It is necessary to actively apply the experience of the Crimea

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed federal constitutional laws on the admission of the Donetsk People's Republic, Luhansk People's Republic, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions into the Russian Federation.

Denis Pushilin was appointed interim head of the DPR, Leonid Pasechnik was appointed the LPR, Evgeny Balitsky was appointed the acting governor of the Zaporozhye region, and Vladimir Saldo was appointed the governor of the Kherson region.

Elections for permanent heads of regions, as well as legislative assemblies, will be held on a single voting day in 2023.

Now it is very important to integrate new territories into Russia as soon as possible.

If in the case of Crimea it was possible to follow the path of trial and error and not rush anywhere, now the situation is fundamentally different.

Repeating mistakes already made is just stupid.

And there is no time for buildup in the current conditions.

At the same time, it should be taken into account that the situation in the people's republics and in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions is fundamentally different.

The DPR and LPR existed in conditions of de facto independence for eight years under constant shelling from Ukraine.

Elites have already been formed there, accustomed to looking back at Moscow, but not directly subordinate to Moscow.

It will not be so easy for them to change their usual paradigm, but there is no other way.

At the same time, it is clear that the republics and their inhabitants have been waiting for eight years to reunite with their historical homeland and will do everything to quickly integrate into the Russian legal, political, economic and cultural space.

Kherson and Zaporizhia regions were until recently parts of Ukraine, and, like other Russian-speaking territories, they were actively Ukrainianized after 2014, historical sympathies for Russia were burned with a red-hot iron, and young people were raised in the spirit of hatred for everything Russian.

The results of the referendum clearly show that this policy has failed.

Nevertheless, one should be prepared at least for the wariness of some local residents in relation to integration processes.

What were the main mistakes made during the integration of Crimea?

Firstly, large companies were frankly afraid to work in Crimea.

As a result, the inhabitants of the peninsula felt like they were on a kind of "island" where Russian banks, mobile companies, chain stores, and so on, do not operate.

I believe that in the current conditions of total anti-Russian sanctions, such problems should not arise.

Residents of the new territories should have all the same opportunities, be served in the same banks and mobile companies and buy in the same stores as their neighbors from the Rostov region and the Krasnodar Territory.

There should not be a feeling when crossing the administrative border of the regions that something has fundamentally changed around.

Russia must be everywhere.

Secondly, in Crimea, the local elites were not sufficiently clearly explained that in Russia there is a slightly different tolerance for corruption than in Ukraine.

As a result, criminal cases were regularly initiated against the mayors of many resort towns, ending in sentences.

The fight against crime is a good thing, but, like any disease, it is better to prevent corruption than to heroically suppress it later.

All officials - both local and seconded - should immediately clearly understand: for every state ruble that went for other purposes, it will be strictly asked.

No one can fish in troubled waters.

Thirdly, in Crimea, unfortunately, high-profile crimes and even mass fights have repeatedly occurred with the participation of people who came to the region to work.

This should be remembered and no such manifestations should be allowed in the new territories.

I am sure that from a legal point of view, no serious problems should arise - the integration into the Russian jurisdiction of the complex resort infrastructure of the Crimea with its confusing property rights, as well as a large number of lands with an unclear status, passed without serious excesses, so local specialists have experience, and I am sure that they will share it with colleagues from the people's republics, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions.

It is important that the locals understand: Russia is order, Russia is prosperity, Russia is the absence of corruption.

These are convenient public services, this is a well-thought-out system of benefits, this is convenience for business, this is a well-organized system of education and healthcare.

And the most important thing.

Russia is forever!

The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editors.