Opinion: the unification of Donbass, Novorossiya and Crimea will accelerate the integration of regions

June 6, head of the Zaporozhye region Evgeniy Balitsky that the authorities are discussing the issue of creating a new federal district, which could include the Lugansk and Donetsk people’s republics, the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, as well as Crimea.

Sevastopol and Crimea have been part of Russia for 10 years, and in the Southern Federal District we feel like full-fledged subjects. A significant part of the problems that were inherited from Ukraine have been resolved, but if such a solution is [о создании нового федерального округа], then we may be able to share the experience that has been gained over 10 years. Perhaps such a decision will be advisable so that the regions can quickly and efficiently go through the path of integrationTASS quotes Ekaterina Altabaeva.

The senator explained that it would be easier to organize such an exchange of experience within one district, and it would also be easier to build the legislative and economic systems according to the same model.

We understand that these four subjects, which recently returned to Russia, are our historical lands, they have common development tasks. They need to bridge the gap economically, legally, educationally — there are many areas that need to be seriously changed, since this is now Russian territory. And now the issues are being resolved: how to rebuild the legislative system, economic system, educational system and other issues,” notes the agency’s interlocutor.

She noted that, shortly after reunification with Russia in 2014, Crimea and Sevastopol were separated into a separate federal district — precisely to facilitate integration tasks. And only after some time they became part of the Southern Federal District.

Altabaeva, as a historian, also recalled that once a significant part of all these territories was part of the unified Tauride province, but Sevastopol almost always had a special status as a base of the Black Sea Fleet.