On March 14, the LPR will consider the law on the administrative-territorial division of the region

On March 14, the People’s Council of the Lugansk People’s Republic plans to consider a bill on a new administrative-territorial division of the region, two sources close to the regional parliament told Vedomosti. Its chairman, Denis Miroshnichenko, evaded a direct answer to Vedomosti’s question about plans to consider the draft law, proposing to wait until March 14th.

According to one of Vedomosti’s sources, the draft regional law was developed as part of the integration of the LPR into Russian legislation. An element of the territorial organization of Russia, complementing its federal structure, is the internal administrative-territorial structure of the regions, he recalled, which is why the adoption of such a law is a necessary step.

In the LPR, the administrative-territorial structure will be formed on the principles that are currently relevant, says the source of Vedomosti, – this is the territorial unity of the region, compliance with the existing system of settlement, taking into account the opinions of citizens, the level of integration of territories, their production, economic, social and cultural ties, etc.

The internal structure of the territory has changed several times. Prior to the start of the conflict in the spring of 2014, the Lugansk region included 14 cities of regional subordination, as well as 18 districts (Antratsitovsky, Belovodsky, Belokurakinsky, Krasnodonsky, Kremensky, Lutuginsky, Markovsky, Melovsky, Novoaydarsky, Novopskovsky, Perevalsky, Svatovsky, Sverdlovsky, Slavyanoserbsky, Stanichno-Lugansky, Starobelsky, Troitsky and Popasnyansky). After the start of the special operation, the head of the region, Leonid Pasechnik, issued a decree according to which the administrative-territorial division of the LPR corresponds to the structure of the former Luhansk region as of May 18, 2014.

According to Vedomosti’s source, it is assumed that the overall structure of the region will be preserved. 14 settlements will be classified as cities of republican significance (more than 20,000 people should live in them): Alchevsk, Anthracite, Bryanka, Kirovsk, Krasnodon, Krasny Luch, Lisichansk, Lugansk, Pervomaisk, Rovenki, Rubizhnoye, Sverdlovsk, Severodonetsk, Stakhanov. 17 districts will also be created – all the same that existed before, except for Popasnyansky, he notes.

During the battles for the liberation of the LPR, the city of Popasnaya was almost completely destroyed. According to preliminary data, which Pasechnik announced in the summer of 2022, they decided not to restore Popasnaya. The city is going to be included in the city of republican significance Pervomaisk.

The right to change the administrative-territorial structure is assigned to the People’s Council of the LPR. At the same time, municipalities will have to take into account the opinions of citizens on changing the administrative-territorial structure through a referendum or a gathering of citizens (the procedure will be established by local acts in accordance with federal laws).

In the Zaporozhye region, a similar decision has already been made – a decree on administrative-territorial division (there is no parliament in this subject of the Federation) was signed on March 3 by the acting head of the region Yevhen Balitsky. In the DPR and the Kherson region, such decisions have not yet been made, but, according to federal constitutional laws on their incorporation into the Russian Federation, the regions must do this in the coming weeks – before April.

Previously, there was no local self-government on the territory of the DPR and LPR. At the same time, as political scientist Alexei Makarkin notes, residents of the new territories under martial law pay little attention to the division of functions between state power and local self-government. “The main thing is who is responsible for pensions, benefits, hospitals, schools, restoration of destroyed buildings. That is [людям важен] a set of absolutely concrete things. When it comes to extraordinary situations, people are not very fond of talking about lofty theories and matters,” he told Vedomosti.

Alexander Tikhonov participated in the preparation of the article