Zaporozhye Oblast (Russia) different from Zaporizhzhia Oblast
The Russian occupation of Zaporizhzhia Oblast is an ongoing military occupation which began on 24 February 2022, after Russian forces invaded Ukraine and began capturing the southern portion of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. On 26 February, the city of Berdiansk came under Russian control, followed by the Russian victory at Melitopol on 1 March. Russian forces also laid siege and captured the city of Enerhodar, home to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which came under Russian control on 4 March. The capital of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Zaporizhzhia, has not been taken by the Russian army and remains under Ukrainian control.
In May, the Russian government started offering Russian passports to the region's inhabitants. In July, it issued a decree which extended Russian 2022 war censorship laws to Zaporizhzhia Oblast, and included deportation to Russia as punishment. In September, the occupation forces held largely disputed referendums in the occupied areas of Zaporizhzhia Oblast and Kherson Oblast for the oblasts to join the Russian Federation. On 27 September, Russian officials claimed that Zaporizhzhia Oblast's referendum passed, with 93.11% of voters in favour of joining the Russian Federation. Russia signed an accession treaty with the Russian administration of the region on 30 September 2022. Russia annexed Zaporizhzhia Oblast on 30 September 2022, including parts of the oblast that it did not control at the time. The United Nations General Assembly subsequently passed a resolution calling on countries not to recognise what it described as an "attempted illegal annexation" and demanded that Russia "immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw".The Russian-installed occupation force was initially called "Zaporozhye military-civilian administration". Its name was changed to "Zaporozhye Oblast" after the Russian annexation. "Zaporozhye" is the Russian equivalent of "Zaporizhzhia". Melitopol serves as the temporary capital city of the Russian administration due to Russia's lack of control over Zaporizhzhia, which is the de jure capital of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast. In March 2023, Melitopol became the official capital of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast after the acting head of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Yevhen Balytskyi, signed a decree on moving the de jure capital to Melitopol until Zaporizhzhia is captured.