Zelenskyy offers Zaporizhzhia Oblast head Fedorov post as head of Agency for Restoration

Ivan Fedorov, Head of Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration, has said during a report marking 1,000 days in office that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had offered him the position of head of the Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine.

Source: Ukrinform; Suspilne Zaporizhzhia

Quote from Fedorov: "The enemy will continue to strike strategic facilities, so they need to be protected as much as possible and repaired quickly. I'll be frank: I have received an extremely challenging offer – to head the Agency for Restoration and take responsibility for protecting strategically important facilities across Ukraine. But this transition does not mean that I will abandon Zaporizhzhia Oblast. On the contrary, it means combining two areas of responsibility. I will continue working here as co-chair of the Defence Council and, together with the team, will remain responsible for Zaporizhzhia whilst scaling up our experience across Ukraine."

Details: Fedorov said that during his conversation with Zelenskyy, it was stressed that Zaporizhzhia Oblast remains an absolute priority because of its strategic importance: it is Ukraine's southern stronghold, provides access to the right bank of the Dnipro River and is a major industrial centre.

No official decision on Fedorov's dismissal or appointment to the new position has yet been made.

Sources in the region's political circles told Suspilne that Fedorov's current deputy, Mykhailo Semikin, is among the likely candidates to replace him as head of Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration. Semikin has worked on Fedorov's team since their time in Melitopol and has served as deputy head of Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration since May 2024.

For reference: Fedorov was elected mayor of Melitopol in 2020. Russian forces entered Melitopol on 25 February 2022. Fedorov refused to cooperate with them and was abducted by Russian forces on 11 March 2022. The abduction was captured on CCTV. On 13 March 2022, Melitopol residents held a rally in support of the abducted mayor and activist Olha Haisumova, who had organised acts of resistance in the city. Zelenskyy appealed to world leaders to help secure Fedorov's release. Fedorov was released from Russian captivity on 16 March 2022 in exchange for nine Russian conscripts. He subsequently resumed his work in Ukrainian-controlled territory.

Background: In February 2024, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree appointing Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov as head of Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

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