Russia declares Melitopol “capital” of occupied part of Zaporizhia region - British intelligence.

On March 3, 2023, the authorities in the Russian-controlled part of Zaporizhia region published a decree declaring the occupied Melitopol as the region capital.

That’s according to the British Ministry of Defense, referring to their intelligence update, Ukrinform reports.

Russian-installed head of the region, Evgeniy Balitskiy, said that this was a temporary measure until the city of Zaporizhia was controlled by Russia.

Zaporizhia is one of the four regions claimed to have annexed as part of the Russian Federation on 30 September, 2022. Russia has never occupied Zaporizhia city, a major industrial center of 700,000 people, which is approximately 3 km from the current front line, the report notes.

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"The quiet declaration of an alternate capital is likely a tacit acknowledgement within the Russian system that its forces are highly unlikely to seize previously planned major objectives in the near future," the intelligence report said.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, British intelligence in its previous update said Russian authorities were likely preparing to facilitate wider conscription to cover their army’s manpower needs.