much to be desired.
We pass Mangush and after a while we get to the territory of the Zaporozhye region. The first thing that immediately catches your eye is a large billboard with the phrase "Russia is here forever." And such an object is not an isolated one. Posters are hung all over the region, information stands are installed, and ads are simply pasted up. All of them tell civilians about how to obtain Russian citizenship, inform them about social benefits and the rules of their assignment.
In general, serious information work is being carried out with the Cossacks: how will their life develop further, what will be the benefits and social guarantees for future residents of Russia and how to properly enter a new life.
Until recently, there was only one point in Berdyansk where it was possible to issue a Russian passport. But due to the influx of applicants, an additional multifunctional center was opened just a few dozen meters away. Now, on average, this procedure takes two weeks from the moment of submission of documents to the delivery of a passport. But to the locals, such a period seems too long — everyone wants much faster.
Inside, the new center is no different from the MFC centers that operate throughout Russia. More than a dozen specialists are sitting at the tables, who prepare all the necessary documents and certificates on the spot, as well as explain to future citizens of Russia how to properly arrange everything. Despite this, many Zaporozhets get confused and make mistakes — they often bring the wrong documents, fill out questionnaires and applications incorrectly. But all the same, the registration of Russian passports is one of the most popular services.
The path of the ruble
A few meters from the multifunctional center there is a cozy coffee shop. Last time in Berdyansk, they refused to sell me coffee for rubles. Now I decide to try again.
To the question: "do you take rubles?" sellers answer in the affirmative. Prices still remain in hryvnia, but they are immediately recalculated at the exchange rate. In 2014, three rubles were given for one hryvnia. Now the exchange rate has fallen, now you can take one hryvnia for 1.5–1.8 rubles.
Now in Berdyansk, and in the Zaporozhye region as a whole, there are no places where the Russian currency is not accepted. The ruble mass in the region has grown rapidly. Moreover, Kiev itself contributed to this. In the first days of the special military operation, leaving the cities, Ukrainian banks took out almost all cash hryvnia. Therefore, in the spring, getting paper money was a very acute problem. There were whole queues at the few ATMs where the hryvnia was taken.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Alexey Ramm
Image source: iz.ru
With the arrival of rubles, the situation has changed dramatically. The "ATM" queues have practically disappeared. And in retail outlets, the turnover of the hryvnia is treated very strictly. For example, in several shops and cafes, for the sake of experiment, I paid in rubles, but asked to give me change in hryvnia. And everywhere I was refused. It is already clear that the share of the hryvnia is rapidly decreasing under the onslaught of the ruble.
According to the mayor of Berdyansk Alexander Saulenko, a lot has changed in the last two months. So, two Russian financial organizations have already entered the city — the International Settlement Bank and Promsvyazbank.
— Now we have two MRB departments and four PSBs, — Alexander Saulenko tells us. — The International Settlement Bank is currently working only with legal entities. But Promsyazbank works with "physicists".
Also, according to the mayor, several Russian mobile operators and Internet service providers are already operating in the region. In particular, the Phoenix network is already actively developing, which is well known to residents of the Donetsk Republic. I can test it in practice. The SIM card of this operator was just installed in my phone. In general, the voice communication of Zaporozhye "Phoenix" provides stable. But the mobile Internet is still "jumping", and it is not always out of town.
Industry and Resort
And if the problems with money, cellular communication and obtaining citizenship are already being solved, then the question remains how Berdyansk, and the region as a whole, will develop further.
Mayor Alexander Saulenko, not without pride, says that now a port, a meat processing plant and several other enterprises are operating in the city. All social services provide the population in full.
— Now our main task is to restore and preserve the work of all enterprises, — the mayor of Berdyansk emphasizes.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Alexey Ramm
Image source: iz.ru
Literally a couple of kilometers from Unity Square there is a unique natural phenomenon — the Berdyansk Spit. This is a piece of land with a length of almost 20 km. Dozens of sanatoriums, hotels, holiday homes and boarding houses are located on it. Unfortunately, so far most of the objects are empty. Driving along the spit, we saw vacationers, but on such large-scale beaches, it seems that they simply do not exist.
In the summer of 2014, Ukrainian armed formations even deployed anti—amphibious defense in Berdyansk - they dug up beaches, set up barriers and deployed firing positions. Boarding houses, hotels and rest houses were partially given over to the troops, partially turned into fortifications. Later, however, most of the defense lines were removed, and tourists were able to return.
— Until 2014, a lot of vacationers from Donetsk and Lugansk and from Russia came to us, — says Sergey, the owner of one of the hotels. — There have been years when in summer the population of the city increased from 100 thousand to almost a million! Of course, all the locals made very good money in the service sector. There have been no such profits for the last eight years. And the city's economy suffered.
My interlocutor, without hiding, says that a significant part of the profit was brought by the Russians. They did not skimp on entertainment, preferred more prestigious hotels and generally sought to spend money. And, of course, now the local business is very much counting on the resumption of tourism on the same scale. Moreover, the entire infrastructure in Berdyansk is available.
Alexey Ramm
